I’m not making this up. Really, I swear it’s true. The according to the National Museum of African American History & Culture:
“Whiteness and white racialized identity refer to the way that white people, their customs, culture, and beliefs operate as the standard by which all other groups of are compared.”
They helpfully created handy chart to help a non-white person determine their level of “whiteness”. Here are some of the items on the list:
- Self-reliance
- Objective, rational linear thinking
- Work is the key to success
- Respect authority
- Plan for the future
- Be polite
I cherry-picked some of the more ridiculous ones but there are others nearly as crazy. I encourage everyone to read the article. [Update: They have edited the article since I wrote this and it’s marginally better. Here’s the link: https://nmaahc.si.edu/learn/talking-about-race/topics/whiteness]
According to the site, white people invented everything on that list. It implies that before black people met their first white person, and began their Borg-like assimilation, black people didn’t think objectively, weren’t law-abiding, were lazy, didn’t plan for the future and weren’t very nice.
Wow. Just…wow. It’s like they took every possible stereotype of all races, ranked the “whiteness” level of each and crammed them into a chart.
Hey black guy, guess what, the only reason you worked hard and are successful is because a white person showed you how to do so. The Mayans didn’t know how to plan for the future until Columbus showed up told them to stop “living in the moment”. You Indians (Native Americans), you should thank us white folks for showing you how to be self-reliant.
Of course this isn’t true. I wasn’t there to see it, but I’d bet that most black people were hard working before the white folks came along. Ever hear of the Mayan Calendar? The Mayans obviously knew how to plan for the future from the get-go. The Indians lived off the land for thousands of years before the first white person stepped foot on this continent. I’d say that demonstrates self-reliance.
The chart also says that the white family culture is “where the husband is the breadwinner and head of household, the wife is the homemaker and subordinate to the husband.” What century are they living in? Clearly not this one.
I have three issues with this whole thing. First, this is just another example of words being used to further separate people instead of bringing them together. Second, someone is going to actually believe this stuff. Finally, the National Museum of African American History & Culture is, at least partially, funded by taxpayer dollars so some of my money was used to fund this.
Working hard, respecting others and thinking independently isn’t a “white” thing. It’s not even an American thing. It’s a human thing.
Here’s the original chart from their Web site. The bottom margin is missing but the entire chart is here.
