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December 25, 2006
Rank and File
by Nova Stubbs, insurgent49

The Poor and Whitey

     I am white, ya know … a Caucasian. Being white is easy, even more so if you’re heterosexual, male, and not handicapped. But it is amazing how much my race takes the socially constructed privilege of being white for granted.

    I have a white friend who was a little pissed off that a job posted in the classifieds explicitly stated “Native preference.” She said that this was racism. And I agreed that yes, it would be racism if we lived in an alternate universe where Native people made up a majority of the state’s population and had power over all the resources. But, as many Alaskans know, this is not the case, and there is no way in hell that simply stating “Native preference” could be considered racist.

     It is us whiteys who must remember the power and advantage that we have because of the color of our skin.

    At the time my friend was talking about this kind of reverse racism, she was extremely hard up for a job, so there was part of me that understood her frustration. This is why many Americans are also opposed to affirmative action because they believe that under-qualified individuals (minorities) are getting jobs, while qualified individuals (whitey) are being screwed by the system.

    There are few things I would like to say to the opponents of affirmative action.

     First and foremost, get over it. Chances are, you were able to grow up in a nice neighborhood and attended a good school, unlike the folks who you considered under-qualified, who were more likely to grow up around drugs and guns, and who went to crappy schools.  I am not saying that all minorities live in unfavorable neighborhoods and that whites don’t live in ghettos. What I am saying is that minorities are generally poorer. And wouldn’t it seem like policies such as affirmative action would correct these disparities?

    Affirmative action is a small step in decreasing the inequalities that exist; however, the only ones who benefit from the policy are ethnic minorities, women, people with disabilities and veterans. I say only because economic class is completely disregarded. Like I said before … whites live in ghettos too, and they can also be victims of a cold world. 

    So, now does it sound like I am sticking up for whitey? Well, in a way, I suppose I am, because I truly believe that affirmative action should focus on class, as well.

     Take Condoleezza Rice, for example. She grew up in Birmingham during the 50’s and 60’s, and at times her life was not easy because of the cruel racism that surrounded the city. However, Condy did grow up in a middle class family, and was not struggling in the sense that her family had little to eat. In other words, her family was better off than most residents (black and white) who lived in the city.

    In the 1960’s affirmative action was necessary for the intended beneficiaries, and today it is still necessary. However, aren’t we disregarding the one group who could benefit most from such a policy … the poor?

     It is the poor that are truly the underprivileged people of our system. 

     



   


      Nova Stubbs is a freelance writer and activist, and is co-founder of Insurgent49. Nova resides in an undisclosed location in downtown Anchorage and may be contacted at nova@insurgent49.com.

     'Rank and File' appears on insurgent49.com every Monday.

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in-sur-gent (in sur'jent), n. 1. a member of a group which revolts against the policies of its leadership.