Thank you, Gail K. Golden Privilege as an Addiction* byGail K. Golden, Ed.D, LCSWAs we come to understand something about institutional racism, we begin to have some clarity about how people of color can be made ill by endless and unrelenting assaults against their very being. We learn about internalized racial inferiority and the toll it takes on people of color. We begin to understand the impact of racism on the physical, emotional and financial health of people of color.What we are much less attuned to is internalized racial superiority and the ways in which being part of a dominating culture creates its own pathology, that of white privilege. The following are some preliminary observations about distorted thoughts and feelings precipitated by Internalized Racial Superiority.1. Our ideas about what is ‘normal’ are very culture bound in ways we often do not see.2. We have an exaggerated sense of the rightness of our own ideas and opinions, often diminishing contributions of people of color.(White is Right.)3. We have a sense of entitlement which can create an exaggerated sense of outrage when our expectations are disappointed.4. Even those of us committed to social justice feel we can pick and choose when and where to speak out when we perceive racist behaviors.5. We feel guilty for our participation in a racist society and often want our guilt to be assuaged by people of color.6. We tend to argue with people of color about THEIR experience. The idea that we know better is one of the ultimate expressions of the exaggerated sense of rightness mentioned above.7. Those of us who are white and who count ourselves successful tend to believe that we have earned our success through hard work and focus. We rarely see that unearned benefits associated with whiteness have
Posted on: Wed, 20 Aug 2014 05:06:25 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015