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BrionaHill
ProfessorMarieLo
FRINQRaceandSocialJustice
27October2015

ThePossessiveInvestmentinWhitenessKeyConceptSummary#2
Itisnosecretthatoursocietyisbaseduponthehierarchicalformationsofwhitenessand
ourpowerstructureisformedbyit.InthefirstchapterofThePossessiveInvestmentin
Whiteness,GeorgeLipsitzexploresthefacetsoftheAmericansociety'sfascinationwith
whitenessandthosewhoareinpossessionofwhiteness.Heexploresthedifferentformsof
racismandthewaysinwhichtheUnitedStateshasformulateditsstructuretobenefittheprowls
ofwhitenessandwhitepower.Whitenessandoureverydayinvestmentthatweplaceuponithas
playedavitalpartintheformulationofdifferenttypesofracism.Racism,simplyput,evolves
andasLipsitzstates,ithaschangedovertime,taken[taking]ondifferentforms,andserves
[serving]differentsocialpurposesineachtimeperiod(4).InthepieceLipsitzfurtherformulates
hisargumentbytheuseofexamplesthatshowcaseracismthathasoccurredthroughouthistory.
Throughtheuseofthislensyouseetheformulationofwhitenessasabenefitandthepowerthat
isassociatedwithbeingofwhitepoweranddecent.
Thisconversationofpossessionofwhitenesseasilyleadsintotheconversationofwhite
privilegeandthemodernizationofracismisor,assomemaythinkwas.Lipsitzdemonstrates
thisconceptthroughouthisfirstchapterofhisworkbyquotingdifferentinstancesofhowmany
whitesseepeopleofcolor,particularlyblacksaslookingatthemforgrievances(2021).Itisthis


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examplethatstructurallyexplainsthebenefitsofbeingwhite.Manywhitesseetheinjusticesthat
havebeendonetoblacksandotherpeopleofcolorasbeingofthepast.Wheninactualityitis
verymuchsosomethingofthepresent.Thisprimefactisanaccuratedemonstrationofthe
possessionofwhiteness.Inoursocietythosewhoidentifyaswhiteareinasortbrainwashed
tobelievethatracismandeverydaysocialinjusticedoesnotexist.Itisthroughthisbenefitthat
yousufferfromablindness.
Whitenesshasbeenvaluedandassertedoverthosewhohavebeendeterminedasbeing
nonwhitesincethebeginningofcolonialism.Thismarkwasthebeginning,colonialism
turnedintoslaveryandsoonaftertheemancipationofslavesandthesaidfreedomthatwasgiven
tononwhitesendedconstantlywiththeassertionofwhitedominance.Theconceptofbeing
nonwhiteandhavingtobeonthereceivingendofracismhasalwaysexisted.Thisracismhas
justbeentransposedintodifferentforms.Whitenesshasalwaysbeenofprimitivesuperiorityand
playedupon.LipsitzusedanexampleoftheintroductionoftheFederalHousingAgencys
policy,withinthatpolicytheonlygivenbenefitswerethoseofthewhiterace.Suchpolicies
widenedthegapinresourcesforpeopleofcolor(Lipsitz,5).Thissystematicenvironmental
racismisaprimeexplanationofwhythepossessionofwhitenesshascontinuedtobeatthe
expenseofthoseofcolor.
Theideaofpossessiveinvestmentinwhitenessisveryimportantaskeyconcept
becauseitissomethingthatweasasocietyparticipateineveryday.Lipsitzinhisclosing
remarksquotestheBlackPantherPartyinastatementthatwasmadebymembersinthe1960s,
ifyourenotpartofthesolution,yourepartoftheproblem(22).Helatergoesontosaythat
whitescanonlybecomepartofthesolutioniftheyrecognizethedegreetowhichtheyare


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alreadyapartoftheproblem(22).Thisfurtherexemplifiesthefactthatwehaveastakein
whitenessthatissodeeplyrootedthatitisinneedofacknowledgmentandthosewhobenefit
fromwhiteprivilegemustbeawareofitandtrytounderstandtheabsenceofequalityamongst
thoseofnonwhiteethnicity.
Itisthroughthepossessionofwhitenessthatprivilegeispredisposeduponyouandif
youdonotdirectlybenefitfromit,apersonwhocategorizesintowhitebenefitsdirectly.Itis
ourfailuretoacknowledgeoursocietieseverydayinvestmentintowhitenessthatcontinuesto
disenfranchisethoseofcolor(23).Weasawholecannotmoveonandseetheissuesofraceand
continuetodiminishtheinjusticethatisconstantlydisposeduponthoseofnonbeneficial
contentmentwithoutseeingthingsoutsidetherealmsofthosewhopossesssaidwhiteness.


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WorksCited
Lipsitz,George.Chapter1.
ThePossessiveInvestmentinWhiteness.
Philadelphia,PA:
TempleUP,2006.123.Print.