Morphing Properties Of Whiteness Summary

In ‘The “Morphing” Properties of Whiteness’, Troy Duster addresses that people view whiteness form two perspectives; race as arbitrary and whimsical versus race as structural and enduring. The classification of race is arbitrary and often whimsical, exampled by the fact that ‘one drop of blood’ from any race does not constitute labeling an individual as undeniably belonging to that race, the idea that race is something identifiable with fixed borders that could be crossed and mixed which means there is no base line to classify race. Also, it sees race as ever-changing. On the other hand, it discussed whiteness as an enduring privilege, that it is deeply embedded in the routine structures of economic and political life. However, those ‘white territory’ such as in the United States or parts of South Africa, do not give up racial privilege by simply denying that is exists at all.
These two types of whiteness perspectives are represented well in our society. As exampled by Troy Duster’s very own example of the Chicago police morphing himself from an occupying force of domination, into someone there ‘to protect a woman citizen’ from a suspicious character. In South Africa, critics of affirmative action programs would place blacks in positions held
exclusively by whites for the last half-century are now dubbing affirmative action to fairness to the individual. Also, different spheres of work are more likely to employ whites than blacks, for example, blacks are more likely to be employed in the public sector.
The privilege existed form long time ago for the whites of race.
In the United States there were significant persisting wage and salary differences between the races; with blacks earning anywhere from about two- thirds to three- quarters of what whites could obtain in wages and salaries. In the 1970s almost every major metropolitan area was primarily white – the average family net income of individuals in the United States who were socially designated as “white” was $43,279. While the average family net income of individuals who were socially designated as “black” was $4,169. During the National Housing Act of 1937, whites were able to get housing loans at 3 to 5 percent, while blacks were routinely denied such
loans.
Troy Duster argues two perspectives of whiteness. One describes whiteness as fluid, continually reflects emergent and contingent features of social life. While the second view paints whiteness as deeply embedded, structural, hard, enduring, solid-state features of race and racism. These two perspectives will always find fertile ground to stand on, as long as there are both equal rights and opportunities for other races to advance step for step with people of whiteness and as long as there are people of whiteness who continually stand on the mountain top of opportunity with their noses in the air denying that their racial privilege has anything to do with their advancement among peers of a different race, an argument will be made.