The 'Dream' and White American Identity

Key Insight

The 'Dream' signifies a national narrative where those who believe themselves white cling to an image of America as just, noble, and real, viewing their prosperity as the natural result of 'grit, honor, and good works.' This dream necessitates a denial of systemic horrors, leading to 'the practiced habit of jabbing out one's eyes and forgetting the work of one's hands' when confronted with the reality of the prison system, militarized police, and the 'long war against the black body.' This manufactured innocence prevents most Americans from acknowledging the murkier truths of their country's foundation.

The concept of the 'Dream' is deeply intertwined with the 'politics of personal exoneration,' where individuals who believe themselves white are 'obsessed' with not being labeled 'racist.' They conjure caricatures of 'orcs, trolls, or gorgons' for racists, effectively denying the existence of such people in their personal sphere. Examples like segregationist senator Strom Thurmond being deemed 'no racist' by Richard Nixon, and the historical reporting of lynchings 'at the hands of persons unknown,' illustrate this pervasive refusal to acknowledge complicity or active participation in racist systems.

Fundamentally, the 'Dream' is built upon 'a comfortable narrative that made enslavement into benevolence, white knights of body snatchers, and the mass slaughter of the war into a kind of sport.' This 'lie of innocence' is fortified by historians, Hollywood, and popular culture, like 'The Dukes of Hazzard,' which portrays figures linked to the Confederacy as 'just some good ole boys, never meanin' no harm.' The core of this dream is 'the right to break the black body,' which historically and presently gives meaning to white identity and their 'sacred equality,' defining black people as the essential 'below' without whom their mountain of privilege would collapse.