If a white nationalist said Black people weren’t rational, couldn’t plan ahead, and couldn’t keep a schedule, we would call him racist before he finished the sentence.
In 2020, the Smithsonian published an infographic that put those very qualities under “White culture.”
I commented on it then. It’s making the rounds again, so I’m saying it again now.
How can we Black people let something like this go unchallenged when our children are the ones who will absorb its message?
The graphic lists objective and rational thinking, cause and effect, quantitative thinking, hard work, self-reliance, planning for the future, delayed gratification, strict schedules, respect for authority, and decision-making as features of “White culture.” It then says that people of color have internalized aspects of that culture.
Think about the implication. These virtues are supposedly foreign to us, and if we value them, we are “acting White.”
I reject that completely.
These are human virtues. People of every skin color need them and are capable of cultivating them if they want to thrive, raise strong families, build businesses, and create better societies.
To the countless Black people who, like me, have always prized hard work, planning, and delayed gratification, this graphic is an insult. It reinforces damaging stereotypes and pushes a victimhood mindset on our youth.
This is racist and ignorant, no matter who approved it.
I’m done with the Smithsonian for this.
Real progress would teach our children that these virtues belong to them too, and that becoming disciplined, thoughtful, and responsible does not make them any less Black.
Here's something truly funny in the darkest possible manner.
The "unflattering" traits listed as characteristic of white culture—even white supremacy culture—by institutions such as the Smithsonian share one fundamental psychological feature in common:
They are all indications of—are you ready for it—the Big Five trait conscientiousness.
Conscientiousness is the best known personality predictor of life success after general cognitive ability (otherwise known as intelligence).
So this means that the idiot leftists who developed and promoted such material proclaim their antiracism by insisting that the very trait most associated with productivity, reliability, diligence, and success is a flaw, unique to white people.
Hard work is key to success.
Work before play.
Delayed gratification.
Future orientation.
Planning.
Punctuality.
Self-reliance.
Respect for authority.
Pure conscientiousness.
"Yo--those n-words shore are lazee..."
Sincerely,
The Democratic Socialists of America
You can't make this stuff up.
In truth, by the way, racial differences in the major personality traits are negligible.