tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3810802181257758585.post869673382971231505..comments2023-10-15T00:19:53.170-07:00Comments on Diary of a Black and White Family: What “White Culture” means to black-white familiesKaryn L. Folanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01238726147581833093noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3810802181257758585.post-56968367400921833542010-08-10T05:58:17.431-07:002010-08-10T05:58:17.431-07:00@contrabandmarriage-- welcome! I'm glad you we...@contrabandmarriage-- welcome! I'm glad you were inspired!Karyn L. Folanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238726147581833093noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3810802181257758585.post-80995822773823526932010-08-10T02:10:50.649-07:002010-08-10T02:10:50.649-07:00this has a significance that shouldn't just be...this has a significance that shouldn't just be "limited" to black-white families - especially this part: <br /><br />"a white culture that defines who is not white, while accepting the benefits and privileges of not having to define itself"<br /><br />it brings to mind the "justice" system where the onus is not to prove innocence but to defend against charges of guiltiness. it sounds like the same thing (or close enough to it to not make a difference) but there's a hairline fracture of a difference. anyway, i'm going on and on - that shows i was inspired.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3810802181257758585.post-10313125758080748292010-08-01T20:26:53.248-07:002010-08-01T20:26:53.248-07:00Interesting...white culture being identified by it...Interesting...white culture being identified by its inherent need for no identity. What troubles me is the visualization of black culture being synonymous with hip hop. Hip hop has become the modern day minstrel show, except the black paint doesn't rub off. If that's what black identity has been reduced to, then it's time to turn in my race card.Christelyn D. Karazinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15672480384861609835noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3810802181257758585.post-20662965071583301582010-08-01T03:48:39.771-07:002010-08-01T03:48:39.771-07:00@Integraltalk-- I remember. And I would say (as I ...@Integraltalk-- I remember. And I would say (as I think I did when we talked back then) that there are a couple of levels: outside the family and inside. Outside the family unit, there most definitely are perceptioins that rank some individual members as "more" than others-- or who receive different treatment because of their racial status. Inside the family, however, it has been my experience that those dynamics don't operate. Inter-racial family members see each other so much, they stop seeing color at all-- and in the process disentangle some of these notions of privilege. That's why it's so important to discuss these things in the home, because when we leave our environment of equality, we're "reminded" by society of the way some people still see color and privilege.<br /><br />In my family, I think it just makes us more committed to helping bring about social change. I hope my girls will feel that way about it as they grow older, too.Karyn L. Folanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238726147581833093noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3810802181257758585.post-62810227570031367852010-08-01T00:43:17.417-07:002010-08-01T00:43:17.417-07:00Greetings Karen. This is a great post and is exact...Greetings Karen. This is a great post and is exactly the point I was trying to make in a discussion that you and I had on The Lamont Carey Show (BlogTalkRadio) a few months ago with regard to white privilege and its impact on interracial relationships whether they be romantic or not. At the end of the day, even though all men are created equal. it is the perception of others that, so far any way, determines the actualization of equality in this country.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3810802181257758585.post-9980281764689332202010-07-31T15:23:14.840-07:002010-07-31T15:23:14.840-07:00Thanks, Afua! Whiteness and blackness (or whitness...Thanks, Afua! Whiteness and blackness (or whitness and NON-whiteness) are two sides of the same coin-- absolutely inseparable! And confronting privilege is a very painful and courageous thing to do: not everyone is willing to acknowledge it, especially those who feel that they aren't "benefitting" in any way. There's an interesting discussion going on my Facebook page over this post. Are we friends? I'm "Karyn Folan": send me a request if we're not friends already.<br /><br />Gonna check out your new blog post right now :-)Karyn L. Folanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238726147581833093noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3810802181257758585.post-80369313939132145522010-07-31T06:21:56.474-07:002010-07-31T06:21:56.474-07:00Karyn--This is an excellent post. You have hit the...Karyn--This is an excellent post. You have hit the nail on the head when it comes to talking about whiteness. Privilege is a concept that is extremely hard for many of my white and/or upper middle class students in the classes I teach to understand. White students always tend to think of themselves as individuals and not as a member of a group. By remaining invisible, whiteness remains the unmarked standard by which all other races are judged. Often, my students fail to understand that talking about whiteness means that you are also inherently talking about blackness. Things in our society are defined in relationship to what they are not.Talking about whiteness can difficult but also important, especially when it comes to the complexities of privilege and race. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this.--Afua<br /><br />P.S.--New blog post at smelodydiva.wordpress.comUnknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10548507869550374329noreply@blogger.com