2008 Woodie Awards
Whiteness eraces reality of scholarships
Kasey Henricks
Issue date: 10/8/08 Section: Perspectives
Being white, I can't tell you how many times I've heard white people say things they normally wouldn't in front of non-white people. There's something about my comforting, non-threatening pasty skin that makes whites open up to me, as Dave Chappelle might say, like I was Barbara Walters.
Last week, I made small talk with a few white folks and the topic of race-based scholarships came up.
One person said, "If I was a minority, I'd be going to school for free. I could even let my GPA slip to a 2.0 and get the same amount of money a white person with a 3.5 would get."
This person assumes non-whites get the benefit of a double standard. That is, minorities get unearned benefits (e.g. scholarship money) for their color of skin.
Considering myself a race traitor, I approach situations like these with caution. In this instance, I didn't have credibility with these folks, so I decided to listen before speaking. As the conversation evolved, I'm glad I kept quiet, because I quickly found my views to be highly outnumbered.
You see, there's a time and place for every confrontation, and writing this editorial is a much more effective means of breaking down such assumptions. After all, it's not the first time I've heard comments like these from my fellow white brothers and sisters.
I wish I could tell you another story, that this was the first time I've heard such words from a white person's mouth. I wish I could tell you that upon hearing this comment, the other whites rejected it and condemned this person.
I can't.
It saddens me to see misinformation passed from one white person to the next as if it were uncontested truth. What does this say about people who pass along information without checking it out first? For one, it suggests they are presumptuous and uninformed.
If a person reads into what scholarship money is available and with what criteria, it's impossible to come away thinking, "If I were black, brown or red, I could have a 2.5 GPA and still get my school paid for because of my skin color." This perspective is simply not in tune with reality.
Last week, I made small talk with a few white folks and the topic of race-based scholarships came up.
One person said, "If I was a minority, I'd be going to school for free. I could even let my GPA slip to a 2.0 and get the same amount of money a white person with a 3.5 would get."
This person assumes non-whites get the benefit of a double standard. That is, minorities get unearned benefits (e.g. scholarship money) for their color of skin.
Considering myself a race traitor, I approach situations like these with caution. In this instance, I didn't have credibility with these folks, so I decided to listen before speaking. As the conversation evolved, I'm glad I kept quiet, because I quickly found my views to be highly outnumbered.
You see, there's a time and place for every confrontation, and writing this editorial is a much more effective means of breaking down such assumptions. After all, it's not the first time I've heard comments like these from my fellow white brothers and sisters.
I wish I could tell you another story, that this was the first time I've heard such words from a white person's mouth. I wish I could tell you that upon hearing this comment, the other whites rejected it and condemned this person.
I can't.
It saddens me to see misinformation passed from one white person to the next as if it were uncontested truth. What does this say about people who pass along information without checking it out first? For one, it suggests they are presumptuous and uninformed.
If a person reads into what scholarship money is available and with what criteria, it's impossible to come away thinking, "If I were black, brown or red, I could have a 2.5 GPA and still get my school paid for because of my skin color." This perspective is simply not in tune with reality.
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