The
Myth of the “Caucasian”: When the Stereotype-er Becomes the Stereotype-ee
by Alyssa Roberts
Any required school questionnaires
or doctor’s office forms given to me are met with excitement on my part. Call
me a nerd, but I would credit twelve years in the public school system with the
un-called for excitement that usually results from being handed any form of an
“easy” worksheet. Despite this initial giddiness, however, there is one section
of these forms that I just cannot figure out, as this section asks for a
description of one’s race, usually accompanied by several options and boxes to
be checked. Attempts at political correctness, or at least not offending as
many people as possible while asking at what point in history their
grandparents were discriminated against, make this section comical, to say the
least. Options include African American/Black, Asian American, American
Indian/Native American, and, my personal favorite, White/Caucasian. I know I
will not be the first of my race to ask, thoughtfully, if not a bit disturbed
at the fact that I don’t understand a term apparently concerning my own
heritage, “What the heck is ‘Caucasian’?”
Well, my fellow white citizens of
the world, I am here to tell you that I have finally discovered the answer. Put
simply, to be Caucasian means to be a member of no race or ethnic group. That’s
right, go ahead and pick up whatever object you just dropped in shock and
despair- iPhone, coffee mug, laptop, whatever it may be- and allow me to
explain. According to the great and powerful English dictionary, to be
Caucasian means to be a member or descendent of “one of the traditional
divisions of humankind” hailing from Europe, western Asia, and parts of India and North Africa .
In effect, a Caucasian is thence a member of almost any race and ethnicity
covered in such a broad scope of terrain. Essentially, Caucasians cannot be a
member of one, so must be a partial member of all ethnicities, and therefore are
members of none. Despite the obvious attempts of doctor’s offices and marketing
companies to include whites in the sense of ethnic pride and unity shared by
most groups, the title of Caucasian only serves to confuse and further divide
whites into their own form of ethnic nonexistence, thereby forcing them to
remain one homogeneous, culture-less culture, unless you count the culture of
the racist bigot, which, these days, most people seem not to count.
Some would
say that it is our fault, an opinion I can agree with to a certain extent. Were
my forefathers slave-owning plantation managers in Virginia until the 1860’s? No. My
forefathers hail from Sweden ,
and, as the story goes, immigrated to America on a whim one day with
nothing more than the equivalent of ten cents in their combined pockets. So, I
submit that they were not at any point in time slave owners. Why, then, am I
blamed for the crime of the white race? It seems that the tables have finally
turned. Our social system has finally come full-circle, to the point where
whites, always the veritable “top dog” of society, the controlling majority, have
become the minority. Believe me you, I have no illusions about the true state
of economic affairs, but from a purely social perspective, it is worth noting
that the position of whites in society has changed, and changed considerably,
along with the changing definition of racism.
Traditional
racism is nothing like the tentative, somewhat mocking understanding of other
cultures that we see in society today. The story of traditional racism is well
known and, admittedly, still a problem for many. Of course, I do not deny the
crimes of organizations like the KKK or refute the nobility of the struggle of
the American Civil Rights Movement. I rejoice in the changing system of racism
today, but likewise feel the need to explain it more thoroughly. Currently,
racism does not mean discrimination or prejudice against another race or ethnic
group. Yes, that is what the dictionary says, and that is what history says,
but no more. Today racism is a term casually flung back and forth between
friends at any mention of a person’s ethnicity having a negative or positive connotation. For example:
Student A: “I got an A on my trig final!”
Student B: “That’s because you’re Asian.”
Student C: (to Student B): “That’s racist!”
Perhaps the
most interesting aspect of this changing definition, at least for me, as a
humble Caucasian, is that whites, to an extent, are not allowed to take part in
it. Not that I have any desire to be considered a racist, or even a fake
racist, by my peers (who, despite the extensive coverage of the American Civil
Rights movement in every history-related class they have ever taken since the
beginning of our education, seem not to realize what a true racist is), but it
would be nice to not be accused of racism any time one mentions anything about
race or ethnicity ever. One day, while struggling to pay attention during
Pre-Calculus, I was confronted by two (rather obnoxious) students who sit
behind me. Unfortunately, I am unable to recall how the conversation began, but
it ended with an exchange that has left me thoroughly perplexed.
Black student: (to Irish student) Oh, you’re Irish? What, so
you guys eat a lot of potatoes or something?”
Irish student: “Yeah just like all you’ve got to eat is
cotton.”
Bystanders: “OHHHHHHH!”
“Racist! That is so racist!”
“What the %@** is wrong with you, you
*@%%#?”
Et cetera, Et cetera. While acknowledging that both comments
are pretty messed up, one aspect of this conversation is perhaps more
convoluted than what was actually said, and this is that only the Irish student
is being called racist. Assuming that the Irish student, by their mention of
cotton, was referring to the centuries of slavery suffered by (some, but not
all) black citizens of the U.S. ,
it is easy to see why the reaction was so pronounced. However, the Irish
student, whose heritage, as it happens, is only known because this individual
makes a point of mentioning it wherever possible, unlike most “Caucasians,” is
likewise mocked concerning the Potato Famine, a time of serious horror and
strife resulting in the deaths of millions of this individual’s ancestral
countrymen. Yet, only the Irish student is accused of mocking the black student’s
race.
This
example, and, believe me you, the many others I have encountered during my
career as a public school student, is characteristic of the new definition of
racism. The societal implications of this phenomenon, because of its newness,
are yet unknown, but can be seen in their developmental stages. In a setting
where any mention of ethnic heritage is considered racism, especially those
mentions by a white (excuse me, Caucasian)
person, racism may simply become an insult, a way of mocking one’s peers
similar to “stupidhead” and other terms not worthy of mention in an academic
article. The outcome I see, from the historically-endorsed “Caucasian”
perspective, is that members of my ethnicity will become even more entrenched
in the ever-present stereotype of the racist bigot that is truly our heritage.
Leave it to the cynicism of modern society to rule out any other significant
achievements and never let go the mistakes of a non-representative minority
throughout the years.
This
stereotype, founded or un-founded, is the only heritage I am allowed, the only
culture I can belong to. I, along with my “white brothers” am forced to remain
homogeneous in society that is consistently moving toward the apex of heterogeneity.
If I were Black, I might be allowed some pride in my heritage. If I were Asian,
I might be allowed to make the distinction between “Caucasian” and English-Swedish.
As it is, such a distinction is nowhere near as interesting as
Filipino-Chinese, because the Americans didn’t attack the Swedish in their
homeland and use it as a military base during any of the world wars. C’este la vie. As it is, I have
thoroughly expended the socially acceptable time limit of discussions of race
and must therefore retreat to my corner of the racial spectrum, forever to be stereotyped
as the stereotype-er, forever a figurative enemy to the stereotype-ee.
(c) Alyssa Roberts, 2013. Please do not plagiarize. Thanks.
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