If I Have Light Skin, Do I Have To Be White? The Diminishments of Whiteness and Blackness
Season 2, Episode 247, Jun 11, 2020, 08:53 AM
Racism. If it’s a social construct, can we re-define what it means to be “black” and “white?”
Our show pushes back against the unexamined, often unconscious ways that we frame public questions using political or economic modes of thinking. We aim to be part of a growing movement of people who are critical of the narrowness of political and economic categories, and who want to revive a vision of human flourishing that is grounded in the wisdoms of theological and moral philosophical tradition. We see these habits and ways of thinking as being pre-political, and foundational to a healthy and civil shared life in families, communities, economies, and polities.
In short, we want to create a community that is grounded in curiosity, going deep, and shining light.
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Here are timecodes to help you navigate through today’s show:
03:30 In what ways is systemic racism like an addiction? Does it make sense to think that we can progress past racism? What is the pain and shame dynamic in addiction? What are the similarities to the pain and shame dynamic in systemic racism?
08:20 What does it mean to be “white?” How can we get distance from whiteness so that we can see it more clearly?
13:12 Does recognizing racist systems come first, before we can turn towards the pain of others? Or is turning toward the pain the pre-requisite of being able to recognize the racist systems?
15:46 How would you define “whiteness?” Is it possible to deconstruct whiteness into a different construct? If our current definitions of “white” and “black” dehumanize the human beings that have different skin colors, is it possible to re-define “white” and “black” so that both are fully human?