Full Description
A timely analysis of the myths that underpin white supremacy--and how to counteract them
For centuries, white men in the West have cultivated and perpetuated a set of false narratives about Black people in order to subjugate and maintain power over them. Some of these myths originated abroad but flourished in America, while others were cultivated solely on American soil. All of them, however, continue to find expression in the present as white supremacy strains to maintain its privilege.
These myths have been expressed in almost every form of discourse, from court rulings and sermons to literature and film to material culture and textbooks. They vary from the biological--Black Africans and their descendants are mentally inferior to whites--to the anthropological--Black Africans are incapable of governing themselves and require the supervision of whites--and all have helped to perpetuate Black Americans' enslavement, imprisonment, and exclusion.
White Lies analyzes ten of the most dangerous and pervasive of these myths and observes how they still emerge in political discourse, legislation, pop culture, and religion. This racist rhetoric is present in the words of Abraham Lincoln, George Wallace, and Donald Trump, and the power of white Christian nationalism often evokes these myths, sometimes so subtly listeners may not be conscious of how they are being manipulated. White Lies connects the dots between past narratives, images, and ideas, and present speech about violence, urban life, the suburbs, voter and welfare fraud, and white saviors. It explores myths that individuals and communities may employ to avoid confronting racism, including the notion that America is either post-racial or that white people are the group most liable to suffer discrimination. While these myths continue to spread, White Lies also notes some of the powerful competing narratives which seek to correct them.
Contents
Introduction: The Problem of White Racial Mythologies
Chapter One: Black Beasts: White Myths of Humanity and Inhumanity
Chapter Two: They're Just like Children: White Myths of Slavery and Paternalism
Chapter Three: The Lost Cause: Confederate Fictions
Chapter Four: "At Least We're Not Black": Whiteness, Blackness, and Caste
Chapter Five: Law and Order: Fear and Injustice
Chapter Six: "There Goes the Neighborhood": Segregation and Racial Space
Chapter Seven: America for Americans: God Bless White America
Chapter Eight: I have a Black Friend: Personal Racism and Deflection
Chapter Nine: White Saviors: Superheroes, Allies, Fellow Slaves
Chapter Ten: We Elected a Black President: The Myth of Post-Racial America
Conclusion: We Shall Overcome: Black Countermyths and The Force of History
