When reading “The Heart of Whiteness,” I came across new, eye-opening expositions regarding racism and white supremacy on almost every page. However, even upon reading the book in its entirety, I found the most divine revelation to be in the introduction. Jensen recounts a joke that a friend once told him: “Why did they have to cancel the Miss Ebonics Pageant? Because no one wanted to be Miss I-da-ho,” (Jenson, pg. xiv). Jensen’s friend then inquired on whether or not he (Jensen) believed the joke to be racist. Jensen states that his friend, in an attempt to defend the joke and himself, claimed that “he understands the ugly politics of the joke…. but still appreciates the clever word play,” (Jenson, pg. xvi) Jensen’s response to this defense is possibly (in my eyes) the most powerful statement in the entire book: “Jokes are funny only in context. There is no such thing as abstract clever word play. Words have meaning in the world in which we live, not in the abstract. Take away the politics, and there is no joke. The joke wouldn’t make any sense. If the joke is funny, its funny precisely because its racist and sexist,” (Jensen, pg. xvi). This declaration sunk in my mind more than any other testimony Jensen gives. These few lines perfectly capture how our society, both consciously and unconsciously, facilitates and encourages racism. By providing ourselves with a scene of racially specific qualities and attributes, we are acting as catalysts to prejudicial stereotypes and racism. If we eliminate the boundaries and divisions society places on people based on superficial factors, then we will inherently be eliminating the fundamental basis of racism created by our society. This book was extremely enlightening and I have already recommended it to my parents, aunts and uncles, and will definitely continue to further endorse it.
Friday, December 6, 2013
The Heart of Whiteness
When reading “The Heart of Whiteness,” I came across new, eye-opening expositions regarding racism and white supremacy on almost every page. However, even upon reading the book in its entirety, I found the most divine revelation to be in the introduction. Jensen recounts a joke that a friend once told him: “Why did they have to cancel the Miss Ebonics Pageant? Because no one wanted to be Miss I-da-ho,” (Jenson, pg. xiv). Jensen’s friend then inquired on whether or not he (Jensen) believed the joke to be racist. Jensen states that his friend, in an attempt to defend the joke and himself, claimed that “he understands the ugly politics of the joke…. but still appreciates the clever word play,” (Jenson, pg. xvi) Jensen’s response to this defense is possibly (in my eyes) the most powerful statement in the entire book: “Jokes are funny only in context. There is no such thing as abstract clever word play. Words have meaning in the world in which we live, not in the abstract. Take away the politics, and there is no joke. The joke wouldn’t make any sense. If the joke is funny, its funny precisely because its racist and sexist,” (Jensen, pg. xvi). This declaration sunk in my mind more than any other testimony Jensen gives. These few lines perfectly capture how our society, both consciously and unconsciously, facilitates and encourages racism. By providing ourselves with a scene of racially specific qualities and attributes, we are acting as catalysts to prejudicial stereotypes and racism. If we eliminate the boundaries and divisions society places on people based on superficial factors, then we will inherently be eliminating the fundamental basis of racism created by our society. This book was extremely enlightening and I have already recommended it to my parents, aunts and uncles, and will definitely continue to further endorse it.
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