Just this week it was reported that Latinos are the largest ethnic group in California, with an estimated 14.99 million people claiming to be of that ethnicity while 14.92 Californians consider themselves white.
White is the new minority.
As a member of a minority group—until 2014 anyway— I have some insight and hopefully what I’m about to pass along to “white” friends, readers, colleagues, neighbors and associates is helpful.
(I surround white by quotation marks because while the color is used as a descriptor of a particular ethnic group it’s still pretty confusing to know specifically who we are talking about— I’ve known Mexicans who were whiter than a Norwegian cross country skier lost in a marshmallow dump— though generally we can all agree who we mean when we say “white” people.)
Be prepared to be referred to as “those” people. But not to your face. (That phrase usually transforms into “you people.”)
“Those people” are typically people who share the same skin tone as you and move into a neighborhood where a lot of you do not already reside. And where you’re not really welcome. For example: “The neighborhood has gone to hell ever since those people started moving in.” Or “Those people have no pride in their homes. I bet they’re renters.”
“Those people” can be a pejorative—but only if you’re really sensitive and thin-skinned. Otherwise you people just need to stop being so darn sensitive because it’s just an innocent reference to a specific group of people who happen to look and sound and behave the same.
Also, prepare to discover that you don’t know any racist people. You people will discover this when one of your kind comes up in conversation and one of us, the new majority, don’t understand your culture or social practices. Or reality.
“You know, I’m not racist but I don’t understand why those people just don’t stop complaining and do something to change their circumstances.” Or, “I’m not racist but I can’t help but notice that a lot of white people like NASCAR and country music. And guns! They love their guns! What’s that all about?”
And don’t be surprised if you find yourself frantically thinking “Please don’t be white, please don’t be white” when news of a particularly disturbing crime starts making the rounds and people aren’t sure who the suspects and their motives are.
When you’re a minority it’s natural to feel a bit defensive when after years of negative portrayals in entertainment and news the population at large associates everything that’s wrong with their lives and this country with people who share the same skin color and culture as you. When reason prevails we know a society’s ills can’t be blamed on one particular group. But in the absence of reason, hysterical, ignorant and silly finger pointing will have to do.
Don’t worry. You people will eventually get used to it. Just stop being so sensitive.
