"Racism" and "white privilege" have outlived their usefulness as concepts and judgments. Neither term explains what's going on in America today. Two factors now necessitate a conceptual shift.First, the unexpected election of Donald Trump as the forty-fifth President of the United States. Mainstream news reporters, political pundits, and social media commentators now have to discover and explore what they overlooked during their coverage of the 2016 presidential campaign: the needs, issues, interests, and narratives of white middle-class and working-class Americans.1Second, Hillary (...) Clinton's categorization of Trump supporters as "the basket of deplorables"; "racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamaphobic";... (shrink)

It is rare that I both disagree so thoroughly with the first few lines of a talk or article and still find it compelling and timely. Reverend Dr. Thandeka's "Whites Made in America: Advancing American Philosophers' Discourse on Race" is one such paper. She begins, "'Racism" and 'white privilege' have outlived their usefulness as concepts and judgements. Neither term explains what's going on in America today".Like many, Thandeka marks the election of Donald Trump as President of the United (...) States as a signal that something was missed in the months or years prior. With others, Thandeka asserts that Hillary Clinton's major misstep in the election was calling the Trump support base "deplorables" and in so... (shrink)

in "whites: made in america: Advancing American Philosophers' Discourse on Race," the Reverend Thandeka claims that the terms "racism" and "white privilege" can't explain what motivated the majority of Donald Trump's voters, since most of them wouldn't identify as racist or privileged. Thandeka rejects Hillary Clinton's description of Trump supporters as "deplorable," a description that fits into a racial narrative that considers whiteness to be an issue of hatred toward blacks. Thandeka believes this narrative fails to account (...) for the shame, insecurity, and fear experienced by whites and perpetrated by "whiteness." She asks us to analyze our racial terms to help create a "new racial discourse on whiteness in... (shrink)

in "whites: made in america," the Rev. Thandeka takes on the issues that have recently been in the minds of many Americans in light of racial problems and the shocking results of the elections: "What is going on?" She does not pretend to provide a full diagnosis, but argues that there is a need for a new conceptual shift and new target of our inquiries. Thandeka argues that underneath the veil of whiteness, there are troublesome feelings and emotions (...) that need to be revealed and, if possible, transformed. What we find are not feelings of racial supremacy, but feelings of "fear, dread, confusion, anger, rage, shame, anxiety, sorrow, embarrassment, humiliation, and loss."1 Historical events have helped create "the... (shrink)