White Until Proven Minority

[LJ_Reloaded]

http://fandomforequality.com/2013/08/29/white-until-proven-minority/

White Until Proven Minority

It’s nothing new that western society tends to default everyone to white until proven otherwise. This is most common in books and radio shows where there isn’t a visual representation of the character in front of the audience. If a character isn’t explicitly stated as being a person of color, most people just assume the character is white. Things can get complicated when the actor portraying the character is a person of color but passes for white or if a character was incorrectly read by many people as white.

When is this ever going to change?

 

[SecondCircle]

I'm not so sure that's such a terrible injustice. There's a lot of factors that go into this in my opinion.

For one, I think we sort of identity with characters that are "more like us". It makes them a bit more easy to relate to. For instance when I read about a character in a story (if they aren't described being a certain color) I usually do picture them as white. I don't think that makes anyone racist, it's just harder to readily identify with someone of a different color. Just because we project ourselves on that character, not because we have any problem imagining a person of another skin tone.

For someone that is heard and not seen, this also applies. If it's a generic sounding voice, we just naturally project a color we think they are, our own color usually. Sometimes one can tell by the voice, but not always.

I certainly don't think it's some sort of epidemic that needs to be cured. Random example I can think of is when rapper Dr. Dre first heard Eminem on audio. He just assumed the guy was black. He once spoke of his surprise at seeing his new potential artist for the first time. Listen to him now and it seems kinda obvious.

I think it's just natural. It doesn't mean anybody is racist. Wouldn't it also be racist for me to only picture everyone I heard as Asian? Or Hispanic? Like all the time? To think "no, no, he mustn't be your own color, don't think that".

And honestly, I'd have an even harder time picturing a generic "grey" person.

Sometimes I think when we draw too much attention to race this and race that instead of not letting it become some issue of note at all, we actually do equality an injustice.

 

[emap]

Day after never or slightly more likely when the entire planet is full of people with brown skin and that covers the variation.

Come on seriously think about it, in the bible, yes the BIBLE, Jesus is described as having bronzed hands and feet when he is born. Yet, the entire world, almost, thinks of him as being white.

Less fucked up thinking, for the most part unless you see a person or they are described as such in the story, people assume the people they like look exactly like them. Not a hard stretch to see why, most people look at others and compare them to themselves.

Your friends are for the most part like you, sometimes there are variations. Not talking religious or political, I'm talking things like I slutted to half the country, not really just go with it, I had friends who were waiting for marriage. Same basic personality is what makes someone a friend even if you don't hang out tons. Also means for the most part if a person likes a character in a novel that is not described as different as the reader, they assume they are the same looks wise as the reader.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Humans default to what they believe is the high value stereotype.

No one wears knock-off TIMEX watches or drive knock-off Fords made by Cadillac.

 

[SecondCircle]

I'm just curious as to the solution of this deal.

When I read a story, and the character isn't described to me in any way, what color or ethnicity am I supposed to picture them as? Like which one is more correct? Should I alternate which color the main character is each time? Would it not be wrong if I pictured an Asian every single time? Why not Black or Brown?

 

[sr71plt]

When is this ever going to change?

To be fair, it changes a bit nearly every day, maybe glacially and two steps forward and one back, but it's a process, not an event, and it's in process.

(And all that crazy mad crap you append to your posts still doesn't lend faith in your ability to be objective about anything.)

 

[emap]

Is that what all that stuff is? I always thought he was making a joke.

 

[PayDay]

C:Stupidity

I never saw Ford Prefect as anything but Mos Def.

This article is FACTLESS.

It's an opinion based on an opinion marked and highlighted by opinion using message boards as evidence.

It also assumes everyone is the same.

Unless the author spoke to every single reader of all of those novels/books then he has no proof.

This article is like saying Native Americans can only be from American Indian tribes.

It's fucking stupid and wawn't worth the time to finish reading.

That said, people see what they want to see.

Everyone applies their own images to their own imagination::
Saying we all see on white cause we're white is just racist.

 

[subdued_passion]

I remember once reading a love story where at the very end the protagonist expresses his joy at the birth of his daughter. He describes his daughter having eye like him but brown skin like her mother. That left me utterly baffled. No where in the entire story had the writer described anything that would've led me to suspect that the mother wasn't white.


Speaking for myself, I default to the white stereotype (even though I'm not) because all the books and stories I've read have had characters that were white and if they weren't it was specified.

Of course if I am reading a book in Marathi I am imagining all the characters as Maharashtrians.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

I remember once reading a love story where at the very end the protagonist expresses his joy at the birth of his daughter. He describes his daughter having eye like him but brown skin like her mother. That left me utterly baffled. No where in the entire story had the writer described anything that would've led me to suspect that the mother wasn't white.


Speaking for myself, I default to the white stereotype (even though I'm not) because all the books and stories I've read have had characters that were white and if they weren't it was specified.

Of course if I am reading a book in Marathi I am imagining all the characters as Maharashtrians.

Youre Aryan, dear, not some mire sucking Semite.

 

[StrangeLife]

White Until Proven Minority

Statistically any randomly selected person is most likely to be part of the majority group. In the west the majority of people are white. Hence it makes perfect practical sense to default to white until proven otherwise. If you were to default to one of the minorities instead you'd be wrong more often...

 

[RobDownSouth]

Youre Aryan, dear, not some mire sucking Semite.

Can your mongrel grandkids pass for white?

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Can your mongrel grandkids pass for white?

Yjey have the best of both worlds: Nigga schlongs and Cracka brains.

 

[NatashaluvBoris]

They have the best of both worlds: Nigga schlongs and Cracka brains.

That's some racist shit, but JBJ it's also pretty funny! In fact, I read it and I thought that's messed up....oh wait.....Bowaahahahahaha!

So they're a bunch of dumb asses with big cocks. Sounds like a bunch a politicians to me............or porn stars. What's the difference?

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

That's some racist shit, but JBJ it's also pretty funny! In fact, I read it and I thought that's messed up....oh wait.....Bowaahahahahaha!

So they're a bunch of dumb asses with big cocks. Sounds like a bunch a politicians to me............or porn stars. What's the difference?

Better! One's destined for Washington, the others gonna pitch for the Yankees and fuck Lady Gaga.

 

[NatashaluvBoris]

Better! One's destined for Washington, the others gonna pitch for the Yankees and fuck Lady Gaga.

Cool I'm a Yankees fan........still. Yeah why not.
Lady Gaga will be old then. Maybe her kid?

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Cool I'm a Yankees fan........still. Yeah why not.
Lady Gaga will be old then. Maybe her kid?

Older women have hit on my grandson since he was a baby. No lie, they try and drag him off the damn street to fuck in the weeds. So he appeals to older gals.

 

[NatashaluvBoris]

Older women have hit on my grandson since he was a baby. No lie, they try and drag him off the damn street to fuck in the weeds. So he appeals to older gals.

NICE. You charge them for that shit right!

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

NICE. You charge them for that shit right!

His mother doesn't listen to me. He could stud now, not wait till he wins a Worlds Series.

 

[NatashaluvBoris]

His mother doesn't listen to me. He could stud now, not wait till he wins a Worlds Series.

Smack that bitch! She's fucking up your retirement fool!

 

[LJ_Reloaded]

Statistically any randomly selected person is most likely to be part of the majority group. In the west the majority of people are white. Hence it makes perfect practical sense to default to white until proven otherwise. If you were to default to one of the minorities instead you'd be wrong more often...

So you're saying that in Africa, it's African until proven white? I have seen a lot of evidence to the contrary.

 

[renard_ruse]

I accept anyone who looks white or mixed and who identifies with the white community, in whole or in part, as white. I always felt that made me open minded and morally superior to those who claim 1 drop of non-white makes someone non-white. That to me seems like extreme bigotry.