Do you believe in the concept of white passing?

**Mortimer** · 07-03-2018, 02:51 AM

Or do you believe they are actually white not just "white passing" and do you believe this is real like racists say race is real and it does matter or a social construct?

https://www.bustle.com/p/im-a-mixed-...rivilege-32955

**Larali** · 07-03-2018, 02:53 AM

I'm literally the whitest person on this forum and I think about whiteness about 1/500000 the amount you do.

**Mortimer** · 07-03-2018, 02:55 AM

Originally Posted by Larali

I'm literally the whitest person on this forum and I think about whiteness about 1/500000 the amount you do.

Actually this whiteness annoys me, but its very present in identity politics and media and people talk about it all the time, i catch it up when i read something and ask questions. You are so much used to it maybe that you dont think about it anymore. And I never said anything about myself now in this thread. I am not even white passing because people see who I am and thats good. Because otherwise it would annoy me if people wouldnt see who i am.

**~~Kivan~~** · 07-03-2018, 03:16 AM

Originally Posted by Larali

I'm literally the whitest person on this forum and I think about whiteness about 1/500000 the amount you do.

**~~Sikeliot~~** · 07-03-2018, 03:16 AM

Yes and no.

On one hand I think the concept can be used for people to deny their privilege -- i.e. if you live your life being perceived as white by society then you do not face the same level of oppression as visible POC and you are protected from a significant portion of the oppression that results from someone immediately perceiving you as non-white and attributing the corresponding stereotypes, then you do have privilege that needs to be recognized. You do not, of course, have to identify as white though.

On the other hand, the perspective of someone who grows up on the margins of "whiteness" who has to navigate that boundary and shut off/suppress certain parts of themselves from the public to avoid oppression is not the same experience as being unconditionally white. In that regard, I think it is a useful concept. Think of this as the distinction between being heterosexual, and being a closeted LGBTQ+ person who is accepted because people cannot tell they are in that group.

Though in the end my view is that the concept of "whiteness" is used to marginalize everyone who is not part of it, particularly those who are perceived and stereotyped as furthest from it.. we would really be better off not adhering to the concept of race at all and stop labeling people, or at the very least, not trying to expand the category of whiteness to include more and more people because all it does is create a larger oppressor class.

**Gründig** · 07-03-2018, 03:17 AM

why are you obsessed with this?

**Mortimer** · 07-03-2018, 05:17 AM

Originally Posted by Larali

I'm literally the whitest person on this forum and I think about whiteness about 1/500000 the amount you do.

Originally Posted by Mortimer

Actually this whiteness annoys me, but its very present in identity politics and media and people talk about it all the time, i catch it up when i read something and ask questions. You are so much used to it maybe that you dont think about it anymore. And I never said anything about myself now in this thread. I am not even white passing because people see who I am and thats good. Because otherwise it would annoy me if people wouldnt see who i am.

People always recognise me as Gypsy. I am glad for that, I like it, it would be annoying if someone told me "what you are a gypsy no you are not you dont look like that". So I am glad that my look matches my identity. Sometimes they do with Gypsies who are white and have blue eyes. I read a story about Romania that a blue eyed white gypsy girl was seperated from the rest of the dark gypsies in school. In the past when I identified as Serb as kid and young teen I had problems because my look didnt matched my identity, they called me but you are a Turk and such. Now that I identify as Gypsy no one questions me anymore.

**Larali** · 07-03-2018, 11:30 AM

Originally Posted by Mortimer

People always recognise me as Gypsy. I am glad for that, I like it, it would be annoying if someone told me "what you are a gypsy no you are not you dont look like that". So I am glad that my look matches my identity. Sometimes they do with Gypsies who are white and have blue eyes. I read a story about Romania that a blue eyed white gypsy girl was seperated from the rest of the dark gypsies in school. In the past when I identified as Serb as kid and young teen I had problems because my look didnt matched my identity, they called me but you are a Turk and such. Now that I identify as Gypsy no one questions me anymore.

Cool story bro.