African American Vignette #13

A black man and his white co-worker are having a discussion.  The white co-worker describes an individual he recently met at a conference: “He’s just a normal person, nothing special, just your average white Anglo-Saxon Protestant male.”

Commentary to African American Vignette #13

The white co-worker may or may not have been speaking tongue-in-cheek, but his description points to a view that many white people unconsciously hold: being white or being a white Anglo-Saxon Protestant is the normal generic identity by which all others are measured.

This view can have harmful consequences.  One consequence is that it encourages white people to think that it’s okay to ask people of color to always play by their rules since to behave “normally” is to behave like a white person.  It’s more difficult for a person of color to feel comfortable in an environment which is predominantly white if she senses that she is expected to "act white" and that parts of herself will not be welcomed.

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