The ‘It’s OK to be white’ discussion
If you’re reading this, you’re most likely a white person.
Generally speaking, most of Union County is comprised of white people. According to the United States Census Bureau, as of 2010, 92.9 percent of the county is white.
I’d like for you to note that the fact you’re white is not a bad thing. You couldn’t change the circumstance of your race when you were born, and you shouldn’t be held accountable for the negative things your ancestors did in the past. Hey, it’s okay to be white.
However, if you think this way, there is a swathe of people who will vehemently disagree with you.
Based on a collective effort from trolls on the internet, starting October 31, people starting putting up flyers at schools and college campuses that bore the slogan, “it’s okay to be white.”
The backlash has been depressing to see.
According to the Washington Post, a high school in Maryland is investigating the issue, as the school claims the fliers are a “part of an effort to spark racial division.”
There have been sightings of the signs all across the United States. Notably, I believe the closest reported sighting of these signs is in Rocky River.
You’d think a phrase like ‘it’s okay to be white” is innocuous enough. What does it mean? Well, it means you shouldn’t feel guilty for being white.
If viewed objectively, the phrase could almost be like saying “black lives matter,” despite the latter being an organized political movement. Whoever reads either phrase will know it’s okay to feel a certain way about a race.
However, as I said before, this is being seen as racially divisive language. A trip to Twitter to see people tweeting about the guerilla flier campaign shows a lot of people disavowing the statement, claiming that being white is not okay, and that it’s actually terrible and hate-filled.
A simple flier campaign with an innocent-enough slogan has stirred up a bizarre string of controversy. Schools are condemning it and launching investigations, while various news outlets are calling it the work of white supremacists.
With this campaign, it has shown the true colors of certain people in our society. And with this, we’ve learned that racism can apply both ways.
Even if this was a troll campaign set to just make people angry, I believe it has brought up a legitimate discussion for us all to have. Why has it made people angry? And why is it automatically labeled as white supremacy when someone suggests the notion that it’s okay to be white?
I encourage the residents of this county to have a conversation with their friends and family about this phenomenon. It should be talked about as to why it is considered racially divisive to suggest pride in one’s heritage, especially based on the color of one’s skin.
Apply that logic above to any other race. People wouldn’t balk at a poster that said, “it’s awesome to be black,” or “it’s great to be Asian.”
Those are examples of people taking pride in their heritage. When whites want to get involved in that message, it’s suddenly dangerous and we’re called Nazis for it.
Where will this campaign take us in the future? What will come from this campaign in the future, based on the gut reactions of “hate” and “intolerance” we have today?
It makes me feel as if it won’t be acceptable to be white, and our collective white guilt will only magnify.
With a column like this, I’m not discounting the experiences of people of color. With that said, I don’t even think I’m challenging people of color with a column like this, though I can see people calling me out for being unaware of my privilege, or something like that.
Whites have a very societally reviled history, as it’s very hard to see someone in popular culture talk positively about the founding of America. It’s definitely too common to hear an argument end with the fact the United States had slaves.
Whites weren’t perfect back then, but no one else was either. History is made by conquerors, and every race of people has had their generation of conquerors make their mark on this world.
Just because someone discredits your skin color based on what your ancestors did doesn’t invalidate your identity. This should apply to all races, but apparently whites aren’t allowed in that discussion.
-Jacob Runnels is the society editor at the Journal-Tribune.