Whiteness: a carefully crafted facade of respectability, victimhood and innocence
Guest post by isabeau boody
Editor’s note: today’s post is the first guest post here on Poison Spoon and we’re starting off with a real bang - the incredible This was originally posted on LinkedIn, here, and if you’re on that platform, you should absolutely connect with isabeau over there.
If you, reader, have something to say and you think it would be a good fit for this blog, reach out to me. I can’t pay anybody yet for writing, but I’m working on it, and I’ll make it retroactive once I can do it.
we’re all familiar with who this statement is about, but we’re not gonna talk about him
what i want to talk about is how transparently—unintentionally im sure—this statement shows that whiteness is a meticulously crafted social construct and facade
let’s talk about the language used here
“we invested significant effort to craft the image you witnessed during the trial. we outfitted him in new suits, arranged for his haircut every weekend during the trial"
“it was a meticulously crafted facade, which we sincerely hoped he would grow into”
let’s start at the beginning: the emphasis on crafting an image of respectability—from grooming, attire, to behavior, shows an intentional effort to align with societal expectations associated with whiteness
another place we see this is in the workplace—professionalism/professional standards around grooming/attire/hairstyles/piercings/tattoos are all standards rooted in white supremacy
the transformation narrative from a troubled individual to a "respectable young man" also implies a trajectory towards whiteness, as respectability has historically been defined through a lens that privileges white norms and values
mentioning an investment of “significant resources”, time, money, and expertise, further underscores the constructed nature of whiteness
proving whiteness requires active maintenance and reinforcement to uphold its perceived superiority and privilege in society
but i also want to talk about david for a minute
david hancock: "transforming a middle school dropout who was "angry at the world" with a history of violence and an unhealthy obsession with guns and killing into a respectable young man with a desire for higher education and a promising future was no easy feat."
pfft, this transformation narrative is so indicative of whiteness and white saviorism
david hancock: “despite my efforts to guide him toward a better path in life, the allure of notoriety triumphed over the prospect of putting in the hard work of pursuing an education. kyle is ill-equipped to offer advice to young people. i regret my role in shaping him into whatever he has become. if i had known what i know now about kyle's history, i wouldn't have been involved.” - david hancock
“despite my efforts to guide him toward a better path in life,”
so david assumes a position of superiority/authority, based on perceived social and moral superiority—like he didn’t know what his job was
white saviorism is most discussed in the context of interactions between Black and white folx, but it can also occur within intra-racial dynamics
highlighting the power and privilege structure white supremacy plays in white peoples interactions with each other
and pretending he didn’t know his clients history? laughable
while trying to find more information on hancock i did come across a page on national file—which is not a legit or trusted source of information as it’s owned and run by alex jones—but it said some interesting stuff (considering they’re all far right extremists)
like that hancock was brought in via attorney robert barnes as executive director of fight back—a non profit founded by controversial lawyer john pierce weeks before rittenhouses trial
what’s my point? that hancock did know rittenhouses history and willingly was a participant in trying to pr this kid back into society
how is this indicative of whiteness?
1 avoiding accountability: by claiming ignorance of kyles history, david is attempting to distance himself from any responsibility or association with his actions
this behavior undermines accountability and deflects attention away from addressing any potential wrongdoing or enabling behavior
2 perpetuating harmful narratives: denying knowledge of kyles history perpetuates the myth of innocence and victimhood often afforded to white people, particularly in cases of violence or criminal behavior
this contributes to the erasure of accountability and the reinforcement of harmful stereotypes that portray white people as inherently innocent or deserving of sympathy
3 failure to address root causes: by refusing to acknowledge kyles history, including his involvement in violence and extremism, there is a missed opportunity to address the underlying factors that contributed to his actions
ignoring these issues only further perpetuates a cycle of violence and extremism
the behavior of pretending not to know kyle's history is absolutely indicative of whiteness
it reflects a pattern of privilege and entitlement, wherein individuals seek to shield themselves from accountability and consequences by leveraging their social position
call it willful ignorance or selective amnesia, where someone choose to ignore information that may challenge their worldview or disrupt their perceived sense of moral superiority
either way it reinforces systems of power and privilege that protect white presenting people from scrutiny and consequence and upholds and perpetuates white supremacy
tldr; whiteness is a meticulously crafted social construct that requires active maintenance and reinforcement. this statement highlights the intentional effort put into conforming to its standards and norms