Beyond the Fashion Calendar: When White is Wrong

Inasmuch as 2008 was a banner year for assigning blame to blacks for the subprime mortgage slide and Prop.8’s passing, Brazilian President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva recently attributed fault for the U.S.’ financial fallout to the “white and blue-eyed.”

At a pre-G20 summit meeting to spur world trade, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown looked as if he’d been spooked by Casper when Lula said “This was a crisis that was fostered and boosted by the irrational behavior of people who were white and blue-eyed, who before the crisis they looked like they knew everything about economics, but now have demonstrated they know nothing about economics.” Lula’s public vindication’s drew the same “white ain’t always right” amens reserved for others who have been bold enough to publicly cite the obvious from blacks and browns.

Infrequently speechless NYT Columnist Maureen Dowd cited black cool's rebirth to the plethora of black faces promoting conspicuous consumption in “straw boaters and other prepster outfits in Ralph Lauren ads” in "Blue Eyed Greed." Dowd should be banished to fashionista timeout because Ralph Lauren's crowning of Tyson Beckford as the chocolate chiseled model king back in the 90s should be fairly common knowledge.

Although hopeful that the Obamas have opened doors for subsequent brown-eyed victories, Dowd summarily injected bias when she included study results that correlate eye color with ability: “A 2007 University of Louisville study concluded that people with blue eyes were better planners and strategic thinkers — superior at things like golf, cross-country running and preparing for exams — while people with brown eyes had better reflexes, making them good at hockey and football.”

We know all too well that color has historically represented a superficial barometer to spearhead racial oppression. Unfortunately, on the cool factor alone, the numbers of whites who emulate and siphon black culture far exceed those who are willing to recognize and assume the burden imposed by superiority's debilitating social caste.

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/29/opinion/29dowd.html?em