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The online left definitely uses "white" as a shorthand for "bad". It's imprecise and counterintuitive language but I can't help but point out how funny it is. We do this with "male" too but to a lesser degree imo. @lackingsaint/1303148735984173056Permalink On twitter.com
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If I could be allowed an educated guess as to why this happens: the word "white" refers to more than just skin color. It also refers to a proximity to power in Western society.Permalink On twitter.com
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Most of the time this implication either doesn't matter or doesn't create a contradiction. We do live under white supremacy after all. But sometimes it creates weird questions like "Why do we call Ted Cruz when he's Cuban and speaks Spanish?"On twitter.com
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When we say someone "acts white" we never refer to like, poor, rural Appalachian or Midwestern culture. We're always referring to upper middle class and bourgeois modes of self-expression. Bc "acting white" means "acting within the cultural norms of the powerful"Permalink On twitter.com
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So we get a lot of takes about "white feminism" when what we mean is "forms of feminism more aligned with the culture and interests of the powerful". Likewise, Ted Cruz is "white" in part because of his skin tone and in part because he looks and acts in ways agacent to power.Permalink On twitter.com
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Because of this people end up using the word "white" in instances where skin color isn't really relevant. And the weirdest thing? People do this without even realizing this is what they're doing. We've all internalized the whole white=power thing without interrogating itPermalink On twitter.com