Adding Reply Archived Topic: It will not be bumped to the top of the forum. Topic What is "White culture" Membername   Not a member? Sign Up Free (takes 20 seconds) Password   Forgotten your password? Post Font: Verdana Arial Black Georgia Comic Sans Impact   Size: Tiny Normal Big Huge   Color: Default Dark Red Red Orange Brown Green Olive Cyan Blue Dark Blue Indigo Black [ Check Spelling ] [ Post Preview ] [ LiveTags ] FAQ Keyword Search: Post Options Favorites Manager Notify me of new replies to this topic by email Notify me of new replies to this topic by private message Original Post jakelong Posted at 5:35 am on Oct. 13, 2008 Define it or describe it. Also please give some examples.

Replies snowfish Posted at 8:34 am on Oct. 15, 2008 I'd also like to say that what differentiates whiteness from europe for me is that the race of White was constructed in the United States and has it's own twisted and specific history. Whiteness is created by blending european pasts and forgetting parts of them while affirming that all white people (and that term has changed a LOT, irish, italians, spanish, and debatabley jews have all had histories outside of whiteness and later been accepted into it) are separate and better than the Other Colored Folks. snowfish Posted at 8:29 am on Oct. 15, 2008 1) colonialism 2) appropriation 3) the privilege never to have to define their culture because it is the mainstream culture. Whatever is popular at the time is available for whites. 4) http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/" target="_top">http://http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/ osmoticdespair Posted at 4:42 am on Oct. 15, 2008 Race is just a convienent definer. A black guy could be very well assimilated in white culture, and probably people, black and white, would comment on the fact - because they understand its unusual. The same could be said for white people in black culture or anything else. It's not (probably) about race, but it correlates with what people call race so its convienent to refer to it in that way. jakelong Posted at 6:32 pm on Oct. 14, 2008 Quote: from osmoticdespair at 10:31 am on Oct. 13, 2008 Well I figure white culture is the predominant culture of white people in the usa which is derived from euro culture. Its derived yeah but it changed a lot too. What is it that makes it "white". I don't know really. I mean black culture I get it, Asian culture, same. Latino culture to me its mainly language and a few similar values (but already there it gets fuzzy). But "white" culture? Maybe I'd call it "Anglo culture". I usually don't like the word anglo that much because it leaves out other europeans. But at least "anglo" means that it comes from ppl who speak English, who often had british or german heritage, etc... TBH I don't like the ward "black culture" either in term of race. To me its more like culture of the descendants of americans from africa but its not so much about race but about heritage. My values aren't american at all so they can't be any of those things In your case I'd say its British culture or European culture. That's easy. in the sense of it comes from a specific place and a specific people and I ought to give acknowledgment to that. It's not just ideas, those ideas grew out of something.) Sure. But to me its more the culture of Asia as a place, a continent. Not a race itself. I mean that soebody could be from Asia and have asian ancestry and be totally eruopean in thiking and culture and attitude (or at least a mix of asian and european). Same with other things. The thing about wieners, yeah, it's German, but in the USA Germans have basically totally assimilated, so its just part of the wider culture. Sure but I don't get what race got to do with it really kidd rune Posted at 3:33 pm on Oct. 13, 2008 My friend said this before: "It's a White thing - you wouldn't understand" http://tep.uoregon.edu/workshops/teachdiversity/beingwhite/whiteculture.html White culture = the cultures of Whites, by Whites, for Whites. Culture is an interesting subject in that it can be broken down to the microcultural level of the home, office or school enviroment. Ever heard of an "in joke" amongst friends? thats microculture. So though there is no single White culture, there is White culture, in the same way there is Asian culture or Black culture. Whether we like it or not, when someone refers to White, Asian or Black culture, we do pretty much know what they are talking about, though the term is somewhat bland, but getting into the semantics of such general concepts isn't really logical. La Motta Posted at 12:24 pm on Oct. 13, 2008 Are you the culture vulture?? osmoticdespair Posted at 10:31 am on Oct. 13, 2008 Quote: from jakelong at 2:34 pm on Oct. 13, 2008 Quote: from osmoticdespair at 6:24 am on Oct. 13, 2008 I would judge it on origin not uniqueness. For instance the preponderance of things like Wieners, Frankfurters etc... well it's in the name. It's obvious where they come from. Does that make it "white" or does it make it "european"?   I mean when I see "chorizo" I think its "mexican" not that its "latino" or "hispanic". When I see "wiener" I think its "german" not that its "white".   Some is based on Greek and Roman stuff but there has been thousands of years of architectural development since then you know. Sure but does that make it "white" or does that make it "european"? And if some modern stuff has been invented by somebody white does that make the architecture "white" just becase of that?   When you see classical Chinese architecture you think its "Asian" as race or "asian" as in from the sasian continent? I think of it in te second one mostly.    you owe a great debt to Europe for a great many of the techniques used today regardless. European yeah. But why "white"?   I know what is European culture. I still don't get what is "white culture". I mean, culture, relates in my mind to two specific things, cultivation and agriculture - because they all have the same root, they elude to the idea of taking a seed and growing it up. Ok but what about your values, attitude are specially "white" and NOT "asian" or "latino" or "black"? Well I figure white culture is the predominant culture of white people in the usa which is derived from euro culture. My values aren't american at all so they can't be any of those things because the co-existence of separate racial cultures is (or was until the 60's or so) a specifically american thing. As for architecture, I would consider chinese architecture chinese sure. Doesn't mean I can't use it if I like it, but it's still chinese, the chinese hold those traditions and if I take them I am taking them from that people (not in the sense of robbing them, but in the sense of it comes from a specific place and a specific people and I ought to give acknowledgment to that. It's not just ideas, those ideas grew out of something.) The thing about wieners, yeah, it's German, but in the USA Germans have basically totally assimilated, so its just part of the wider culture. Prince o palities Posted at 6:37 am on Oct. 13, 2008 Making fun of black people while sipping cognac and smoking Cubans. jakelong Posted at 6:34 am on Oct. 13, 2008 Quote: from osmoticdespair at 6:24 am on Oct. 13, 2008 I would judge it on origin not uniqueness. For instance the preponderance of things like Wieners, Frankfurters etc... well it's in the name. It's obvious where they come from. Does that make it "white" or does it make it "european"? I mean when I see "chorizo" I think its "mexican" not that its "latino" or "hispanic". When I see "wiener" I think its "german" not that its "white". Some is based on Greek and Roman stuff but there has been thousands of years of architectural development since then you know. Sure but does that make it "white" or does that make it "european"? And if some modern stuff has been invented by somebody white does that make the architecture "white" just becase of that? When you see classical Chinese architecture you think its "Asian" as race or "asian" as in from the sasian continent? I think of it in te second one mostly.  you owe a great debt to Europe for a great many of the techniques used today regardless. European yeah. But why "white"? I know what is European culture. I still don't get what is "white culture". I mean, culture, relates in my mind to two specific things, cultivation and agriculture - because they all have the same root, they elude to the idea of taking a seed and growing it up. Ok but what about your values, attitude are specially "white" and NOT "asian" or "latino" or "black"? osmoticdespair Posted at 6:24 am on Oct. 13, 2008 Quote: from jakelong at 2:15 pm on Oct. 13, 2008 I don't know if what you say about family stuff is totally true though. Up until the 1950s it used to be that European immigrants like Russian and Italians lived with their extended family a lot. Its only lately that whites are more into nuclear family. So all you do is base that on what you see TODAY and call it white because you see whites TODAY doing it.   But its not necessarily a "white thing". You'll not I didn't include eastern-europeans or italians in that... I specifically refered to "anglos". osmoticdespair Posted at 6:24 am on Oct. 13, 2008 Quote: from jakelong at 2:10 pm on Oct. 13, 2008 The thing is that a lot of this has been assimilated by American culture generally - the food, the architecture, I mean people who came from different backgrounds still live in and as they increasingly became able to learned styles and techniques from the architects and engineers who were white. Food: Do you have example of american food that is uniquely white? I would judge it on origin not uniqueness. For instance the preponderance of things like Wieners, Frankfurters etc... well it's in the name. It's obvious where they come from. Of course modern English food is all based around the potato which we got from the America's - but the all the different Euro countries invented their own ways of cooking potatos. Architecture: Well a lot of it is based on Greek and Roman stuff. I guess because those ppl are white you can say the architecture is white but Im not sure if that makes it "white" in the race sense. Its more what ppl call Classical in the european sense. Some is based on Greek and Roman stuff but there has been thousands of years of architectural development since then you know. Especially in some states Scandinavian and Neiderlands (not Netherlands...) styles predominate. Neo-classical stuff is more a southern thing (and to some extent a "stately buildings" thing). A lot of Asians are engineers. I don't see what they do as "asian" or "white". I just see it as enginner work that HAPPENS to be done by asians. Well the word culture implies the way that stuff is done, it encompasses things like techniques in engineering. Not all techniques are European and engeneering has developed a lot since colonisation of the Americas but you owe a great debt to Europe for a great many of the techniques used today regardless. So "white cultur" has to do with family demographics? Thats it? No, that's an example. And what structure families take is an important aspect of culture, it will make lasting impressions on children that will help shape and define the values they hold for the rest of their lives. I mean, culture, relates in my mind to two specific things, cultivation and agriculture - because they all have the same root, they elude to the idea of taking a seed and growing it up. The culture of man is like the soil for his seed, it's not easily defined, you can't say that asian culture is curry and rice and sitars or european culture the violin and coldcuts with bread. Culture is much more than things like that, those are if anything the products of culture not the culture itself. The very phases and idoms I choose to use to express myself are cultural, the mannerisms I use when I walk, when I sit, when I look at people, the things I think are appropriate or not appropriate to say in public and in private, how long I think it's acceptable to look at someones eyes and when and how close I feel I can sit to someone I know or don't know. How I address those in authority or subordinate to me, how I greet friends, whether I value beauty over honour or honour over beauty, whether I value success over comfort or comfort over success. And lots of these things are also tied to personality traits which confuse the picture to some extent, but the tendencies which a culture encourages and discourages make a big difference nonetheless. But culture is also, and at its most basic the techniques of cultivation - from techniques of cultivating man (social taboos, customs, level of discipline etc) to the techniques of cultivating the city (architecture, economics, politics, rhetoric etc) to the techniques of cultivating the land from which everything else springs up (agriculture). jakelong Posted at 6:15 am on Oct. 13, 2008 I don't know if what you say about family stuff is totally true though. Up until the 1950s it used to be that European immigrants like Russian and Italians lived with their extended family a lot. Its only lately that whites are more into nuclear family. So all you do is base that on what you see TODAY and call it white because you see whites TODAY doing it. But its not necessarily a "white thing". jakelong Posted at 6:10 am on Oct. 13, 2008 The thing is that a lot of this has been assimilated by American culture generally - the food, the architecture, I mean people who came from different backgrounds still live in and as they increasingly became able to learned styles and techniques from the architects and engineers who were white. Food: Do you have example of american food that is uniquely white? Architecture: Well a lot of it is based on Greek and Roman stuff. I guess because those ppl are white you can say the architecture is white but Im not sure if that makes it "white" in the race sense. Its more what ppl call Classical in the european sense. A lot of Asians are engineers. I don't see what they do as "asian" or "white". I just see it as enginner work that HAPPENS to be done by asians. Family demographics might be one area which sees significant differences, but whether that is due to cultural factors or other factors is not entirely clear. Statistically white-anglo families tend to be very nuclear, black families tend to be to a greater extent female headed and non-anglo europeans as well as asians tend to have more extended family networking and - though nowadays rarely - even cohabitation. So "white cultur" has to do with family demographics? Thats it? osmoticdespair Posted at 5:57 am on Oct. 13, 2008 Quote: from jakelong at 1:46 pm on Oct. 13, 2008 Quote: from osmoticdespair at 5:40 am on Oct. 13, 2008 Specific to the United States the culture which pertains to the population descended from European Immigrants especially those from Britain, Germany, Holland and Scandinavia and to a lesser extent those from Ireland, Italy, France and Eastern Europe. Give examples please. Not easy to do. I have images in my head on this topic more than words. And I've never been to America so its basically about my perception of the place through the media and the internet and not actual experiences. The thing is that a lot of this has been assimilated by American culture generally - the food, the architecture, I mean people who came from different backgrounds still live in and as they increasingly became able to learned styles and techniques from the architects and engineers who were white. Music has been more otherwise, but on the music front the white culture has assimilated a great deal from both the folk musics of some of the less "anglo" euros and from black music - although it could be argued that modern styles have divided to some extent (media perception perhaps). Family demographics might be one area which sees significant differences, but whether that is due to cultural factors or other factors is not entirely clear. Statistically white-anglo families tend to be very nuclear, black families tend to be to a greater extent female headed and non-anglo europeans as well as asians tend to have more extended family networking and - though nowadays rarely - even cohabitation. Or so I have been led to believe miss mae Posted at 5:49 am on Oct. 13, 2008 it is just white people Most recent 15 of 24 previous replies displayed.