Why White Culture Isn’t Real

People often confuse white culture with their heritage. White people as a whole don’t really have a culture themselves due to skin color. There’s no such thing as a skin color culture. The very idea that cultural practices belong to racial groups misunderstands both race and culture. Let me explain that in more detail.

If you were white you would have to have some sort of background right? Like Italian, Irish, German, Greek, Roman, Indian, Mexican, Scottish, etc. That would be your culture. There’s also regional culture like Southern culture or Western culture. Because there is no White culture, only American culture, people of color deserve their share of the credit. Now this is only my opinion backed up with explanations.

White people dont have a culture but black people do. They have been through more than white people could even imagine. Black culture exists because they’ve had a unique experience no one else has. Black Americans were robbed of their culture. They don’t know where they come from. What connects them is the color of their skin and how society has treated them. Black people created their own culture and a new identity from their trauma.

People only think white culture exists because it was coined by white supremacists. Black culture comes from the Civil Rights Movement. One represents hate and superiority, and the other a fight for equality. And the problem is that the belief that "White culture" - individualism, work ethic, written tradition, rationalism, conflict avoidance - was imposed on by people of color ignores the achievements of generations of self-sufficient Black scientists, philosophers and writers, to say nothing of Black Protestants who made an ethic of non-violence a guiding feature of their lives.

"White culture" actually reflects the ideas, experience and perspectives of people of every race, especially African Americans whose contributions to American culture are as widespread and profound as those of the stereotypical Mayflower pilgrims. The idea of "White culture" advances White supremacists, crediting White people for the work ethic, when no group of people in human history have worked harder and for less reward than Black people. Many famous white people, such as writers, painters, musicians, etc. have taken the works of black people and have taken credit for them. Although it’s uncommon now, it still happens, and it needs to stop.

Now, cultural appreciation and cultural appropriation get confused with each other quite often. For example, if a white person gets cornrows or dreads, and they are respecting black culture and appreciating it, I don’t see a problem. But if a racist person decides they want braids, then that’s cultural appropriation and them thinking it’s okay to steal culture.

Most people think white people do have a culture. If you’re referring to American culture, that’s what you would say. American culture is different from other cultures because somehow we’ve manipulated every other culture into thinking we own them. American culture is a culture of colonization, genocide, taking, envy and fear. The majority of white people have no traditions, except for those of their heritage. Christmas trees were originally a pagan ritual that has been bastardized into a display of wealth and excess. Thanksgiving? Don’t even start. The closing thing white people have to culture is our disturbing obsession with sports, which we justify things with such as destruction and hatred for people we don’t even know.

The culture of white people is the culture of death. During slavery times, slave owners would use dead slaves hair to stuff their armchairs and pillows, use their heads as jackolanterns, use their skin for “leather” boots, runaway slaves had their feet cut off, and some slaves were boiled alive in sugar cane. Our cities were built by the blood of slaves, on top of graves of native people. These are only a few examples of what we do to people that are different.

I am white and I stand with you. I believe you. I’m here for you. I don’t understand, but I will fight for you.