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White Guilt Research Paper

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White Guilt I had just finished dinner with my mom after spending a few hours at the California Academy of Science in San Francisco. She was so excited that I had invited her to spend time with me; the invitation was a big sign of our relationship becoming healthy again. A few doors down from the restaurant, a man approaches us. “Hey guys can you help me out? I’m hungry. I’m out here beggin’ all day, but I don’t get help because everyones racist!” Living in San Ramon has me ill-prepared for dealing with the homeless. I respond with a mumbled “no thanks” that makes me cringe every time I’ve mouthed the words since.
The man follows my mom and I down the street, rapidly evolving from beggar to verbal aggressor. “It’s not my fault my people were …show more content…
Pigmentocracies were established with white people at the top. Some are still functioning , and the effects can be seen where segregation has left non-white communities at a historical and modern economic disadvantage. But this is not my fault, and until I am self-sustaining and living in excess, I don’t think that I should feel guilty of inequality. I feel crippled by white guilt. I have entered many conversations about race, but sometimes what I express is dismissed because of my lack of experience. My thoughts and ideas are invalidated. While I have room to share, I have been dismissed more frequently in conversations of race than in others. I choose my words more carefully and exclude some of what I want to say so that I am at least listened to. I live in fear of offending; my words or actions might be (and have been) interpreted as racist expression. I act differently around unfamiliar people who are not white. I try not to look or stare. I end up putting so much effort into preventing offense that there is a disconnection between me and the person. I let this fear of confrontation prevent me from the conversation that I need to be more comfortable with interracial

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