Collective White Guilt

How can we understand the impact of collective white guilt?

     Both articles were insightful and added to my knowledge of white privilege and the importance of collective guilt. Caouette and Taylor (2015) discussed white guilt by giving its definition through the psychological lenses, while Appelbaum (2015) talked more about ignorance and critique in trying to “flip the script” of racism.

Defining collective guilt is important, because this emotion serves as a prerequisite for corrective action. “In social psychological terms, collective guilt is a group-based emotion experienced when people categorize themselves as members of a group that has committed unjustified harm to another group” (Caouette & Taylor, 2015, p. 89). Corrective actions (transgressions) can not be imposed by the outside pressure, they have to stem from the personal deeper understanding and acceptance of the past and present events connected to the issues of white privilege and racism. Achieving deep understandings is the main objective of the ant-racism education. However, white ignorance does not necessarily come from the lack of the overall general knowledge but rather from the absence of the Critique (introduced by Judith Butler). Critique concept is summarized by Appelbaum (2015) as troubling of norms, a challenge to our deepest sense of ourselves. (p. 13)

Caouette & Taylor (2015) argue that many fail to consider that we are all accomplices in a society that perpetuates past wrongs in the present day. Young Canadians have a particular interpretation of egalitarianism that paradoxically allows them to rationalize inequality and, as a result, avoid collective guilt (p. 100).  Most Canadians believe racism to be mainly an American problem; Reitz (1988) argues that there might be less racial conflict in Canada, but there is no less racial discrimination (for further insights on racism in Canada, see Henry, Tator, Mattis, & Rees, 2006). 

 Our social structure is based on meritocracy: when entering  into relationships (both professional and intimate), we believe that our outcomes are contingent upon our inputs. Having a meritocratic stance, the belief among advantaged group members is that the members of racially disadvantaged groups are personally responsible for their lack of success in society because of their biological or cultural inadequacies (Barrett, 1987; Ponting, 1997). Meritocracy, as a shared cultural capital, suggests that racially disadvantaged individuals could succeed by working harder.

Appelbaum (2015) is talking about flipping the script--not to blame the underprivileged groups for their lack of privilege, but rather to look at the white privilege some possess and critique it in order to overcome white ignorance and to proceed with the corrective actions. “Conducting research, consulting, and teaching in disadvantaged communities may be one way that many mainstream white researchers and educators attempt to resolve their own distress about racial inequality, to come to terms with their own white guilt” (Caouette & Taylor, 2015, p. 101).

After reading both articles and the previous theory about the white privilege, my question would be how to negotiate the white guilt avoiding appropriation and further damage to identities of all parties involved.

References
Appelbaum, B. (2015). Flipping the script...and still a problem: Staying in the anxiety of being a problem. pp. 1-19. In G. Yancy (Ed.). (2015). White self-criticality beyond anti-racism.

Caouette, J., & Taylor, D. (2015). Don`t blame me for what my ancestors did: Understanding the impact of collective white guilt. pp. 86-104. In D. Lund & P. Carr (Eds.). (2015). Revisiting the great white North? Reframing whiteness, privilege, and identity in education. Rotterdam: Sense Publishers.