Whiteness is a Haunted House (and we need an exorcism...)
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James Baldwin’s letter confronts how Blackness is objectified and scrutinized by the white gaze - but Yancy decides to focus on the concept of whiteness, and I found it extremely interesting to analyze the ghostly nature of whiteness itself. Unlike Blackness, which is constantly marked and examined, whiteness remains largely unseen, concealed behind the illusion of neutrality. Despite this invisibility, whiteness is ever present, haunting the cultural, social, and institutional spaces we inhabit.
The existence of “white invisibility” in our society is like living in a haunted house. The presence of whiteness is deeply felt by racialized groups but it still goes unspoken. Whiteness functions as a system of privilege that burdens racialized groups, while those who benefit from it remain unaware of its power. It influences how people of colour are treated, perceived, and marginalized, while those who have the privilege of whiteness remain comfortably unaware of the existence of that ghost. For many white individuals, race is seen as an abstract concept, and they even claim to be “colourblind” or not to “see race,” creating the illusion that whiteness is neutral or even absent. But this so called neutrality is actually a form of erasure that allows whiteness to continue haunting our society, maintaining its power.
As Baldwin (and Fanon) illustrate, the haunting of whiteness extends beyond its invisibility, often forcing racialized people into a constant state of self-surveillance. Around white people, individuals of colour feel the need to police themselves, overthinking how every action, gesture, or word will be perceived by the white gaze. In predominantly white spaces, where whiteness is invisible (yet POWERFUL), Black individuals are made hyper-visible, always conscious that their actions will be scrutinized, potentially misunderstood, or even weaponized against them. Yancy describes this dynamic as one where Black people are constantly marked, while whiteness remains the unexamined norm. In social settings, Black individuals often have to be “twice as good” just to be deemed acceptable.
Yancy calls out the haunting presence of whiteness in society and addresses its profound role in shaping racial hierarchies. Whiteness is a ghost that refuses to leave, built on the legacies of colonization, slavery, and segregation. This ghost lingers, exerting its influence through persistent disparities every day - we see this in the inequalities in employment, education, the (in)justice system, and healthcare. This is not coincidental and is a result of how whiteness has an ongoing haunting, reinforcing cycles of marginalization for people of color. The invisibility of whiteness allows its systems of privilege to remain intact and unchallenged, while people of colour bear the weight of these inequities.
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Also, would like to recommend a song that I think would be a very good connection. Kendrick Lamar's “The Heart Part 5” delves deeply into themes of the Black identity, and I think a lot of it connects to the concept of the “invisible white power” - especially in terms of media.
Throughout the song, he reflects on the way Black culture is represented in a negative light (“In the land where hurt people hurt more people, f*ck calling it culture”) and he touches on the burden of feeling like you are not seen as an individual by white people, but rather as a representative of your race who has to act a certain way to be deemed acceptable in white society. Despite this he uses lines like “I want the hood to want me back”, which can represent the internal conflict many Black individuals face because of society's expectations. He doesn't want to let go of the "culture" even though it becomes a negative loop due to the white system of power. Its interesting to compare how Yancy talks about how whiteness operates as a silent force and how Kendrick illustrates how the weight of this invisible system defines how Black identity is perceived and lived today.