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The Onion Layers: Deconstructing Narratives Perpetuating Economic Racism
“You speak very well! Where did you go to school? You have an accent? Where are you from? You probably don’t need a lot of economist in your country since it’s an island? You sound like a white man in black skin! He is not qualified to be President [referring to President Barack Obama]. Peas-and-rice must be your favorite food. You are probably over qualified for this job. I heard you speak multiple languages, is that true? I once had James Brown perform at my college football game — that’s why you and I will be great friends — ‘Get-on-up!”
Here are just a few examples of the absurd statements that the concept of race and whiteness can lead people to make. Individuals often vehemently challenge any idea or person that falls outside their established belief system. Their efforts are dedicated to rationalizing, denying, or finding alternative explanations for events or realities that contradict their worldview on race.
For instance, some may assert unfounded claims like “aliens from outer space built the pyramids in Africa,” rooted in the erroneous notion that only people adhering to whiteness could construct complex structures. Fact: African people designed, engineered, and constructed the pyramids and all the surrounding ancient architecture (not little green men with antennae on their heads from…
