The Whiteness Project

          There is a story that was discussed with the class about a man named José looking for a job in the United States. He had applied to dozens of jobs and got little to no call backs. With the same resumé, José decided to apply to the same jobs, only this time changing his name to George. He received dozens of call backs with eager future employers awaiting his job confirmation. I do not know for a fact if this story is true or not, however it very well sums up the difficulties minorities still face today. Being a "caucasian" I feel like I also deal with difficulties when it comes to the economy and society that are silenced just as those minorities in The Silenced Dialog are. This video talks about how white people feel uncomfortable or guilty when it comes to getting a job, a promotion, or simply having the door held open for you. On one end of my mind comes the thoughts "it's just people being polite, all of that hard work paid off, it is because I have a good persona" and on the other hand I can't manage to erase the thoughts of guilt wondering "would this happen for someone of a different race or background?'' I sometimes resent my ability the check the caucasian/white box because why does it matter? I wonder if I would get the same outcome if I checked the hispanic, asian, or african american box. Sometimes, when companies are torn between two future employees, it comes down to their race which could favor either person depending on what the company's quota of the month is. The video also makes a valid point by stating that the "pride for your culture is just not there for white people" which I agree and disagree with. I have a mixed feeling about this statement because I wonder what it actually means to be "white". Full blooded Portuguese people from the island can be just as fair skinned as an irish person, does this make them white, or Portuguese and why? Thinking about this answer, I realize that I come from a heavily populated Portuguese area. My town has a Portuguese club on every corner and holds a huge annual Portuguese parade. In this case, there is a lot of pride shown here. Personally, I am a mixture of mostly Polish and Irish along with Swedish and German and the only way I celebrate my culture is by eating Polish food and going to the St. Patricks Day parade. But this brings me back to my original question being what exactly qualifies me as "white'', my nationalities or my skin color? I do not think it's fair to discuss racism towards minorities and not include white women because if we as a democratically free country still consider people of a darker skin tone a "minority" than we must also remember white women are too. That white men are still at the top of the food chain and that white men are still in full power. Although these allegations may still be true to an extent, this is the talk of a person of the 1900's, and we are far passed this time. Maybe I think this way because of the facts brought up i  the White Privilege article we read however although I was raised without many struggles, I was still considered a minority to my town and attended what is now considered an "inner-city" type of school. Racism will always  exist no matter how hard we push for it to be banished. I believe this because difference will always exist no matter how hard we push for it to be embraced. For white people to feel uncomfortable in success is a shame because it should be realized that hopefully one's hard work and dedication got them to where they are instead of the color of their skin. And for hispanics, blacks, asian, etc, to be uncomfortable applying to jobs and presidencies is a shame as well because again, it should be the hard work and determination that gets one there. All too often people think just because someone is "white" they have not seen struggles, are privileged and are not educated on racism. It is all too often when people see a person of a darker skin tone it is assumed they are poor, struggling with life, etc. These are stereotypes based on historical events as well as a wide spread of data. In both cases I believe it is equally wrong for someone to categorize a person based on their skin tones and stereotype them. This video gives silenced "white" people a voice that is not often heard and the ability to stand up for themselves. I am so glad that we, as a society, have come far enough to stand up for ourselves, but I do wish we would all just realize that differences are to be welcomed and embraced because I believe  this would make racism against all races a whole lot clearer.