The topic of this article is about whiteness and how it is prevalent in society. Baynard Woods, the author of a memoir, Inheritance: An Autobiography of Whiteness, spoke on this podcast. His memoir is about how whiteness impacted his life similar to the topic of the podcast. Woods thinks that whiteness has a powerful impact in society, even though one may not be aware of it. He mentioned how his great grandfather once killed a black man and that he was not punished for such acts back in the days. However, this fact that his family once killed a black man gets carried down through the generations. In addition, the luxurious lifestyle that his ancestors once lived in the midst of the racist time period gets passed down. He presented the issue fairly as he talks from personal experiences and the fact that he is white. My viewpoint for the most part aligns with Woods’. Personally, I agree with him that whiteness does have an impact on society. Although one may not be racist but being white may entitle one to have certain privileges that others don’t; this will ultimately create that separation between the races once again. I thought the American education system is amongst the top but after listening to this podcast, I am having second thoughts. Woods mentioned how laws are being passed to forbid telling the truth about the country’s complicated and tortured racial history. I think covering up the truth of American history and glamorizing the goods of it is ridiculous. We should be able to learn what is truly the history of America, including the dark past.
Title: What it means to inherit “whiteness”?
Link: https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2022/08/30/1120063333/baynard-woods-inheritance-an-autobiography-of-whiteness
I also listened to this podcast. I agree with many of the points you made about how whiteness impacts our society just as much as racism does. I felt this interview was much more powerful coming from a white man because he is speaking directly from his own experiences.
I respect how transparent this podcast is and reveals some of the privileges that white people inherently hold. Whether they intentionally strive for these privileges or not, being white allows some to garner respect and have access to special permissions more easily.
I agree with how whiteness can have a powerful impact on society. I like how you talked about although some people may not be racist, they still have certain privileges that others may not have. I agree because sometimes someone may have those privileges in society but may not even know that they have them.