The Possessive Investment In Whiteness: An Investment Itself?

The Possessive Investment in Whiteness: An Investment Itself? “Race is a cultural construct, but one with deadly social causes and consequences” (Lipsitz 2). In his book, The Possessive Investment in Whiteness: How White People Profit From Identity Politics, George Lipsitz argues that it is in the best interest of white Americans to “invest in whiteness, to remain true to an identity that provides them with resources, power, and opportunity (Lipsitz vii).” Lipsitz’s book gives a substantial amount of evidence to show America’s investment in whiteness with historical facts, stories, and statistics. Although at times Lipsitz’s arguments are biased and hard to reference, because overall he gives competent, emotional, and logical evidence, it does not deter from his main argument that Americans do indeed have an investment in whiteness and his assertion that it is the duty of every person of color to take action to rid of this investment. In his book, Lipsitz says that “[w]hiteness is everywhere in U.S. culture, but it is very hard to see (Lipsitz 1).” A major factor as to why Lipsitz wrote this book was due to the events surrounding Bill Moore’s death when Lipsitz was a youth. Bill Moore was a white man in the 1963 who, distressed by the racial violence in Mississippi, went on a one man march from