Dear Mr... Jay,
This email is regarding your essay "Who Invented White
People?". Let me just
ask you why you became a professor if your words and writings
contain
nothing more than pure stupidity and hatred?
Apart from that, I would like to thank you. It was your
essay that proved to
me that the human race has not changed over the past decades.
People were
discriminating against jews, blacks, and other cultures
for many years. I
would trust for you as a "professor" to know
what sort of things people have
done to other races (taking into account anti-Semite and
the KKK) Well,
looking around me today I strongly believed that we somehow
changed for the
better; we became less racist and we are able to accept
people for who they
are no matter where they come from or what color their
skin is. Your essay
has proven my belief wrong. I see now that our world is
filled with haters
like you. Perhaps you have missed out the point of Martin
Luther King, Jr.
In his speeches he was not dividing blacks and whites,
instead he was
combining them. What he was trying to say is that we are
all humans despite
our colour or physical features. Do you not understand
that people are not
divided into black, white, African-American, European,
Brazilian or
whatever?????? . People are divided into bad or good, haters
lovers, those
that accept and those that reject! It is not true that
all white are
discriminating and selfish, and all blacks are violent.
What's true is that
HUMANS ARE SELFISH AND HATING AND VIOLENT. Your essay reflects
nothing more
than hate and evil against the white race. Do you not see
that you are
making the same mistake that the white people made many
years ago when they
created the KKK? ((Let me point out that not all white
people were racist!
Some stood up for blacks but were killed or rejected by
their white
community. Others knew that what their community was doing
was wrong, yet
their human vises, their fear and weakness stopped them
form standing up and
speaking up for what they believe was wrong.)) Because
of peoples idiotism
and hatred they tried to divide our population into blacks
and whites,
making white a good person and black a bad one. They tried
to lower the
black men and destroy them physically and internally. thanks
to people like
Martin Luther King, Jr people were able to stop and Perhaps
reflect on
their mistake. But hey! Here they come again. You are one.
Accept in this
case you wish to destroy the white race. Only remember
this: you are not
destroying the white race, you are destroying the HUMAN
race! You are
destroying yourself!
I have lived in a black family for over 2 years. My boyfriend
is also black.
When i look at him i do not see his colour, i see him as
a person! To me it
doesn't matter if he is white, black or even fucking purple!
I am able to
see past his colour, to see his heart and mind! I see his
love for me, for
surrounding him people and i see his purity and kindness.
His family are one
of the greatest people i have yet met in my life. They
have taught me so
much. And you know what? they have never tried to destroy
me because i am
white. Instead they love me with all their hearts and wish
the best for me
and their son. I am a lucky person because i have two families.
One of them
i was born in and the other one took me in because they
are able to love and
accept. And for racist people like you ill give you the
definition you
understand. A white family and a black one. So what now
huh? Non of your
stupid racist comments and wishes will be able to brake
the bond that we
share as one. You wish to destroy people that are white?
Well good luck with
that. I can only pray that by the time your last minute
comes you understand
that it is not white or black, it is good or bad. Love
against hate. You
will see in your last seconds that you are standing on
the hate line. And as
much hate as you wish to bring out in people, it will not
work. Ill try my
best to make sure that people like you do not create the
3rd world war or
the next racist generation
Thank you.
Sincerely AT.
PS. I would be grateful to hear what you have to say this.
Professor Jay responds:
Dear AT:
Thanks for the response, though I am afraid you have completely
misunderstood what I have written. You're not the first,
and I don't take it
personally. I know that the very hard work of combating
racism and putting
an end to white supremacy will often require much complex
discussion, pain,
and healing.
I'm wondering, by the way, how you came across the essay,
and what made you
want to read it??
If you go to the full web site (http://www.uwm.edu/~gjay/Whiteness)
you will
find an "Introduction" that clearly explains
the reason why an opposition to
white supremacy is important for the struggle against racism.
You must understand that to oppose white supremacy is
not to oppose "white"
people or to hate them. It is to hate the injustice that
white supremacy has
imposed, and continues to impose, both here and across
the globe. This work
must begin by each white person honestly confronting the
privileges that
each of us has been given because of our skin color, privileges
that we have
not earned and do not deserve. Just because you have a
black boyfriend or
live in a black family does not change the fact that black
people are
systematically discriminated against every day, both in
the United States
and around the globe. The "some of my best friends
are black" excuse just
does not begin to address the problem of structural, institutional
oppression. And it doesn't change the fact that you are
treated differently
because of your skin color, even if you let yourself believe
otherwise.
You're fooling yourself, and you are disrespecting the
people you say you
love.
Color blindedness is not the opposite of racism. Color
blindness is just the
perpetuation of injustice, since it allows white people
to remain blind to
the injustice of racism. If you cannot see that black and
brown children get
unequal educations, then you are blind. If you cannot see
that black and
brown people are excluded from the best jobs, followed
in department stores,
harassed by the police, and maimed and killed just because
of their race,
then you are blind. The only people who benefit from color
blindness are
white people, since it allows them to perpetuate the fantasy
that race
doesn't matter in our society. You can't fight racism if
you can't see it.
Seeing that someone is black or brown is not a matter of
stereotyping them
or putting them in some kind of box of inferiority. Rather
is respecting and
acknowledge their people, their history, their achievements,
their
continuing struggles.
Alas, I have little hope that you will soon understand
how deeply in denial
you are living, and how much you need to do to face honestly
the situation
that surrounds us. But you should sit back and ask yourself
why you have
reacted so emotionally to the very suggestion that maybe,
just maybe, white
people need to take a look in the mirror and question the
privileges they
have and the injustices done in their name. The bottom
line is that white
people do not want to give up these privileges and this
power. And that's
your real problem.
Sincerely yours,
Prof. Jay
AT writes back:
Dear Gregory Jay,
Thank you for replying
I apologies for reacting so emotionally. That email I wrote
to you right
after I finished reading your work and I was a little shocked.
I'll answer
your question first. How I came upon your essay? Well I
was doing some
random research and when i typed in "hate" on
the search web your "hate
mail" page appeared. First couple of letters were
extremely angry and that
made me wonder what pulled the trigger for those people.
So I searched
around and finally arrived at your home page. The first
thing I read was
your essay and right away I decided to email you. I believed
you to be a
total crack head but I see I was wrong and again I apologies.
Though I do
not fully agree with you. Oh! And the reason it interested
me was because
your website touches the never ending argument of humanity
with perhaps no
right or wrong answers and many different opinions.
So let me get this straight. What you teach is how white
people over
generations took over specific rights and privileges. For
example better
education than black people, or more job availability.
Am I correct? How
white allowed themselves to be above the black? To be somewhat
better and
own more? Just to let you know I am from Canada and not
from United States.
And don't get me wrong I am very well aware of the racism
that is happening
in this world. "The "some of my best friends
are black" excuse just does not
begin to address the problem of structural, institutional
oppression. And it
doesn't change the fact that you are treated differently
because of your
skin color, even if you let yourself believe otherwise.
You're fooling
yourself, and you are disrespecting the people you say
you love. " I'm
afraid I don't understand what you mean by that. I don't
think i mentioned
anything about black friends in my response. And how ecsactly
am I
disrespecting the people I love?
I agree with you completely on one argument. That people
around the world
are treating others with disrespect. That even though the
KKK is no longer
present there are still many haters out there. That is
what you believe
isn't it?
The one thing I notice the most is that people often categorize
people into
groups. For example if its a black man than he is violent
and aggressive and
if you approach him he will kill you. There are many cases
where a white
policeman would beat up a black man just because of his
skin colour. In this
case i see your point...that the policeman allowed himself
to think that he
is much more than that black man, and therefore should
have the right to
beat him up. I, like you, disagree with this. That is of
course if that is
what you are trying to prove.
I am sure that some bosses hire white men over black ones.
But look around
you ? There is a great amount of black men and women who
are lawyers,
doctors, and professors like yourself. The black race had
to suffer so much
and had to go through much pain because of their skin colour,
but look at
how far they have gone? They have proved that the colour
of a being does not
matter because they are as capable as any white man.
Anyways that is not really my point. My point is I see
where you're coming
from and I agree with some of that. Accept as i see it
you're covering
yourself with a mask that divides people into black white
brown or whatever.
Yes there is hate, yes men gave themselves privileges.
But its not the white
man that did that. Its a human being! What has changed
in a human from the
time of the first ape? Well nothing. We are all selfish,
greedy, hateful,
and we are the ones who create all of these controversies.
Thomas Hobbes who
said that all men are selfish and out for themselves, was
more than right.
When you observe the things that are happening in the world
between black
and white men, do not blame the white. Once again blame
our society. Because
by blaming the white and saying that they are the haters
and discriminators
you become a racist as well. You are attacking their colour
and making an
excuse that they have been better off than black men. Whatever
a white man
committed a black one can commit too. What a black man
has done the white
one can do as well. Despite our appearances we all make
the same mistakes
and sins. We are all people.
So what do you propose we do? Wipe out the white race?
I think you are
fighting for the wrong thing. You wish to stop racism and
discrimination?
Well than stop that policeman on the street that is about
to beat up a black
man. Do not jump to conclusions that all whites are like
that. There are
many bad people among the black, and many among the white.
Racism and
discrimination cannot be resolved by wiping out a specific
colour. It can be
solved by colliding the two and admitting the fact that
apart from our
colour we are all people and should have the same rights
and privileges. And
although this sounds nice and friendly I do not think it
can ever be
achieved. Because as I've mentioned before people do not
change. We are
cruel, selfish, and racist. But pointing out the colour
"white" and what
they've done wrong will not stop what is happening around
us. You re
dividing our population into white and black again. Is't
it time to admit
that we are all people??
I know very well that what I say will not change your opinion,
but realize
that what you are saying is merely an opinion. There are
many others out
there so please consider what I have said as an option
too.
Sincerely,
AT.
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