Culture

I Refuse To Be A Self-Hating White Girl

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” These were the words of one of the most prolific civil rights activists in our nation’s history — Martin Luther King, Jr.

By Ashley St. Clair5 min read
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How is it that in the current climate of demanding racial equality, we’ve done a complete 180 away from this and are instead attacking people based on their race? 

While there are steps that need to be taken to address racism and prejudice against Black Americans in this country, there’s always a threshold where progressivism inevitably becomes regressive in one way or another. 

There’s always a threshold where progressivism inevitably becomes regressive in one way or another.

The current narrative surrounding “racial equality” seems to have reached that point by suggesting the only way for white people to help the black community is by bowing down to the angry mob and taking accountability for the sins of their ancestors. I refuse to be a self-deprecating white girl for sins that I never committed.

The fact that every race and society in history has owned slaves is beside the point. In order to stand against inequality, we must stand against the harmful demonization of any group based on skin color because it will ultimately lead to further inequality and division. Discrimination is the antithesis of empowerment. I refuse to have all of the progress made for women’s empowerment stripped away from me simply because my skin is the “wrong” color. 

The Curse of Slavery and White Guilt

You could argue that your ancestors never owned slaves, but it’s a moot point because no one even asks. The more significant point is that even if your ancestors owned slaves, YOU don’t, and the only conduct we’re responsible for in this life is our own. Just as we don’t hold the families or descendants of criminals today responsible for paying for their relative’s sins, we shouldn’t hold all white people who were never slave owners accountable for paying reparations to people who were never slaves. Imagine if we had demonized and ordered the Columbine shooters’ mothers to pay monetary compensation to the victim’s family members. 

The average present-day American, regardless of race, abhors racism and decries discrimination when they see compelling evidence of it. Therefore, it’s illogical, and perhaps unethical, to use the power of government to mandate white people to both apologize and pay reparations for the actions of their ancestors during the birth of our nation. 

The only conduct we’re responsible for in this life is our own.

Apart from government-mandated reparations, being forced to stand trial in front of the court of public opinion for sins you didn’t commit should be rejected. A viral video making its rounds on the internet recently showed white Christians kneeling down to black parishioners to apologize for their ancestors’ sins. It’s a ridiculous standard to hold people to, even outside of religion. One could even argue that it’s inherently anti-Christian given the Bible’s assertions that children are not accountable for the sins of their father: “The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself” (Ezekial 18:19-20). 

Though the point of this article is not a theological discussion on the way the Bible says we should handle race relations, it speaks to a larger point that not punishing people for sins they didn’t commit has been a principle of those seeking virtue and righteousness for centuries and should be one that we should continue to uphold.

Celebrities Make It Culturally Acceptable

If the goal is equality, why are all people, especially celebrities and leaders, not held to the same standard in terms of punishment when it comes to disgusting propaganda against white people? 

The worst civil rights violations in our nation’s history have happened when we have tried to determine who is or who isn’t worthy enough to be considered a person. We are seeing this wrongful pattern of behavior rear its ugly head again against white people, with top celebrities and community leaders making it socially acceptable to treat white people as inferior sub-humans. 

Recently, Nick Cannon was dropped from CBS after his “anti-Semitic comments.” At first glance, this seems like a win for fighting discrimination, but Cannon made even more egregious comments about white people that weren’t mentioned in CBS’s statement on his firing. Despite Cannon saying that white people have less empathy and likened them to animals because of their “lack of melanin,” these comments were a non-issue in the eyes of the public and the entertainment industry.

Celebrities and community leaders make it socially acceptable to treat white people as inferior sub-humans. 

Seth Rogan just announced that he is “actively trying to make less things starring white people.”

A co-founder of Black Lives Matter Toronto argued that white people are “recessive genetic defects.”

But any celebrity who dares to speak out against the rising racial supremacist sentiment coming from the Black Lives Matter movement is exiled and called racist slurs. In a bold move on CNN, Terry Crews experienced backlash for expressing his concern about the “dangerous self-righteousness” stemming from out of BLM, where people “really viewed themselves as better.” These few voices of reason in the echo-chamber of Hollywood are silenced, berated, and deemed harmful to racial equality. They’re simply not woke enough. 

Social Media Platforms Are Complicit

The silencing and bullying of those who refuse to accept an anti-white sentiment extends beyond celebrities and leaders. It has become something that none of us in the modern era can escape from, with every major social media platform taking aggressive actions to force people into conformity.

If you were on Instagram at any time during the first week of June, you almost certainly saw, or maybe engaged in, the worldwide trend of posting a black square to “stand against racism.” While this in itself is not harmful, white people who chose not to participate or even gave a respectful critique of the trend were deemed racist.

How does promoting or silencing people based solely on the color of their skin promote racial equity?

Instagram also approved and published a “Mute White People” sticker for users to post on their stories.

In the same month, TikTok announced it would be promoting black creators. Similarly, YouTube announced a $100 million fund to “amplify voices of black creators.”

From a basic definitional standpoint, how does promoting or silencing people based solely on the color of their skin promote racial equity?

These mob-ruled trends, backed and funded by major corporations within Big Tech, are instilling the sentiment that white lives inherently have less value than their black neighbors.

I Should Be Proud of My Heritage

Another popular accusation thrown at white Americans is that white people have no culture, or what we do have is stolen from someone else. Phrases like “white people have no culture” or “white people are bland” have become so widely accepted that they have become popular memes across the internet. 

From a logical perspective, I struggle with understanding why it’s racist for one race to be proud of their culture and not another. Every other race except white people is allowed to be proud of their culture and heritage without losing their jobs or reputation. The reality is that white culture, specifically European culture, is just as rich and abundant with historical lessons that we can lean on in our everyday life. 

The text of the New Testament was written in ancient Greek, which was later translated to the benefit of all humankind. The gods of Norse and Greek mythology served as inspirations of strength in times of struggle and taught socially beneficial virtues like honor and hospitality. European philosophers inspired the very text which declared all men to be equal regardless of race, color, or creed, despite the global practices of the time (i.e. slavery). Abraham Lincoln, a white man born and raised in Kentucky, freed the slaves on the logical soap-box that was crafted by white thinkers, such as John Locke, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison.

Every other race except white people is allowed to be proud of their culture and heritage.

European thinkers created our amazing country that had the guts to end the eternal practice of slavery. European writers created some of the most famous and influential books in history. Their mythologies have informed art and culture around the world. So to say that Europeans have no culture is not only blatantly false, it’s an outright denial of the great contributions the West has made to the world.

Why I Refuse To Be a Self-Hating White Girl

I, just like everybody else in this world, should be able to be proud of my heritage and who I am because my life matters just as much as any other life. I should be held accountable for when I do wrong to others, but never for the crimes of people who lived hundreds of years before me. 

While women have found equality in this country, it was not always this way. We fought a long and hard battle to be considered worthy of decent treatment. I refuse to have that progress taken away from me and be made to feel inferior once again for something else I can’t control: the color of my skin.

My voice, thoughts, and experiences are not inferior to anyone of another race simply because I am white.

The narrative of black versus white undermines everything we believe in as Americans. It defines us by our skin color rather than by our character and by the fact that we have the God-given rights to freedom, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

I will support your right to all of the aforementioned, but not at the expense of giving up my right to the same freedoms and liberties.

Closing Thoughts

The way to fight racism and inequality is not by demanding that another race accept itself as inferior and evil, but to hold everyone to the same standard regardless of the color of their skin. 

My voice, thoughts, and experiences are not inferior to anyone of another race simply because I am white.