This paper summarizes Chapter 7 on Everyday Language, White racist culture, Respect, and Civility.
Racisms has been an issue in the United State for years, Hill (2009) asserts that the issue of white racism has not been understood. In reference to previous chapters, Hill explains how white racism has become a norm in the United States. The history that is taught in school has been tailored to brain-wash the learner since it lacks major historical aspects that affected the Americans thereby making it impossible for Americans to seriously think about the effect of racism and how it affects the foundation of America. White racism origin is traced to the era of slavery that was also witnessed during the time of Jim Crow when segregation on race was allowed. Presentation of the white as superior has been accepted in the community and it is being uttered in everyday discourse by almost every person. Racism stances have been averted in different environments in the society without causing much attention, Hill gives an example of an instance in 2007 during the campaign for senatorial seats when Obama was termed as the most intelligent black African. Senator Joseph Biden had declared that Obama was the first typical African American who is coherent and positive and clean.
In everyday language, the Americans are expressing white racism, either knowingly or unknowingly. It is however noted that such utterances do not receive much media coverage or exposure as part of racism because they used as part of entertainment or medium of information. Rather than being banished, these utterances attract publicity, not for admonishing but for fun. The lives and feelings of blacks are not taken seriously and do not attract much attention. The news of racial violence arrive on daily basis, a black kid had been threatened to be hanged by fellow kids who are white, and they had hung a hangman's noose on a tree. This act was assimilated to 'Ku Kluxer', 'Redneck' typecast of the folk theory of folklore, indicating that white prejudice has not been buried underground.
The assertion that white prejudice has gone underground is unfounded because it has taken the form of structural or institutional racism where whites are presented as superior to other races. Hill asserts that white racist culture has been designed in such a way that makes it impossible to end but remain to be invisible in the society. The culture has been integrated into the society in such a way that it passes as a normal thing. The folk theory has been relied on as a white misapprehension and erasure, whereby race is taken for granted and associated it with the biological aspect of a person. The biological category takes the issue of race in a simple way such that it is associated with what ensues when backward and marginal persons trust that some races are lesser to others. In essence, it means that the culture of white supremacy has been taken to be part of the society such that it is difficult for a person to disassociate white supremacy with the normal working of the institutions. The word chosen to pass racial message is set in such a way that it would pass easily from the speaker to the hearer.
Since the white people know that they present themselves as superior to people of color, they pretend to have empathy for them. Their expression when they meet people of color is that they are normal people and they should not be assumed to be superior because they are white. Lack of respect, civility and equality are among the issues that face both the people of color and the white. The everyday language used in the society lack respect and civility, for instance, the white people say that they do not want their utterances to pass as racism, and if the message passed as racist then he was joking. The language, culture and the environment where the person has grown also affect the way they speak and interact with other people. English is spoken by the African American and other people of color and the white in most instances differ, thus increasing racial discrimination. The racist people continue to say that when a person misinterpret the racial joke, then the person lacks a sense of humor.
Although civilization is important, it should not be made in a way that it does not demonstrate inequality between the white and the people of color. In essence, it means that there should be an interruption of the everyday language of white racism. The concluding remarks of the chapter are that the white and people of color should respect each other and should aim to change how they interact. This is because American and the people of color of good will desire change, however, the cultural aspects and everyday language seem to be a hindering effort to change white racism and supremacy. Hill recommends that the people in authority initiate change to enhance mutual understanding
Reference
Hill, J. H. (2009). The everyday language of white racism. John Wiley " Sons.
