In late December 2019, I came across the above meme, featuring a picture of the incomparable Angela Davis. On the meme was a quote attributed to Ms. Davis, and a caption which read "Optimism is a political act." When I returned to work after the holidays, I printed out the picture and pinned it up in my workstation. And in the first full week of January, I began what I eventually called "daily inspiration Snapchats." It mildly took off within my friend group, and I've been attempting to continually do it since. Now, one of my myriad problems has always been the inability to be concise. I love language and all that these squiggles, symbols, and utterances are able to convey. As such, I would often find myself wanting to expand on the themes I was sharing via the daily inspirations, but ran into character limit issues [one of the main reasons I rarely tweet]. So I needed a long-form medium through which I could share the expanded views of the daily Snaps. I often get stuck in my own head, and it genuinely helps me to get all my thoughts down in some coherent manner.
It was through a tongue-in-cheek flash of self-deprecation, mixed with the bitter tincture of modern society uplifting -- above any and all others -- the voices of men who think themselves to be White, that the rest of the blog name came to be. And this is where I may lose some people.
I came across the phrase "think themselves to be white" in the written work of Ta-Nehisi Coates and through recorded interviews of James Baldwin. I read quite a bit of social criticism and post-colonial theory, and I follow a whole cadre of disparate voices on social media. More and more and I beginning to realize, see, and believe that race, much like it's siblings gender and sexuality, is merely a construct designed for the sole purpose of stratification and homogenization. There is no inherent White culture, any more than there is a singular Black culture, or Asian, of Indigenous, etc. etc. However, there are millions, especially here in the United States and in Europe, who peg their sole identity on the notion of Whiteness, as if a lack of melanin was a factor on which to hang one's pride.
Then came the suspended campaigns of Kamala Harris and Elizabeth Warren in the 2020 Democratic presidential race. Here are two very thoughtful, highly-accomplished women with strong campaigns and well-thought-out plans, and voters push them aside for a choice of three: A candidate with very little leadership experience; a candidate who wants a return to normal -- as if normal every benefited anyone other than the rich, white, patriarchy; and a candidate who wants to burn it all to the ground and start anew. And none of the three having solid, well-crafted plans. And for what reason? Because supposedly America isn't READY for a female leader?! But then that made me think about myself.
What have I accomplished? Have I been able to skate on my Whiteness and my maleness? Am I exceptional or harder working than my colleagues who may not present as male, or who may have more melanin than I? Confession time: Most of my life has been easy. I barely had to try in order to succeed in areas where people see my success. And when I am actually pressed by something difficult: I fold easier than a fitted sheet.
So here I am: a mediocre White man who has thoughts about a lot of topics. Does my voice truly need to be amplified? That, my dear reader, I will leave up to you. If you wish to share my message further afield, I would welcome it. But I would also challenge you. Listen to and follow voices not like your own. Do you think yourself to be White? Listen to and follow academics, journalists, and activists of color. Do you identify as male or female? Listen to and follow those who don't have the same gender presentation as you. Are you straight? Listen to and follow queer voices. We must stop allowing the voices and thoughts of mediocre whyte men to be the dominant narrative in our world.
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