Module 11

In high school there was something white students seemed to want and thought they deserved: White Entertainment Television. I remember thinking, "what's white culture?" Was there some universal link between all white people that I must have missed, growing up outside of their influence? So I asked one of them, "why does American television need a White Entertainment Television network?" They replied, "because it's racist to only have one for blacks, Hispanics, etc."

To me personally, the black race in America is a culture of its own. Born from the roots of slavery, they meshed their cultural values into one identity upon their release. Hispanics and "etc" are ethnic groups. White, however, is a race, and unlike the blacks in America, do not possess a universalizing identity (perhaps other than being white). Irish-Americans, Polish-Americans, German-Americans, all of these groups have (or had now that they've become integrated into American culture) their own set of values that may or may not be compatible with the group next to them. So if these groups are all unique in their own ways, what is White Entertainment Television to do about their station's programming? Will they cater to all Europeans; maybe just a select few?

I do not deny that whites all around the world have more privileges than others. This same privilege shares similarities with men coming to power and shaping the world into an androcentric environment that favors them more so than women. But unlike males who used their strength (due to genetics) to create tribes that one day developed into modern day civilizations, Europeans were in the right place at the right time. When other major powers began to wane, it was their turn to fill the position (this shift in power happened at a time when Europe had made major technological advances).

Because of the widespread influence Europe has on the world, white carries with it a connotation of power and prestige. Outside of human society, they are humans like anywhere else.