nerdyqueerandjewish:

acemindbreaker:

yidquotes:

nerdyqueerandjewish:

nerdyqueerandjewish:

We used this reference sheet a lot for our white supremacy culture presentation and I still think about it a lot. The things listed aren’t necessarily bad in themselves, but when they are assumed to be the default values and always prioritized over other ways it contributes to the culture of white supremacy

This is the complete version – It posted before I added all the info – oops!

And here is the whole thing. Still very important.

What does any of that have to do with white supremacy?

It isn’t overt white supremacy but it is the way people continue to subtly exclude and make it more difficult for people who come from other cultural backgrounds and prioritize white people (usually with Protestant backgrounds).

An example is like, in jewish culture disagreement and interrupting/overlapping conversations are seen as normal. If I’m talking to a coworker who comes from a WASPy background and she isn’t aware of these cultural differences or challenging her own cultural biases she might think I come off as too aggressive or rude. Not only does this make navigating personal work relationships difficult but it can lead to exclusion or hostility towards the person who is different from the white culture norm. It can influence who is hired, fired, promoted, all that. In my example the “symptoms” of white supremacy culture that are present include

“only one right way” – this style of communication is wrong and once you see how We (the dominant culture) do it you will realize that it is better

“Either or thinking” – this cultural style of communication is wrong/bad and cannot coexist with Mine

“Fear of open conflict” – this disagreement is impolite and that overshadows any of the valid points that were brought up

“Right to comfort” – because people in the dominant culture are uncomfortable, the minority should change / it is their fault that people in the dominant culture are uncomfortable

People who are from the dominant culture (especially if they are are able, neurotypical, etc) are generally much more subconsciously aware of these norms and can follow them better, giving them an advantage. If people are aware of how white supremacy culture influences us then we can begin to challenge ourselves and see deviations from these norms as just another part of diversity instead of a problem.