White Privilege In Claudia Rankine's Citizen

Effects of White Privilege
Racism: although an ongoing and prevalent issue, it is a foreign topic for many who do not experience the full effects of it on a daily basis or are sheltered from it due to their race. However, through novels, films, and social media, some hope to highlight and end the occurrence of racism. In the novel Citizen by Claudia Rankine, for example, Rankine offers an insightful view of the ongoing racism towards African Americans through descriptions of recent events and personal experiences involving racism. She specifically writes in the second person, allowing readers to fully immerse themselves in the situations that African Americans face in a white-favored society and understand the frustration many African Americans
For instance, in Citizen, as Williams continues to be disappointed by the unfair calls made against her by yelling at a different umpire, Rankine writes, “every look, every comment, every bad call blossoms out of history, through her, onto you” (Rankine 32). After an innumerable number of instances in which white umpires who discriminated against her and handed out punishments for her, Williams begins to group all white umpires as the same people who are determined to make sure that white people stay superior to white people. The rage she expresses towards them and the fact that she will never be seen as simply a tennis player rather than a black tennis player builds feelings of frustration. As her disappointment and anger towards the false calls reaches its breaking point, she directs her anger onto another umpire. As shown by William’s actions, allowing racism and white privilege will force African Americans to react in anger on another person. Similarly, in The Bluest Eye, after being forced to have sex in front of the two white men, he directs the rage he feels at enduring the degrading act onto Darlene “who created the situation, the one who bore witness to his failure, and his impotence” (Morrison 151). Because the two perpetrators are white, Cholly has not authority over them and is unable to express his rage towards them. If he were to
For example, in Citizen, after black tennis player Serena Williams was fined for yelling at a biased call made against her, Williams claims, “she has had to split herself off from herself and create different personae” in order to win tennis matches (Rankine 37). As a black tennis player in a game dominated by white players, Williams is forced to comply to rules that favor those who are white. Any slight action “showing” her breaking a rule can be manipulated and justified as a reason as to why she can be fined. The realization that attempts to express disdain towards their discriminating calls will be fruitless encourages her to become emotionally-detached and accept the unfair calls made in order to avoid further punishments. Thus, in order for Williams to be successful in the game of tennis, she must create a new version of herself that submits to the unfair calls made by the umpire and discriminating remarks made audience members by dissociating herself from traits that white people would consider her different and uncivilized. The new image she projects would be more allow her to be better accepted in the world of tennis. Such ambiguity as exemplified by Williams is further seen in The Bluest Eye, during which Cholly was humiliated during sex with Darlene by two white men. After the two men force him to continue to have sex in front of them, Cholly states that he