(1a) Charles Mills supports that white supremacist society has its roots both in the past as well as in present society. In societies such as the United States, history is littered with discrimination by whites against nonwhites. Additionally, white supremacist society could be seen during the Civil Rights era where whites believed nonwhites were not intellectually, emotionally, or physically the same as them and therefore there was a need for segregation of between the races. In present society, people still deal with a white supremacist society through issues like the one drop rule which was put into law at the beginning of the twentieth century and continues to modern time. However, unlike in the past, modern society is less of a white supremacist society.
(1b) While white supremacy has its roots in the past, many of today's societies have eradicated most of these ideas for their public domain. In the United States, there are laws against racial discrimination. Many nonwhites have held political offices, became CEO of major corporations, and are free to live where ever they choose. Mills may think differently about the thought that the United States does not have a white supremacist society.
(1c) Mills may look at the argument that the United States is less of a white supremacist society today than in the past quite differently. He would point out that “The legacy of this world is, of course, still with us today, in the economic, political, and cultural domination of the planet by Europeans and their descendants” (Mills 31). While nonwhites are treated as part of society by the majority, there are still some aspects of society that still believes in white supremacy and acts accordingly. More recently, the Black Lives Matter movement where blacks became upset over deaths of black boys and men through police shooting. Mills would also point out the New York City’s “stop and frisk” program is another form of white supremacy because of the issue of police officers stopping nonwhites, mostly black men, for no reason other than racial profiling. For the most part, I do not think countries like the United States should be considered a white supremacy society.
(1d) No, I do not believe that in today's society we live in a white supremacist society. In the past, there were no laws to help nonwhites to live a normal, peaceful life if American society. In the South, whites were known to lynch or kill any nonwhite who they considered a social deviant. As time went on, nonwhites gain more freedom through laws imposed on society to protect them. These laws led to nonwhites gaining access to better education and job opportunities. Today, nonwhites participate in many aspects of society. However, while I believe we no longer live in a white supremacist society, it does not mean that I think white supremacy has been completely eradicated from our society. I simply believe white supremacy is no longer the main focus of the current society. I believe Mills would respond rather negatively to my claims.
(1e) Mills would probably say that there are many aspects of today’s society that would make it a white supremacist society. The fact that the first black President of the United States had his citizenship called into question is one would be one way white supremacy still exists.
(2a) White supremacy would be considered as a way to dominate others as oppose to discriminate against others. It is political because white supremacy is a structure of power. It is systematic because white supremacy is a deliberate act rather than an accident. It is historical because it started in the past and continues into modern time.
(2b) White supremacy should not be thought of as a political system because it is based upon racist ideas. Race is a social construct and is not biological. Additionally, it is quite impossible to be 100% certain about a person's race based on appearance or DNA analysis. Therefore, considering white supremacy or any other racial supremacy as being a political system would simply be pointless.
(2c) From Mills’ perspective, “White supremacy is the unnamed political system that has made the modern world what it is today” (Mills 1). White supremacy is a political system because it involves people whose ancestry can be traced back to European countries. The purer the bloodline, the more worthy the person is to join in the white supremacy movement.
(2d) I think that we should not view white supremacy as a historical, political system because while it dominated many societies, white supremacy has never been the main focus of most societies or their political systems.
(2e) Mills would respond to my argument by pointing out that white supremacy has had its place in many governments which included the United States and Nazi Germany. Therefore, white supremacy should be viewed as a political system. Additionally, he would state that “Both globally and within particular nations. then, white people, Europeans and their descendants, continue to benefit from the Racial Contract, which creates a world in their cultural image” (Mills 4).
Works Cited
Mills, Charles W. The Racial Contract. Ithaca and London: Cornell UP, 1997. PDF.
