The Invisibility Of Whiteness Analysis

All three writers in this section are concerned with what they call “the invisibility of whiteness.” How can something be invisible if it is everywhere?

The main concept that keeps white domination invisible is its revolution around normality. Although many understand the existence of white privilege, it is, however, subjective due to the plethora of variability in the upbringings of different races. A bevy of varying scopes will arise because of the different experiences with white privilege, mainly around being the beneficiary or viewer of the benefits. However, the main contribution to the lack of attention to whiteness is the foreign, peculiar emotion “whites” feel when asked about whiteness. As illustrated by Paula S. Rothenberg, “People

The message is reflective of the sentiment that “most people would feel little sense of pride or accomplishment in winning a race they started with an unfair advantage” (Rothenberg p.4). It is to the detriment of races to harbor ill sentiments towards each other, therefore the revelation of the particularity of whiteness could clarify aggressions and false notions. For example, due to the egotistical and oblivious belief, by whites, that the country is theirs, whites will not be able to understand the sense of debt African Americans believe they are owed. The power and rule of white power is another reason to study whiteness. By understanding it we could possibly end its innate hold on society and clarify the false promise of meritocracy. It is unfair to glorify a successful race if the other races are given a handicap. Lastly, studying whiteness could breed tags that currently aren’t associated with whiteness. Ethnicities outside the realm of the white race are closely associated with the respective race. As Harlon Dalton points out, “most non-White ethnics recognize that, at least in the American context, they have a race as well as an ethnicity. However, whenever whites trace their roots, they focus solely on the ethnicity aspect. Studying whiteness can lead to the attachment of a racial image to whiteness and help bring whiteness into a

Although it seems bizarre and estranged to imagine Italians, Polish, and other European individuals treated as non-whites, there was a time when they were ostracized like other races. An amount of dislike can be seen through John Dollard’s repeated use of “our temporary Negroes” to describe the immigrant working class (p.41) The title also hints at the volatility of whiteness and the fact that it is a social construct. Due to the innate normality of whiteness, there isn’t an explicit timeline on the historical events of whiteness, for this reason this section and title perfectly shed light on an unknown aspect of white race. Another aspect that must be taken into consideration is the process of the aforementioned transition. While the acceptance of white immigrants was inevitable, the gradual process was definitively