Writing Assignment #1

Race is a social construct that predetermines the social pressures, advantages, roadblocks, and expectations placed on a person depending on which race they were born into. I am ethnically Ashkenazi Jewish, with both sides of my family having fled from Russia to escape persecution. I am considered white under the law and do not claim otherwise. Because I’m white, I have been awarded the highest and most privileges compared to any other race – the world was unfairly built for my comfort. Unlike people of color, my race plays a background character in my daily narrative, seldom surfacing in my conscience.

I attended a Jewish Day School from 2nd grade to 8th grade; the homogeneity was immense, to say the least. In high school, I surrounded myself with a diverse group of friends from all different backgrounds because, due to the lack of diversity in my early schooling, I learned how important heterogeneity was in understanding how the world operates. I saw firsthand the disparities between races in myriad situations, whether that be in family life, socioeconomic status, attitudes from strangers, access to support, or basic necessities. I have learned to be beyond gracious and thankful for the privileges I hold and believe that, as a white person, it is my obligation to know when to speak up for others while also knowing when to step back.

Society's expectations for the White race typically don’t have an adverse effect on my daily life – with few expectations being as negative as they are for non-white individuals. Most connotations placed on other races directly benefit White people as a whole, indirectly making my life easier. In the White race, we lack a sense of community or culture because “White Pride” is only common in ignorant demographics. Through my diverse set of friends, I have seen how beautiful a sense of community and culture are, and I used to long for those aspects. It’s almost like a trade-off: power and privilege for any sense of pride or aspect of community within my race. However, I have been able to find a huge community within another aspect of my identity – my LGBTQ+ Identity.

Common stereotypes for the white race include ignorant, oppressive (whether intentional or not), privileged, racist, unseasoned, wealthy, culture-lacking, uneducated about other cultures, and, of course, no rhythm. Whether these stereotypes apply to my life or not doesn’t really matter. It is a fact that I hold more privileges than non-whites, and I believe you can’t be racist towards white people. So if someone tried to “roast” me for any of the more humorous stereotypes, I wouldn’t care at all. Most of the stereotypes for White people are mostly jokes and have little impact on our day-to-day lives. I am also a man, so technically, I’m at the top of the pyramid in both the gender and race spectrums. However, I am a flamboyant gay guy, so some of the stereotypes for men don’t necessarily apply to me. But at the end of the day, my life as a white male, flamboyant or not, is still substantially easier than almost every other intersection possibility.