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Nicholas A. Banta
Professor Marie Lo
University Studies 101A
20 October 2014

Whiteness: Self-Deconstruct, or Recognize?

In this paper, I chose to compare Lopezs piece, White Race-Consciousness
with Dyers On The Matter Of Whiteness. White Race-Consciousness sets the tone
for the self-deconstruction of the white race, while On The Matter Of Whiteness holds
onto the fact that other races need to hold just as much value as whiteness. Both
authors seem to want a similar outcome, but they hope to achieve it in entirely different
ways. Lopez believes that the White race is on a pedestal and should be brought down
to the level of other races, while Dyer believes that other races should be brought up to
the same level as Whites. I personally believe that the concept of raising Other racial
recognition to that of Whites has already been tried, and it so far has failed. This leads
me to believe that Lopezs idea of deconstruction could be the key to racial equality
because it has not yet been attempted.
Before I delve into why Dyers idea of racial equality is not the answer, I would
first like to analyze his argument. We see examples of Dyers idea in racial awareness
events and racial media relations. Most commonly noted are the ideas that Other
races need to be portrayed just as much in media as the White race, and that cultural
awareness needs to be drawn more heavily into view. Dyer specifically states in his
piece that, Whites are everywhere in representation (Dyer 303). This is entirely true.

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Flip through a magazine, watch a commercial, look at billboards and ads posted in
shopping malls. There is guaranteed to be at least one White person in 80-90% of these
images. More often than not, when a person of color is represented in media, it is just
that-- a representation. Take for example Disneys recent movie, The Princess and the
Frog. Before that movie, not a single princess in Disneys entire line-up was AfricanAmerican. Due to the push for modern racial equality in media, Disney decided to cater
to the African-American community. Another more broad example comes from
advertising. Every so often, youll see a story in the news with a headline like, K-Mart
slammed for all-white advertising. It takes more of a keen eye to catch on to this, but
until recently, the representation of Other races was slim to none in catalogues,
commercials, and newspaper ads. This issue was resolved once again due to public
outcry. This all, however, has a negative impact on racial equality in the long run.
Dyers idea of equal representation and treatment of races is actually detrimental
outside of the White race. People of color are now represented in media and advertising
because the public says they have to be, not because of the genuine need for racial
equality. Companies are realizing that unequal representation of Whites and Others
will cause a drop in popularity, viewers, sales, and the like. Race is being portrayed
equally out of fear rather than concern. As well, when people of color are represented,
companies like to highlight the fact. Look! Theres a Black guy on our television show!
Hey! EVERYONE! We are representing Black people on our show! is what it all boils
down to. Dyer even cites it in his own piece with his example, Comedy in which a cop
and his black sidekick investigate a robbery (Dyer 302). On the contrary, you dont hear
people saying, There was only one White person represented in that entire magazine.

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A personal example I have seen of this was a Racial Awareness Day that was held at
my high school. Rather than building a sense of unity between students of different
races, it seemed to separate students by pointing out that they were obviously different
from one another. I dont know if Dyer had overlooked this being an effect of Other
racial awareness, but it is very clearly harmful to establishing racial equality. Compared
to Lopez, Dyer is fighting an uphill battle.
In Lopezs argument, he presents the opposite idea. He states in his piece that a
self-deconstructive White race-consciousness is key to racial justice (Lopez 156). In
broader terms, it is Lopezs belief that the White race must be broken down and then
reconstructed to the same level as other races. He is insistent throughout his piece that
the idea of White race is harmful to other races. Historically, as presented by Lopez, the
White race has been used as a condition for national citizenship (Lopez 156) in the
United States. The biggest issue is that White has more of a liquid definition than a
solid one. This allows rules to be bent, broken, and adjusted to add and subtract people
to and from the White race. In order to achieve Lopezs goal of White deconstruction,
we have to destroy transparency. Transparency, as defined by Lopez, is the tendency
of Whites to remain blind to the racialized aspects of that identity (Lopez 157). The
pitfall here is that if we cant define White, how are we supposed to recognize the
aspects associated with being White?
The thing that needs to be done is to stop using Whiteness as leverage. This is
what Lopez means by deconstruction. The White race has been represented historically,
and is even represented modernly as being better than other races. Whiteness is used
as an oppressive tool to gain advantages when compared to other races. To move

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beyond our oppressive ways, we have to take away these advantages, this centralized
belief that we are better as a race. Whiteness has to be dismantled from within. If we
compare this philosophy to Dyers, Dyer is trying to disassemble Whiteness from the
outside in, and that is why it is ineffective. This process is not something that can be
force-fed. It requires willing participation, which is why it is a difficult battle to win.
A lot of people of the White race turn their heads to the thought of analyzing what
Whiteness really is. Thats because what Whiteness is is evil. You cant look at historical
examples of the White race, and deny that fact. The colonization of North America,
where thousands upon thousands of Native Americans were killed so that White people
could take over the land. In modern society, that is referred to as an invasion. What
about African-American slavery? The inhumane treatment of Chinese rail workers in the
1860s? You cannot possibly say that none of that was evil. You cannot say that it was a
necessity. This is why the deconstruction of the White race, from the inside out, is so
difficult.
Imagine looking at yourself in a mirror after committing an atrocity. Your reflection
looking back at you could eat at you, it could consume you, but most of all, it could
change you. It could make you a better person. This deep self-analysis is just a
miniscule example of what needs to happen in order to deconstruct the White race. We
need to realize who and what we are, what weve done, and where were going. The
White race cant take back the harmful things it has done. We cant change the past, but
what we can do is reshape the future. Lopezs idea is key because what has already
been done has been ineffective, but what hasnt been done is the deconstruction of the
White race.

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Works Cited

Haney-Lopez, Ian. "White Race-Consciousness." White by Law: The Legal Construction

of Race. New York: New York UP, 1996. 155-195. Print.

Dyer, Richard. "On the Matter of Whiteness." Only Skin Deep: Changing Visions
of the American Self. Edited by Coco Fusco and Brian Wallis. New York,
NY: Harry Abrams, Inc, 2003. 300-311. Print.

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