The 'Special Burden' of White Males

I read an article this morning written by a woman who was sharing a conversation she had with her three adult brothers sitting around a campfire on July fourth, talking about white male issues. What I took away from their discussion was an awareness that ‘specialism’ is deeply rooted (mostly at an unconscious level) as part of the white male mindset culturally. At least at lower levels of consciousness or awareness. Additionally, most people who grow up in a religion learn as children that God is a white male. And another religious ‘truth’ is we are taught we are all made in the image and likeness of God. Putting that all together for the first time in my mind it became clear that white males are losing their God-given right to be special. Job loss, the women’s movement, and immigration, are contributing to the gradual erosion of the specialness of white males. They feel a loss of societal respect and therefore feel like they are oppressed and depressed. The not-respected part is not being recognized for their ‘godlikeness’ specialness.

Godlikeness. We see the same kind of predicament in the behavior of surgeons who have also had confusing messages about their specialness. (They fix God’s mistakes.) The result of these thoughts and feelings this morning is that I feel more compassion for white males in society than I have ever felt before. I look forward to the day when they free themselves from the yolk of ‘specialness’ and thus experience real freedom.