Study Hall! Whiteness voted for Trump.
Happy Saturday! Welcome to our weekly Study Hall. Each week I answer questions and share insights from each of you in our community. This week we're diving into some FAQs from the content this week, mainly the election.
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Nicole
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TAKE ACTION
1. Reflect on the questions prompted by our community.
2. Discuss with a friend: what did you uncover this week that you never heard of before? What power and privilege may have protected you from unpacking this concept? Or, which trauma(s) may have shielded you from learning more?
GET EDUCATED
We've published 157 newsletters on racism over the past 157 days. Here are the newsletters we published this week.
11/6/2020 | Don’t homogenize Latinx identity.
11/5/2020 | Abolish the electoral college.
11/4/2020 | Understand intergenerational trauma.
11/3/2020 | Vote.
11/2/2020 | Make an election safety plan.
11/1/2020 | Question billionaire philanthropy.
Read all previously published newsletters on our archives >
Q+A
Bezos does not have $180 Billion dollars in his bank account. Most of his wealth is not actual liquid money, right? I don't think we have public data on how much a guy like him has in liquid assets, but presumably, he doesn't just have billions of dollars lying around ready to be put to better use.
From Question billionaire philanthropy from 11/1/2020.
This is correct, Bezos is not sitting on $180 billion in his bank account. Most billionaires are not billionaires because they have billions of dollars in the bank; it’s because of the wealth they own in assets (like real estate and cars) and the companies they own. However, regardless of how much money is there, Bezos’ historically has given significantly less than others of his stature (Business Insider).
Also, some of Bezos’ charitable acts that receive press are actually donations on behalf of the company itself. Corporate philanthropy is a common way many organizations receive tax write-offs that ultimately save them that money otherwise. Individual donations work this way too. Furthermore, individuals can invest in vehicles like a donor-advised fund which allows them to immediately reduce taxes after a windfall but make donations on their own schedule, which means that tax money isn’t received to re-invest in public social services.
These tactics are publicly available loopholes that many companies and individuals use, regardless of their income – you may have created a tax-deduction yourself by donating to a 501c3. But beyond that, we have the capacity to both celebrate donations to create solutions – and criticize how those same people contribute to problems. There’s plenty he could do to increase working conditions within his company and ensure his employees are adequately paid and protected – at minimum.
Also, the solutions are often short-term stop-gaps to long-term issues. Consider a donation to support homeless shelters in Seattle, a city with a swiftly rising income disparity, partially due to the rapid expansion of tech companies like Amazon. Does the displacement of people feel equitable to displaced people in a homeless shelter? Is that justice?
Once again, the goal of this inquiry isn’t to condemn or admonish, but to stay in inquiry. But asking whether or not the money is “technically” in Bezos’ bank account isn’t the right question for this exercise. It’s how someone has that much power and privilege from an inherently inequitable company, and how their efforts – philanthropically or otherwise – are exacerbating critical issues. I highly recommend reading books like Decolonizing Wealth and Winners Take All to start orienting yourself more on this subject.
Does this explain why Black people voted for Trump too?
From Don’t homogenize Latinx identity on 11/6/2020.
I want to emphasize that it’s whiteness – not Black, Latinx, or other people of color – voting for Trump. When whiteness is dictated as the dominant culture, it forces people to surrender their own cultural background to be accepted by the majority. Being accepted as a part of whiteness is marketed to offer safety and security – education, decent job, protection from law enforcement, etc. And an easy way to show that solidarity is by voting.
This has happened to white people throughout history. Italian Americans and Irish Americans both used political engagement to be accepted into dominant culture (more via Michael Harriot on Twitter).
And what’s worse? Accepting dominant culture requires us to disparage any other cultural or societal norms. That can happen on an individual level; by learning to be ashamed, guilty, judging or hateful of the parts of you that connect you to narratives outside the “norm.” It also happens on a group level by taking public action to diminish people of color. And this is how racism is wielded to maintain dominant culture.
And it’s taught that this assimilation is essential to survival. So many people will choose it – especially when their lives feel threatened. And right now, everything is strained: we’re facing economic uncertainty, a persistent global pandemic, an uncompromising racial reckoning, environmental threats. The current President has consistently referred to people of color as “rapists" and “terrorists,” “thugs” and “criminals.” As a person of color, distancing yourself from the narrative in this environment may feel like the safest thing to do.
And white people vote for white supremacy the same way. Here, it’s a vote for the safety of dominant culture that feels threatened. And we could spend endless time analyzing how other aspects of our identities – like being a woman, or having a disability – may also influence how we feel about participating in dominant culture.
I also want to emphasize that despite a growing number of people of color voting, they still represent the vast minority of non-white voters. And fades in comparison to the number of white people – and the increased number of white women – that voted for Trump.
But white people in particular are absolutely using the decisions of those more marginalized to justify their own actions. But they should be ashamed. Because when white people feed white supremacy, they force everyone else to, too.
Q+A
As I am a junior in high school, I’m concerned I won’t have the time to fulfill tasks listed on the Safety Checklist. Do you have any recommendations for steps I can take to simultaneously balance schoolwork and extracurriculars, as well as the missions that the Checklist outlines?
From Make an election safety plan on 11/2/2020.
I first want to send a BIG hello to all the youth on this list! I know you have been our most vocal and engaged readers, and if you’re based in the U.S., I can’t imagine how it feels to watch this election unfold right now. Thank you for being here and doing the work – I know many of you are doing the work in households that have more conservative views, and that takes strength.
This Safety Checklist should be a practice, not a one-time action. We initially shared this resource on Monday – and the rhetoric of our election has changed significantly since then. Furthermore, most of the action items listed here are best practices for how to be in community anytime, not just during conflict.
I would recommend adding time in your day to check-in with this, and take on one section. It could be to complete it for the first time, or to revisit as it goes. And always start with your own well-being – we must be resourced to resource others.
Q+A
Of COURSE it's unfairly biased, but how in the world will the people who have the outsized power ever give it up? Certainly, with the Senate looking like it does, there is no WAY it will happen.
From Abolish the electoral college on 11/5/2020.
They likely won’t – and this is why many people call not just for reforming policies and practices, but abolishing them overall, and pushing for more radical revolution than expecting our current government to take action. It doesn’t offer a fast or simple solution, but rarely does the most critical work. I know that this doesn’t answer your question, but I want to emphasize how important it is to keep asking.
CLARIFICATIONS
In our 11/3/2020 article, we misspelled the name of the political analyst with a two-minute analysis of Trump. His name is Mehdi Hasan, not Medhi Hasan. This has been updated in our archives.
RELATED ISSUES
9/16/2020 | Fight for paid sick leave.
10/5/2020 | Protect undocumented Americans.
8/10/2020 | Respect the relationship between name and identity.
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