The Trouble With Racism

The narrator has been invisible since he went underground because he was so disgusted with the betrayal he'd experienced. Now he has decided to come out of his hibernation and join the world again not as an invisible man who conforms to the expectations of white society, but as an individual who, in his most basic sense, is a human and therefore the voice of all humanity.

From Ralph Ellison's own description of the Epilogue of "Invisible Man," among the finest works of art ever written about prejudice and invisibility when a minority in a world dominated by another race.

Ms. CYPRAH

It is almost impossible for me to truly understand how women and minorities feel as a white male in America, and I admit at times I want to dismiss some of their feelings as unfounded although I am probably frequently wrong.

I remember going to college in 1968 and having a black classmate who became a very dear friend. I had grown up in a town of some 5000 people and as I recall there was only one black family in the town. I had almost no understanding of what it meant to be black in America and my naivete showed through clearly. I remember my friend laughing at me when I boldly made the claim that racism was now becoming a thing of the past in America. He gently but with passion told me about what it had been like for him growing up black in the South. Although I didn't buy into everything he said at the time, this began a change in me that is still taking place. He probably has no recollection of this time but it was significant to me. Change of course is taking place, my friend is an accomplished attorney working in a significant position for a white southern US senator. This is something that just wouldn't have been the case in 1968. I praise God for this needed change in our society and our world.

This is an excellent piece. I just clipped it to Newsviner's Picks.

I'm reminded of a summer two years ago when I attended a class in Baltimore (a majority black population) and a university that was traditionally black-only. I was the only white guy in my chemistry class and in just about every room I was in, be in cafeteria, bookstore, etc, I was almost always the only white guy.

It gave me as close a glimpse as I can probably get of feeling what it's like to be a minority, what with people stopping conversations as I approached or people all looking at me all suspicious. It was a fascinating experience.

A white male might not see race and gender as any issue, but he would be perceiving his life from a position of power within society, the undisputed owner of the historical, social, political, economical, media and professional authority. Until one relinqushes such power to be on the receiving end of prejudiced perceptions, one will never be able to understand this privileged difference.

This is a good piece, and thank you for it, but once more I have to add the caveat that "White" is a race (for the sake of this argument, anyway) and "male" is a gender, and I'm pretty sure most White males know they're, well, White males. Even ones in position of power are no doubt acutely aware that some people likely think they're there not because of talent, but because of the color of their skin. Perhaps some don't mind that. Perhaps some even revel in it. I don't know - there's all sorts of people in this world, both good and bad.

But I must also again point out that, while I see where you're coming from, and both the US and the UK have societal structures which historically have "White males" at the top - that experience of being in the majority, or powerful, or authoritative, doesn't necessarily hold true for all "White males", even in those countries (well, I won't speak for the UK). But where I'm from, I could have walked a hundred miles in any direction and not seen another "White" person - or, rather, the chances of doing so would have been rather slim, compared to that of seeing one of some other (in that area, dominant) "race".

I also think that as human beings we are capable of empathy. So if you want to say that, generically, "White males" are less likely to be able to truly understand what it means to be a minority, I'd probably say you're right (in the US and UK, at least), most of the time. But some do, because they, though White, are minorities themselves. And the rest can at least empathize, can try to understand, and can therefore try to better both themselves, and society.

In any case, I don't think the notion that one must be in a position of power in order to project "prejudiced perceptions" is necessarily valid, as I categorically reject the notion that minorities, themselves, can't likewise be prejudiced, or that those in "majorities" can't be prejudiced against.

Excellent work. Thank you.

we can always change our clubs and associations, but we cannot change our colour or race. We are stuck with it for life, so it cannot be ignored in any argument.

We had a bi-racial foster child from an incredibly impoverished and high-risk home. Defining herself will never be easy nor has it been. America is no better than the UK, as pointed out above.