Acculturation of the Minorities - Essay Example

Acculturation of the Minorities The papers written by Robert Jensen and Richard Dyer have put forward very pertinent issues which are very important in today’s context. Globalisation has made multi-cultural society, a reality in the countries all over the world. A society where people from diverse cultures, race, religion, country and colour(of the skin) co-exist in peace and harmony. Americans and the rest of the white population in the West, are proud of the fact they have managed to create a pluralist society where each member enjoys equal rights and opportunities. But this is really a myth created by the west. As per Robert Jensen1, the west is a society dominated by ‘White’ people who enjoy privileges often just because of their being white. Their flaws are easily forgiven and are often preferred to other races as they seem ‘less threatening’. These basic assumptions seem to have opened a Pandora box of secrets of ideologies and policies that govern the west. The ‘affirmative actions’ taken by the administration to endorse the policy of equal opportunity looks as if it was issued to emphasise that the ‘whites’ are not afraid of the merits of other races and not as a gesture of belief in general. They have underlined the fact that the superiority complex that the whites seem to have nurtured through the ages might be in the process of disintegrating. The intangible threats from the people who are not white, seems to strengthen the bond among the whites. It also seriously questions the integrity of the whites and whether they truly deserve their successes under the given circumstances. Richard Dyer2 goes a step further by stating that racial imagery is central to the organization of the modern world. It is the projection of people and their characteristics, which includes their culture, religion, food habits, nationality, color of skin etc. that defines racism. Through the decades, Whites have projected themselves as powers that speak and think about other people. They have successfully defined races and non white people. As per Dyer, whites are beyond races and as such, they think themselves as above the rest of the humanity. It is most evident when they address other people as blacks, Chinese, Asians etc. Dyer argues that the biggest challenge the whites are facing today, is the authenticity of the whites. The emerging global values have forced the Whites to re-evaluate their status vis-à-vis other races. It is incomprehensible to them that despite their efforts to promote multi-cultural and homogenous environment which encourages equal opportunity, integrity of the whites has come under question. As a result, they have become a subject of study and analysis. What is most appalling, is the fact that they might lose the powerful position of deciding what is ‘best’ for others. The articles of both the writers, have significantly pointed out the gradual decline of the dominance of whites in the present times. The changing socio-economic equations have stressed the need to redefine socio-political values. Dyer and Jensen, both have raised serious questions about power plays of the whites which have deliberately put the non-whites in a position of disadvantage. They have also successfully brought the guilt factor of the whites about their treatment of the non-whites in the past and also the fact that consciously or unconsciously, they still continue to treat them differently. Jensen has been apologetic in the way whites have treated non whites, Dyer, on the other hand, has blamed the projected imagery of subservient of other races which have made whites behave as they have towards others. He (Dyer) justifies the superiority of the whites because they are characterised by paradoxes that exist within them. They are at once an individual and also a universal subject;… a need always to be everything and nothing… the paradoxes and the instabilities of whiteness constitute… its representational powers. It is most commendable that the articles have been penned by writers who are white themselves and they have described the attitude and values of the whites from their own experience and perspectives. I do agree that in a pre dominant white community, the whites do enjoy privileges that they may or may not deserve. It is equally true that they have made efforts to acknowledge the immigrant communities and have tried to give them equal opportunity and equal rights through proper legal provisions. The authors have accepted that, laws notwithstanding, the whites need to change their attitude and adapt to the changing environment. But the articles have been conspicuous in their omission of the acculturation that so characterises the multi-cultural society. The immigrant minorities adopt new values in order to become more acceptable by the majority (whites). The authors have not accepted that acculturation of the minorities must be reciprocated in thoughts and actions by the whites. One can therefore conclude that the core areas must be identified which would expedite the process of developing a pluralist society which genuinely works towards building a new world of equality and mutual cooperation. Read More