What Is Whiteness
According to the article, “What is Whiteness?” by the author and historian Nell Irvin Painter, she stated that “…new waves of poor Eastern and Southern European immigrants arrived [to the United States], inspiring new racial classifications: the “Northern Italian” race, the “Southern Italian” race, the “Eastern European Hebrew” race, and so on… But, like the Irish before them, the Italians and Jews and Greeks were classified as inferior white races.” Then, almost a century after, “By the 1940s anthropologists announced that they had a new classification: white, Asian and black were the only real races. Each was unitary—no sub-race existed within each group… “Everyone considered white was the same as everyone else considered white. No Saxons. No Celts. No Southern Italians. No Eastern European Hebrews.”
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Do you think our long history of classification, of tags and labels has prevailed and it still affect our identities?
The way in which we perceive ourselves and others? What is the main reason we ought to be classified as something? Do you believe that the way we’re classified today (as African-American, Asian, Caucasian, Hispanic, etc.) has defined correctly your identity? Or is the sub-race classification, that once existed, should be adopted again?
In “Angel Levine,” by Bernard Malamud, the character Manischevitz is living a dreadful, gloomy period in his life, that is filtered with a series of unfortunate events. Surprisingly he is visited by an angel, whose name is Alexander Levin and happens to be Jewish and of colored skin. During their first encounter, Manischevitz is skeptical about Levine being an authentic angel.
“To test Levine he asked, ‘Then where are your wings?’”
No at all content with the response, Manischevitz continues his quest for proof, “‘So tell me,’ Manischevitz said triumphantly, ‘how did you get here?’ ‘I was transmitted.’ Still troubled, the tailor said, ‘If you are a Jew, say the blessing for
bread”
Then Manischevitz inquires further, still reluctant to believe that Levine is an angel: “‘If you’re angel,’ he demanded somewhat angrily, “give me the proof.”
The tailor still doubted Levine, “Is this what a Jewish angel looks like? he asked himself. This I am not convinced. He asked a last question. “So if God sends to me an angel, why a black? Why not a white that there are so many of them?”
Do you think our long history of classification, of tags and labels has prevailed and it still affect our identities?
The way in which we perceive ourselves and others? What is the main reason we ought to be classified as something? Do you believe that the way we’re classified today (as African-American, Asian, Caucasian, Hispanic, etc.) has defined correctly your identity? Or is the sub-race classification, that once existed, should be adopted again?
In “Angel Levine,” by Bernard Malamud, the character Manischevitz is living a dreadful, gloomy period in his life, that is filtered with a series of unfortunate events. Surprisingly he is visited by an angel, whose name is Alexander Levin and happens to be Jewish and of colored skin. During their first encounter, Manischevitz is skeptical about Levine being an authentic angel.
“To test Levine he asked, ‘Then where are your wings?’”
No at all content with the response, Manischevitz continues his quest for proof, “‘So tell me,’ Manischevitz said triumphantly, ‘how did you get here?’ ‘I was transmitted.’ Still troubled, the tailor said, ‘If you are a Jew, say the blessing for
bread”
Then Manischevitz inquires further, still reluctant to believe that Levine is an angel: “‘If you’re angel,’ he demanded somewhat angrily, “give me the proof.”
The tailor still doubted Levine, “Is this what a Jewish angel looks like? he asked himself. This I am not convinced. He asked a last question. “So if God sends to me an angel, why a black? Why not a white that there are so many of them?”