Seek and Destroy: Locating Whiteness in Higher Education

[marshwiggle]

Seek and Destroy: Locating Whiteness in Higher Education

While diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and anti-racism efforts are well intentioned, they continue to miss the mark and evade institutional transformation. One reason is that whiteness often goes unaddressed. Whiteness is largely ignored and misunderstood by college and university leaders and has, as a result, is not included in DEI efforts or the institutional transformation lexicon. Omitting whiteness in conversations about institutional operations has stymied systemic change. No effort to advance DEI and anti-racism without locating, understanding, and eradicating whiteness can ever fully succeed.

And to clarify:

Academic Leader is an online publication dedicated to providing proven, practical strategies to help you lead more effectively and further the mission of your department, program, or institution.

[dismalist]

"The racial question gives the key not only to world history, but to all human culture."

said by an earlier neo-marxist.

[financeguy]

Eradicating whiteness? This reminds me of the campus chant of "hey hey, ho ho, western civ has got to go." You can appreciate things from other cultures but I'm not sure anyone after they high wears off would actually want to get rid of the advantages of western civ or "eradicate whiteness." Even if you did actually want to do those things, that type of rhetoric is DOA as a marketing tool to the general public.

[marshwiggle]

I have a hard time even guessing what it's supposed to mean. Most of my students are "non-white". As are most of my colleagues. As are most of the TAs  that I hire (due to most of my students being "non-white".) I haven't the slightest idea (nor do I care) whether the authors of textbooks or other materials I use are white.

In what actual way is the "whiteness" detectable? And if it were "destroyed", how would that change?

[financeguy]

Be careful not to actually achieve full eradication or there's no one to serve as the boogie man. The good news for those of use who are subject to eradication is that we'll finally get to at least witness from the outside the utopian scenario we've always been told would occur without our presence!

[secundem_artem]

I guess I will have to buy new kitchen appliances.  I'm in higher education and my stove, fridge, dishwasher and micro-wave are all white.  It's gonna run me some money, but anything I can do to erase the curse of whiteness, you know I'm down to do it.  I will also stop using White-out on written paperwork and switch to a non-whitening toothpaste.  All bedsheets will have to be replaced.  Will need a new kitchen sink as well as a washer and dryer.  Think I should switch to blackface & make my own whiteness less of a problem?  [/sarcasm]

It's this kind of ultra woke drivel that has people seriously considering a re-do with Trump or else putting Ron DeSantis into the mix.

More seriously, does anybody have a full text of this?  I'd prefer not to sign up for yet another email in my inbox each day.  Any info on the author?  On the googles that name returns a dermatology PA in California - doubt that's him.

[jimbogumbo]

How do you even find this s**t? The "organization" appears to only exist to fund newsletters and get people to pay to attend a conference that is only in it's sixth year. I also can't figure out who the author of the article is (unless he's the LA author former rock critIc dude), and the publishing group that creates it is owned by the Peretta family form Paramus NJ, which also owns a bunch of porn companies.

Don't even bother trying to find circulation numbers.

[ciao_yall]

Kind of an example...

Last night I watched Jo Koy Netflix special. He tells the story of submitting a video of his routine, which includes a bit with him quoting his Philippina mother. Apparently the PTB at the network said "Looks good, but can you lose the accent when you quote your mother?"

He asked "Why? She is an American. She speaks English. That's how she talks. Would you make the same comment to Jeff Foxworthy?"

Discuss.

[mahagonny]

Which whiteness is going to be destroyed, all or just enough to alleviate the toxic effect?

Be careful not to actually achieve full eradication or there's no one to serve as the boogie man. The good news for those of use who are subject to eradication is that we'll finally get to at least witness from the outside the utopian scenario we've always been told would occur without our presence!

I might be open to this. After all, the largest single group among the Wocusts are college educated white women.

[marshwiggle]

How do you even find this s**t? The "organization" appears to only exist to fund newsletters and get people to pay to attend a conference that is only in it's sixth year. I also can't figure out who the author of the article is (unless he's the LA author former rock critIc dude), and the publishing group that creates it is owned by the Peretta family form Paramus NJ, which also owns a bunch of porn companies.

Don't even bother trying to find circulation numbers.

We have an institutional subscription. "The Teaching Professor" is one of their publications, and occasionally has useful articles. I just saw the headline in my email notification and couldn't really believe it.

[marshwiggle]

Kind of an example...

Last night I watched Jo Koy Netflix special. He tells the story of submitting a video of his routine, which includes a bit with him quoting his Philippina mother. Apparently the PTB at the network said "Looks good, but can you lose the accent when you quote your mother?"

He asked "Why? She is an American. She speaks English. That's how she talks. Would you make the same comment to Jeff Foxworthy?"

Discuss.

It seems a lot of behaviour that is given of examples of "racism" or "whiteness" are just old-fashioned rudeness; nothing specifically tied (or limited) to any people of any particular ethnic origin.