Go back to previous topic
Forum nameGeneral Discussion
Topic subjectIf you look at other groups that have 'assimilated' i.e. become white
Topic URLhttp://board.okayplayer.com/okp.php?az=show_topic&forum=4&topic_id=12887573&mesg_id=12887742
12887742, If you look at other groups that have 'assimilated' i.e. become white
Posted by Atillah Moor, Wed Aug-26-15 02:08 PM
Irish, Italians, Germans, various Eastern European groups, certain Central and South American, etc. It appears that the process of identifying as white means the sacrifice of whatever one's original cultural identity is.

The Irish for example are culturally very different from Americans of European descent, but in coming to the US and ultimately being accepted into white society the vast majority of their cultural distinctions over a relatively short amount of time became non-existent. In other words in order to claim whiteness they had to let go of being Irish, French, German, Polish, etc. to some degree (and to a large one with perhaps the exception of Italians).

With a certain percentage of successful black people you seem to hear more of the "bootstraps, pant's up, respect yourself, speak properly" type of mentality. All of it seeming to say that in order to "make it" i.e. live like most whites-- you must give up these certain things that are often common within areas of the black experience and or culture. This to me looks like support for white supremacy (because as we know white people who behave in similar fashion need not give up much if any aspect of their cultural experience in order to be successful) masked as a type of self bias or self criticism.