White guilt
|
|
White guilt refers to feelings of guilt said to be experienced by "white people" when they consider present or past wrongs committed by their ancestors against "non-white people".
Today, Europeans and their ancestors are widely believed to have committed wrongs against non-whites in the form of racial discrimination and colonialism. Although many white people do not feel a sense of personal guilt over past oppression of other races they are often anxious to distance themselves from the crimes of their ancestors and are said to feel a sense of collective guilt. Similarly it is said that the descendants of oppressed people, many of whom have experienced modern day discrimination, sometimes expect whites, either collectively or individually, to feel and accept "white guilt".
White guilt is said to result in a feeling of lost moral authority on the part of whites, so that they feel uncomfortable discussing issues of race and are very anxious to avoid being seen as racist. Whether white guilt is healthy, just, proper or ethical is a matter of controversy, as are questions about if and how to make amends for the historical and present inequities between races.
One controversial issue related to white guilt is the demand for reparations from contemporary governments for past involvement in slavery, or for other crimes committed against Africans or people of colour. No such reparations have been paid by the United States and, at the 2001 World Conference Against Racism in Durban, the European Union threatened to let talks collapse over African demands for an apology and reparations for trans-Atlantic slavery1. In 2002 Belgium apologised to Congo for its role in the assassination of Patrice Lumumba, but not its support of the Mobutu dictatorship, nor the colonisation of Congo. In 2002, Germany apologised for the genocide of the Herero people in Namibia2. In both cases reparations were denied.
Notes
- See: "Africans back down at UN race talks" (http://www.guardian.co.uk/unracism/story/0,1099,548954,00.html). Article from The Guardian (http://www.guardian.co.uk).
- See: "German minister says sorry for genocide in Namibia" (http://www.guardian.co.uk/germany/article/0,2763,1283864,00.html). From The Guardian.
See also
- Affirmative action (also known as "positive discrimination").