Whiteness and Race as Social Construct

[unspeakablehorror]

Since whiteness is a social construct and not some quality of individuals themselves (biological or otherwise) it's also completely consistent to understand it as something that is not constant across cultures or time.  This doesn't mean that the consequences of it aren't very real, just that what makes a person white isn't some intrinsic quality they possess but something that can only exist within the framework of a society.  Whiteness as a concept hasn't always existed at all in human society and perhaps someday it will again no longer exist among humanity.  This is because race itself is a social construct not tied to any intrinsic individual quality.  Instead it is an imposed categorization. 

But just because whiteness and race are not intrinsic qualities does not mean that they don't affect individuals in a fundamental way.  We all grow up in a racist society that affects our mindset, our health, and our livelihoods from birth to death.  Unlearning racism is not a straightforward project, and individuals recognizing and working against the biases of society doesn't eliminate their effects on people.  As long as these ideas are maintained we must work against the societal structures that enforce them.  It is these societal structures that must be torn down to truly stop the harm caused to black people, indigenous people, asian people, and other POC in society.