Faces of Whiteness Response
Faces of Whiteness 1
Running Head: FACES OF WHITENESS
Faces of Whiteness 2
Abstract
The article “Faces of Whiteness: Pitfalls and the Critical Democrat“ by John T. Warren and Kathy Hytten is an article that reviews what it means to be white. The article’s writers questioned how white students experienced diversity education information. After reviewing the article, I was led to decide where I was in the proposed construct suggested by the article as a white student. The following is my reaction to the article and my best judgement on where I stand in regards to the construct presented.
Faces of Whiteness 3 My reaction to this conceptual framework is that it makes an assumption that because a person is white, that they must present with one of these four temporary ‘faces’. I suppose my background and upbringing and family make-up make it very difficult to comprehend this. Since I was raised in a military family around other military families of all colors and I had a black uncle and a gay uncle, it is difficult to find out where I am in this transformative process. I don’t fit neatly into any of the four faces listed in the article. I would have to create my own face. One that was brought up to be a critical democrat already with a shade of missionary and a shade of intellectualizer. I was never really referred to as “white” in opposition to anyone until I came to American schools in the 8th grade. By then, I guess I was ignorant to differences in color. When it was presented to me that I was a white child with a nice house and that was a ‘problem’ if I chose to hang around other non-white or poor children, I suppose I would have to have categorized myself as a borderline intellectualizer.
I do find “diversity education fascinating(Warren & Hytten, 2004)”, however, I did not keep a distance as the lecture suggests. I tended to become a borderline ‘missionary’ face then because I took a stand with those that would be discriminated
Running Head: FACES OF WHITENESS
Faces of Whiteness 2
Abstract
The article “Faces of Whiteness: Pitfalls and the Critical Democrat“ by John T. Warren and Kathy Hytten is an article that reviews what it means to be white. The article’s writers questioned how white students experienced diversity education information. After reviewing the article, I was led to decide where I was in the proposed construct suggested by the article as a white student. The following is my reaction to the article and my best judgement on where I stand in regards to the construct presented.
Faces of Whiteness 3 My reaction to this conceptual framework is that it makes an assumption that because a person is white, that they must present with one of these four temporary ‘faces’. I suppose my background and upbringing and family make-up make it very difficult to comprehend this. Since I was raised in a military family around other military families of all colors and I had a black uncle and a gay uncle, it is difficult to find out where I am in this transformative process. I don’t fit neatly into any of the four faces listed in the article. I would have to create my own face. One that was brought up to be a critical democrat already with a shade of missionary and a shade of intellectualizer. I was never really referred to as “white” in opposition to anyone until I came to American schools in the 8th grade. By then, I guess I was ignorant to differences in color. When it was presented to me that I was a white child with a nice house and that was a ‘problem’ if I chose to hang around other non-white or poor children, I suppose I would have to have categorized myself as a borderline intellectualizer.
I do find “diversity education fascinating(Warren & Hytten, 2004)”, however, I did not keep a distance as the lecture suggests. I tended to become a borderline ‘missionary’ face then because I took a stand with those that would be discriminated
References: Warren, J.T., & Hytten, K. (2004). The faces of whiteness: pitfalls and the critical democrat. Communication Education, 53(4), 321-339. Banks , J.A., & Banks, C.A.McGee. (Ed.). (2010). Multicultural education; issues and perspectives, 7th ed.. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.