Author Examines 'The History Of White People'

This NPR segment was short, but I thought quite excellent. So much so, I had to post it here...

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=124700316

March 15, 2010

Conversations about race often focus on what it means to be black, and throughout American history, laws have struggled with the rights of people of mixed race. But in her new book, The History of White People, historian Nell Irvin Painter explores the concept of whiteness — and explains how many ethnic groups now regarded as white, from Irish, Jews, Italians were once excluded from mainstream American society...

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Permalink Reply by kifaru on March 16, 2010 at 11:18pm

This is going to be crucial to the understanding of racial and class dynamics in this country. I actually thought it was a white woman who wrote the book while listening to the interview. Go figure.

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Permalink Reply by SaintGermaine on March 17, 2010 at 12:12am

I remember reading a surrealist manifesto back in college, and I think it was even penned by Dali or Brecht or somebody, that denounced the idea of "whiteness" as a social construct, and that he thought it drained Europeans of their own local flavor, of being French, Italian or what have you. I've looked for it for years but never could find it again.

On the other hand, the reason I prefer calling myself "black" as opposed to African American or some other, perhaps more accurate descriptor, is to express solidarity with the underclass,whoever they are. Like Debbs said, "While there is a soul in prison, I am not free."

kifaru said:

This is going to be crucial to the understanding of racial and class dynamics in this country. I actually thought it was a white woman who wrote the book while listening to the interview. Go figure.

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Permalink Reply by Madamoiselle De Sade on March 18, 2010 at 2:57am

She was on the Colbert Report. Had a hard time getting to the precise point she was trying to make. Which was really important because the crowd needed to be enlightened. She gave no reason to pick up the book and would get lost in the interview.

Italians still get shit from other whites for not being "white". And "white trash" is always identified by whatever else they're mixed with. I kinda figured out that race mutates throughout generations, no idea what's taking others so long.