“Commonly, whiteness is equated with normality and thus becomes invisible so that we do not think it requires attention.” Barker pg 250.

I would like to just take a moment and reflect on this one statement. As we switch gears in our class reading and discussion from gender to race and ethnicity, I find myself reflecting on my own perceptions of race and what the word “white” really means to me personally. The only conclusion I am coming to is not really one I can articulate without much difficulty. It’s really hard for me to admit this but when I used to hear the word white in a racial context I automatically thought: suburbs, picket fence, two car garage, cocker spaniel, smiling family that eats dinner at 7 on the dot every night. In a perfect world we would have no assumptions attained through our own worldview and reality. In a perfect world, the word black would carry no negative connotations. Now to be honest, I’m not sure what I think.