In my opinion I do not follow the white line. The white line to me is conforming to “white” ideals. I have no reason to follow it because if I do I will have to cut off my original roots. In the Invisible Man the color white is mention a lot and what made me decide not to follow the white line is that every character whose white get the privilege of being right over other colors. To me the only people who would follow the white line are white people because they have all the privileges granted to them without effort, but if you are a different color then you don’t get those privileges and you are not an equal, but instead an imitation. If I do follow it then I will be someone who does not represent my background, but someone else’s.
I do not follow the white line at all. Giving in to white teachings and doctrines is following the white line in my eyes. I do what I desire to do, when I desire to do it. I make my choices based on how I was raised which is trying to be courteous with everyone as much as possible. Do not take advantage of anybody and do not assume the “priviledge” of being superior. In the novel, all the white people accept their white priviledge but the colored people are treated as the inferior race. The white line is usually followed by white people. I am more like the main chcaracter himself, a “white lover.” I love white people and forgive them for what ever they did in the past, but I will not let them treat me less than I do myself. I hold high respectg for all people and I expect for them to hold the same respect for me because I do not do anything to deserve disrespect. Overall the white line is followed by white people who take advantage of their unearned priviledge. Us colored people still strive for the best life that we can have and try our hardest to be politely confrontational. We have lots more “Rosa Parks” figures in society now. We take action when we have our impulses. In conclusion, I do not follow the white line, I refuse to follow it.
I can say that i do not follow the white line. I was raised as a Chinese person living in America, taught to respect everyone’s different ideals but not necessarily to conform to them. Truly, I can think of no such reason to embrace the white line. It would otherwise, I feel, make me racist in the context that white guildeines are correct. The outlook that white is right from Invisible Man, I do not agree with. The white majorities can choose to believe they are right, but that view should be followed only if one chooses to. I’m not saying that to follow the white line, is a bad thing. I am merely voicing my opinion.
What is the white line? Does it mean conforming to the white ideal? I would never cast my own heritage and unique culture aside and accept the moral and ethical ideals imposed upon me by another race that regards themselves to be superior. In chapter 10 of Invisible Man, the part where the white paint engulfs the black drops that are used to create it symbolize the desire to conform blacks into American society by covering them with white ideals. How insulting and demeaning. How hard is it to actually accept someone who is different from you?
the white line is not part of my followings. i believe that those who follow the white line will lose an important part of themselves, their real identities. I will lose my cultural background and my cultural learnings to fit in or feel accepted since i am already accepted in my own ethnicity. There is no need for one to fit in since being different makes one unique, creating a part of the world. Those who follow the white line may have their reasons but for me, the white line does not exist.
To an extent, I do follow the white line. Certain perceptions created by society are drawn from this white line and society has forced some of these ideas on me. For example, when I look at magazines or watch movies, a majority of the women are white. White is considered beautiful. I rarely see women of “minority” photographed or given the lead roles in Hollywood. Even in my culture, the light skinned Filipino girls are seen as the most beautiful. I have found myself longing to be lighter. I have caked sunscreen on my skin in hopes that it would help me become lighter, or whiter. And honestly, I still do. But regardless, I do not believe white is right and I do not believe white is the superior race. I do not throw away the morals and beliefs I grew up with to follow those of a race who consider themselves superior to everyone else.
I’ve never actively made a point of acting like a stereotypical white person. I have, however, been the subject of numerous accusations of being white-washed. I do well in school, am constantly concerned with college, and pursue art as one of my greatest passions in life. However, I can’t do this without either being derided for rejecting my Mexican culture or deluding myself by acting “white.” No, I don’t care for Chihuahuas, reggae music, or long white t-shirts. I can probably tell you more about Captain Kirk’s history with Starfleet than I can about Carlos Mencia. However, I am not under the delusion that I can fit in with my white peers by acting like a stereotypical version of them. I do what I do by choice, not because anyone told me I might fit in with any culture by acting a certain way (something my Mexican parents have instilled in me since the crib). And it just so happens I’m an honors student who reaches a trance-like state when painting and loves when the family has tostadas for dinner, white line or not.
Having pride in your culture is a good thing, no matter where your ancestors hail from (though we make an unjust point of denying of denying this to our European population in America). However, it appears to me that defining yourself exclusively by your heritage is a sign of dramatic insecurity.
Following the white line, I honestly have no idea what following the white line really is, because for one I am to be considered white but I do not see myself as white….I have no American upbringings, everything about me is Italian and I’m always surrounded by so many diverse people. I have never truly seen the white line through my eyes, unless I have been blind to it subconsciously. I feel I see beyond the white line and who people are and what they stand for. And I want to see people past the color of their skin, their body type, their height, and everything else that hides the real person under all that. And I figured out that the only way to do that is to try to let others see who I really am under my exterior. I guess what I’m trying to say is be true to yourself in order to let others see “YOU”.
I don’t see myself following the white line at all a(although others will disagree with me) I’m just me I’m all kinds of things I’m not just a color no one thing defines me and I won’t let it, I don’t follow any color line really, that’s not to say that I’m not proud of what African Americans have done to get me where I am but I’m also proud of a lot of what other cultures have done not just my own. This whole thing reminds me of a song by India Arie called “I am not my Hair”
I am not my hair
I am not this skin
I am not your expectations
I agree with Alysa. I do find myself following the white line, to an extent. I follow trends that are presented by white models and hair styles for “white hair”. I do not find my race to be superior and hope that my skin color does not effect opportunities in my life. But while going over the True and False answers to my invisible knapsack, I realized that because of my race I don’t have to deal with half the things that some of the people in my class do. I was brought up to believe everyone has the same opportunity to life and that a persons skin color should not effect my view of them as a person. And I stick by that today. My color does not define me. I am much more than a white girl.
Following the white line could mean many things–learning the general “American” culture or listening to the “American” rules, for example. But does the “white line” mean “white culture”. If it does, of course I can’t deny that I follow the white line on occasion. My parents often pester me about my loss of Chinese culture–or inability to speak Chinese to be specific. I don’t stay on the white line; I need to stray off the line and experience other ideas and other views. On the other hand the “white line” could mean “do you follow the status quo”, “do you let others determine who you are as a physical and mental being”. That is, one doesn’t have a sense of background or the right direction of judgment to make decisions for themselves.
I think that I and everybody else has done some following of the white line. No matter how much we want to deny it, how much we want to substantiate our cultural background, the influence of the white line has touched us all. I have a different cultural heritage, however, it has become somewhat white-washed. Yes, I eat cultural foods, but I also like going to baseball games and having a hamburger. Almost nobody can say that they absolutely do not follow the white line. The white line has had such a profound impact on the world that everyone has had some run-in with white ideals (I say almost nobody because I’m sure there are some native populations in distant countries that still have never had contact with the outside world). So when someone says that they do not follow the white line in any way it is all wishful thinking. Again, the white line is so common in the world that everyone has followed it. And it has changed to accompany everyone. The white line changes with the changes in people. The group consensus changes and so will the white line. The white line has become so intermingled with all the other cultures that I don’t think there is a white line anymore. I think that the white line is more gray now.
What would the white line be considered as; would it be following the American ideals and cultures? I believe that if this is what the white line would be considered as, then I follow the white line closely yet I am not directly on the white line. Along with many of my peers, I sometimes travel along the white line, sometimes directly over it, and sometimes across it. At first I did not trail along the white line as much as my classmates because I was brought up speaking Vietnamese fluently, eating Vietnamese food, and living in a Vietnamese household; but slowly I diverged near the line as I befriended classmates at school. I began to speak English more then Vietnamese at home, I began to eat out fast food and American food like hot dogs and pizzas, and I began to hang out with my friends more. I agree with Andrew that many Americans cannot say that they “do not follow the white line.” American culture has affected not only the United States, but other nations as well; our ideals and cultures have been pushed onto other countries such as the appearance of McDonald in Africa. Around the globe, American ideals and culture have merged with the other nations. We are unable to avoid the white line because it has greatly traversed the world so we follow along it.
I don’t follow any white line. This question gives me the same feeling as when someone says to another person “you’re acting too white.” The first thing I ask myself is what constitutes as a “white action” in the first place compared to any other person’s action? If the white line is defined as attending football games, being a cheerleader, or whatever else that people stereotype as white then I have failed to follow that white line. If following the white line is preparing for my future and wanting to do something with my life rather than lounging on my couch, then I change my mind and say that I do follow that white line. But I can’t necessarily say I’m following the “white line” until I know specifically what that white line entails, and who is drawing it. I draw my own line (I’ll color it cerulean and scarlet) and if people help me draw it, then that’s great too.
I follow the white line…sometimes. And only in a sense that might not be completely obvious at first. Before asking this question of myself, I had to ask another question first: what is the white line? I concluded that the white line is another term for conformity. Since the White/Caucasian demographic is the majority ethnic group in America, following this group and following the white line are synonymous. Therefore, I asked myself a new question: To what extent do I conform? Simply, I do conform (which is why you see me in T-shits and jeans instead of traditional Chinese clothing). I don’t try to hide this fact from myself and I also have a hard time believing people when they say they don’t conform at all or, in this case, follow the white line – which is why I’d like to respond to Mr. Lawrence Beard: you do conform, whether you want to or not.
Following the white line refers to following white culture; therefore, I do largely follow the white line. I follow the white line by going to school everyday; I follow the white line by eating fast food from time to time; I follow the white line by sitting on the couch watching football; I follow the white line by pursuing the American Dream; I follow the white line by enjoying democracy. It is a known fact that one’s environment influences how one develops; I am no longer in Vietnam, but in America, a country raised on white ideals. Although I’ve kept parts of my own Vietnamese culture and ideals, most have been replaced by the white’s culture. The white line has expanded, from a small broken line in the middle to now nearly the entire area of my road.
To follow some white line abhors me.
I would never abandon
my culture
my heritage
my life
to conform.
Each color emits their own beauty and none should ever come to the ugly face of inferiority ever again.
A strange distorted reality mocks us still today.
Never forget that we each have the ability to conquer a vicious evil feeding from the flesh of hatred.
The white line is not something I follow at all. My parents do not condone it and neither does my Indian society. I still speak my language, eat my food and wear traditional Indian clothes. A lot of other cultures have conformed and forgotten their roots and ancestors. They say they don’t follow the “white line” and are immersed in their own culture but the truth is most of them don’t even what their culture. Why should I conform when I was born to stand out.
I think that we all follow the white line, to our own extent. Since I am white, I probably follow the white line more than others of a different race and culture. But, I don’t try to follow the white line or act like a stereotypical white girl. Not following the white line is harder for me than it is for others because I am white; I have nothing else to follow. I was born a mix of a little bit of everything- German, Dutch, English, and the tiniest amount of Mexican as well as others but I wasn’t raised as anything other than an American girl. So the culture I follow is the American culture, and the American culture seems to be closely related to the white line. I don’t try to fall into any stereotypes, offend anyone by acting the way I do, or receive any unearned advantage because of the color of my skin. But like Kelsey, when we unpacked our invisible knapsack during class I realized that being white has given me unfair advantages over my classmates. I wish I could say that there isn’t a white line and nobody follows that line, but there is a white line and it affects us all in our own way.
What is it to be white? Who defined white in the first place as beong a skin color? Does it really have to be your skin tone? Yes, I have white skin but not a “white” background. It seems to me that this White Line that has been established has been created through the idea that to be classified as white you have to be purely white. And what I mean by that it seems that a person has to have been born through a purley white background, in America. These “white peple do what people would call “white behavior such as sports and academics and status.I think that some see whites as being born with the idea that they are superior to the other races without looking at their heritage. For myself, I was not born in this country but I do have white skin. I dont think that people should look at a white person just because of their skin color because that person might not entirely classify themselves as white but as their nationality. These privelages that white people get does not mean that they stand on top. White people are not necessarily the only ones to get privilages and benefits. I think people should not classify everyone else just by their idea of what a white person is but by the though that they are here for the same reason. I follow the white line because it seems like I dont have a choice because that sterotype has been engrained so much into society that there cannot be any lined drawn and I try not give others the illusiion that I am better than them or that I have a better chance than them because of my skin color. I also follow it because my parents have followed it, it is in their background; they were born in America have achieved great academic status but they dont forget thier heritage and they see themselves as Americans regaurdless. I dont believe that there should be a “white line” because there are so many other cultures underlying in people even if thier skin color is white. I am proud to be American yet I still have a sense of pride in my culture and people should not be defined by color.
Living in California, I must say that I somewhat follow the white line, but not to the full extent that someone in say Texas would follow it. Sure, I follow many white ideals–of course, I’m white–so in one aspect I really do follow the white line. The white line is what I have been raised following. But in another aspect, I do not follow it. I am not racist and I accept other races and cultures. This is not to say that white people are all racist and unaccepting, but the “white line” does hint at this sort of behavior. I consider myself very fortunate to have been raised to follow the white line, but not in a racist way.
Everyone dances to their own beat. Everyone sings their own song. Everyone lives their own life. We are all different in so many ways. Nobody is more or less unique than the person sitting next to them. So why is there this “white line” in the first place? Make your own line and follow it.
In a literal sense, yes we follow the white line, unless, of course, we are driving down a dirt road where there is no line present. In an abstract sense I believe it’s impossible to not follow the white line. The white line, in my opinion, refers to the white ideology, the white culture, the white influence. It is almost impossible to go anywhere around the world nowadays and avoid the white lines. We conform to the white lines everyday, living in America. Do we listen to white music? Yes. Even if you listen to different artists from different countries, they base their music on the white influence. Can you go to China and escape the white lines? No. There are McDonald’s popping up in street corners all over. Can you go to Africa and escape the white lines? No, there are cars whizzing by. From other people’s comments, it seems as if the white lines are a bad thing. To some extent, yes they are. But you have to look at it logically. Without the white lines, electricity would’ve never been discovered, cars would not exist and several different things that everyone around the world depends on would be lost to us. Let’s be honest here, I enjoy my culture and my people, but if I were to choose living in the jungles of Thailand over the surburbs of Sacramento I would be crazy.
Conforming to the white culture will be losing my ancestry, my heritage. But I believe the white culture has spread throughout the world, making everyone’s heritage and culture “whitewashed”. My people’s way of life now is vastly different than 50 years ago and that’s because the Vietnam War brought the whites to my culture. For humans to survive, we must adapt to our surroundings. Can we not say the same to human culture? We need to adapt to whatever is happening and white lines are what is happening.
Sadly, and unfortunately enough I am a follower of the white line, just as any other. I am accused of being ‘white washed’ because I wear certain brands, I like ‘white’ music, and I speak more english than I do Spanish. Heck, most people don’t even know that I even speak Spanish and are surprised when I can whip out a full conversation with the perfect rolling of my ‘r’s’. I do not hide my Mexican background because I am ashmed, I do it unintentionally. It is not something I think about or do conciously. I am still a hispanic girl at heart, whom apparently does alot of ‘white’ things. I still celebrate the ‘Mexican’ way, and I have millions of relatives that I don’t know, and I love spanish music, and eating flautas and empanadas. But I also enjoy milkshakes, rock music, and burritos give me headaches. So while I may do ‘white’ things, I will never forget about my culture and my heritage. And the fact that college, and my academics, and my love of sports are a huge part of my life, it may be seen as a ‘white’ approach to life, its really not…It’s just me, a Mexican girl, trying to get ahead in life, so that someday I can be a successful, happy woman, whom just so happens to be Mexican.
I agree with what Carol said, in that in it’s past, the white line has paved way to many of the advancements and advantages we have today. But I also believe that every culture has their own accomplishments to be proud of. The Japanese, for instance, are far more technilogically advanced than white people in this day. African culture has so much richer customs and cultural expression than white people do. So we may have invented electricity, but every culture has something to be equally as proud of.
I follow the white line simply because I am white, but I think everyone should follow their own line because they all have the opportunity to be equally as successful and “ideal” as the white line.
I don’t think anyone can completely follow a white line in life just because it takes so many twists and turns. The way I would see a white line is following certain standards and procedures like if we apply for a job we have to go through a process such as fill out the application, wait for a call, or go to an interview and then maybe get hired. I see this as a white line because there is pretty much one set way to do it and there is no strain. However, in other aspects I don’t follow a white line. I don’t follow the recommended way of running; I do my homework ahead of time like recommended; I run my life by my standards. I think every person puts their own spin on life by having different interests and basically being unique. Yes I do follow a white line in terms of set order, but most of the time I don’t.
I do not believe that I follow a white line. Although, I may do so unbeknownst to myself. Just by being a white person, living in America, I may be subjected to some kind of auto pilot that keeps me on the “white line” without my knowledge. I do not make decisions based on whether they follow the “white lifestyle”. Instead I base my decisions on what I believe to be the best for furthering my knowledge and life in the right direction. Although some of my decisions may seem to follow the white line or ideals, those decisions are not something I put any concious thought into. Knowing this, I believe that no one follows just one line, but they have aspects of many different cultures and “lines”, regardless of if they are cognizant or not.
Naturally, since I am white, I most likely follow the “white line” without meaning to. It is something that i do automatically, since it has been taught to me growing up. However, I do not base what I do off of what a “white” person would do, I do it because its what i want to do. I personally have no problem doing something that is considered “white” or “non white”, because I am part of a culture with many different elements and people to it, therefore the sense of “white lines” are often blurred. Since these lines are so blurred, there is hardly any line for me that I follow, I only follow what I feel is right.
Because my looks define me as “white”, although my cutlure does not support this statement, I can honestly say that I do follow this “white line”- but unconsciously. I recieve the benefits that come along with this term without even realizing, simply because I look “white”. I do not willingly go out of my way to walk this line. I do, however; believe that it happens unknowingly. I’m sure it isn’t coincidence that most of my close friends are white, or that I fit into the “stereotypical white” style. Yet, the awareness of my culture does not allow me into my other culture’s groups because of the unconscious manner in which I follow this “white line”. On the contrary, because I have already begun to follow this line, although unaware, I cannot simply change the line in which I choose to follow. Thus, I do follow the white line, regardless of my awareness of it or not, I still follow it.
White line….hmmm… assuming the ‘White Line’ means both white ideals and white culture, I do follow the white line to a certain extent. White standard is to eat food with a spoon and fork. At times, when I do not have time to enjoy my food or am in a lazy mode, I eat with a spoon, not wanting to take the extra step of washing my hands after I have finished eating for I regularly eat with my hands. White culture is to eat at a table, eat pizza and dress a certain way. I eat pizza, eat at my kitchen table rather than on the floor (as in Pakistani, Indian and Arab culture), and wear jeans. However, I have not completely changed my dressing: I where a Pakistani style top and American style jeans. Living in a white society, following the white line to a certain extent is inevitable.
I suppose you could say I tend to walk the “white line” in society. As I have grown up a Caucasian girl in a Caucasian family, I do not know any other life really. While you could say that I do follow a “white” lifestyle I really don’t think there is one specific way that a group of people with a certain skin color live. While yes, ethnicities all have their traditions and customs; I don’t believe that there is a specific “line” we all exactly follow. This “white line” is no different. Every white person follows their own motives and traditions just as a person of any other color would.
However, there are parts of life that, as so many of my peers have pointed out as a contribution to that “white line” such as fast food, television, football, etc. While so many of these activities/objects have become a natural part of so many people’s lives, they are not the only things that make up a “white line.”
Yes, I partake in many things that would make me “white”. I’m a cheerleader, I’m smart, I love fast food, I love barbeque, and I enjoy lounging and watching television. However, there is more to me than my skin color, just as a person of any other skin tone would say. I believe that, in today’s growing sociological society, there is not just one “white line” but several lines that come together to make a rainbow colored line making its way down the road called life.
I’ll admit I was a little scared looking at this question. Obviously, I am a white girl. Of course I partake in the white culture, that is the only culture I have. So I tried to look at this question a little differently, I thought of the white line as a form of oppression, a way to keep people from finding who they really are and knowing truth. In that way, I do not at all follow the white line. I do not follow the roads people set forth for me, I make my own decisions about what I want to do with my life. I do not just follow the road, I look inside myself and decide what direction I want to turn. For the longest time, I tried to look for some kind of culture for myself. I looked so longingly at the multi-cultural assembly I held on to the part of my heritage that only recently emigrated from Holland because I saw racism and, disgusted with it, did not want to have to identify myself with white America. But I cannot change that, I can only change the path that I, individually, follow.
If i follow the white line, i do so unintentionally. I dont quite understand what it means to follow the white line, and maybe that is simply a result of the fact that i have grown up as a white male. However, i would like to believe that i follow my own line. I just do what i want. I dont want to be defined by any white line, i want to be defined by my own actions. I do what i want because thats what makes me happy, not because i am white and its what all of us white people do, but because i want. If by some chance it happens to fall under the category white line, then so be it, but honestly i just dont care.
To what extent do I follow the white line? I do not feel that I really follow the white line placed down in life. I try to stay away from conformity and what the majority feel as normal. Even though my skin color is a shade of white and my DNA shows that I am European, I do not feel I follow a white line through my actions. I was not raised to see people in color, I was not raised to feel I was better than anyone else. Furthermore, up until junior high I was not even aware of the lines that society tends to draw between the color of one another’s skin. It’s not to say that I have never been judged differently, or that slight thought of racial profiling has never gone through my head; these types of thoughts have gone through everyone’s head. But i do not act upon these thoughts, I do not voice them. I laugh at myself for thinking them, for have letting society place them into my head. I do not act upon these thoughts. I am poor. In some cases in life I am a minority. I am average. I am nothing special. I see no white lines.
I would have to say that to an extent I do follow the white line. I think that everyone follows the white line in some ways of their life.
For I personally, being white, have been raised to follow that white line. Yet I am still able to make my own decisions to not follow it. This white line is not only a sense of physical color but also a kind of culture. The American culture is somewhat like the white line. However I did not realize the advantages that I have because of my skin color.
This white line affects individuals regardless if they try to avoid it our not. This is more of a culture and things like trends, stereotypes, and such. There is no way to destroy this white line.
I Think everybody embodies or follows the white line. We live in our culture where to be successful, to be intelligent, to be cultured, to be sexual, you must have some white attributes. As a minority in a country of minorities i have found myself being called white-washed because I struggle to become a well-educated succesful person. To follow the white line is to follow, sadly, societal norms because for the most part of American society, to be rich was to white. To be culture was to be white. But slowly, by slowly that line is being broken, by ethnic intellectuals like Langston Hughes and Toni Morrison, politically and economically by figures like Jeff Yang- co-founder of Yahoo- or Sonia Sotomayor- Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States- and Americans as a whole struggling for that line. But sadly we still live in a where white is right, and until that white line is erased, its always going to be that way.
What exactly is the white line? Does it mean to follow the white culture? To an extent, I believe we all follow the white line. Ever since the pilgrims set foot upon this land, the people of this country have always conformed to the white culture. White people have been viewed as the leaders of this country. Today, many of the media is influenced by white culture resulting in the viewers being influenced as well. A foreigner may try to hold on to their culture, yet some part of them is lost to the “white line”. When my parents first came to America they were as Filipino as they could be, but slowly and surely they too began to adopt the ways of white people. Adopting the white culture meant that they could be accepted into the society and not be seen as outsiders. I believe for those who came to America following the white line as closely as possible was important to be accepted.
I think that I follow the white line, not because I want to but because that is how I grew up. Like I said earlier, my parents had adopted the white culture to fit in, so when I was born I was taught to follow the culture in order to escape the prejudice that sometimes follows a foreigner. I was never told that I was becoming more “white” just more American. I never forget my roots, yet this society is all I know.
I like to think that i dont follow a white line. i dont know what the white line is actually. well not exactly. and i dont follow it. i dont want to own a nig pretty house and have a wonderful husband and kids. i also dont want to be rich! shocker isnt it? what kind of psycho am i? a psycho who really doesnt like society. i was raised poor and im going to die poor. i want to be an English teacher for hs students. haha of my own free will. i never match. when i do its cause someone dressed me lol a friend who thinks it matters whether my leggings match my dress. im pretty open about my feelings. i go up to the slightest of friends and ask them to give me a hug because im feeling down. when i think a friend is being mean. suprise? i tell them. and they get very mad. i know the rules. i grew up in new york afterall. where they shun you if your too ugly. haha i got shunned a lot? =D i have no sense of awkwardness at all. i dont care about my grades. as an AP student its shocking. i actually do just want to learn. but obviously i have to pass AP English to graduate..i think..ha probably wont find out. i dont care about who im supposed to be. what im supposed to be doing. i dont care if people dont like me. theres only one line i follow. and its my own. im just grateful that its a good line. that it doesnt lead me to any trouble. and im also grateful for the fact that i have the brutal honesty of a 5 year old. im just a kid. lol always will be. im responsible. you know i pay my own phone bill, i got a job blah blah blah. so i dont know if i follow any line at all. im only answering this thing because Mrs. Flowers wants me to. its not a question i even understand. hopefully this response brings amusement to someone…and no weird looks…lol not that ill notice of course =/ 11 pm btw Mrs. Flowers…an hour to go till the deadline…lol =D see you in class tomorrow!! =)
btw whoever thinks this was a immature and naive response: im so glad im not a typical teenager who thinks they know everything and have the abiliity to judge. i see that in AP students quite frequently. im sorry if i dont want to sound like a pompous know it all with a stick up my behind. however, i am capable of an elaborate and “deep” response if you ask the proper question. in case any one was wondering…lol =D
There is only a white line in peoples minds. we make them up to set standards for ourselves and those around us. people could live and act they way they want just by understanding that a white line has no meaning and going against the crowd setting yourself apart is a good thing, and those that don’t respect that are just to afraid to try it themselves.
I don’t believe I follow any white line. I really don’t know what it means. Would it mean that I follow rules to my specific ethnicity? Well, I frankly do not live up to certain individuals expectations and I will not start now. I like to say that I’m indifferent. But, of course I can’t say the same for our community. There is still a lot of white dominance in schools, jobs and private communities. I hate to say it but, with my family it sort of is.
With me, it’s a different story as well as the rest of our younger generations. All I can say is the I try to be aware of my horizons and I do my best to not put a target on my back.
Honestly, I don’t even really understand this “white line” concept. If it means how “white washed” I am then i would LIKE to say I’m not at all, though I’ve heard otherwise. People tell me “oh, you’re so blonde” “you talk like a white/valley girl” but it’s not really that I TRY to. That’s just how I am. So personally, I don’t really think I follow this white line. I’m proud to be Filipino and I like my culture, I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I am aware that being white seems to be better than anything else, but I try to ignore it and look past that. When I pick out what to wear or how to react to things, I don’t base it on if a white person would do this or that.
p.s. this is asking to what extent YOU, personally, follow this white line, not if everyone does or not.
What is this white line you speak of? In life, I follow plenty of white lines. Ever since I was a child, I have been following white lines marked on the pavement to and from class every day. I attempt to balance on a line on a street or sidewalk whenever I walk from place to place for my own amusement. I follow white lines to cross the street at intersections to prevent myself from getting into any accidents. I have followed white lines at several theme parks, and at local convenient stores in order to complete my purchases. I make sure to follow the white traffic line that lies in the middle of the street to make sure I obey all traffic laws. This is literally speaking, as you may have notices, but if you want the truth figuratively, you got it. If these white lines are goals and aspirations set down by others, I must confess that I have followed those too; for the aspirations that I live for are those that my parents believe I can achieve. They are those that my sibling believes I can achieve, and they are those that my peers believe I can achieve. But there are plenty of other white lines set forth in front of me by anyone and everyone else that surrounds me: my teachers, advisors, classmates, coaches, other adults that know me by name, and even strangers. They all set standards for me based on what I have accomplished, and based on what I want to accomplish. Based on how they see me, and how they judge me. So they set these white lines for me to follow. They set these paths in front of me. They temp me to follow behind them in their footsteps, but to them I say NO! I follow the line that I want to follow, no, the line that I create as I am walking it. I draw my line a few inches in front of me as I follow my own dreams. On foot, I walk my own journey, and no one else’s.
If the white line is being refered to as the line of conformity i would say i honestly follow it often. I beleive conformity is unavoidable. No matter how much one tries to resist conformity, by resisting, on conforms to resisting with others. As much as i wish everyone could be accepted as they are it isn’t really possible. The world is judgemental and it is human nature to create opinion and thoughts, whether nice or not, in the mind. Those opinions make a “wrong and right” which cause the unwanted conformity. Everyone is unique but we are all the same in being unique so i believe we all follow that white line throughout life.
This white line has been established without our own consent. It has been placed and followed. The reason why we go to school, the reason why we walk each passing period to our next class, the reason why we talk to those who want to.. all applies to the white line. If you don’t have anything to follow, where will you go? Yeah, sure you can say that you are independent, but you are independent because you see that others are doing it as well and that it is possible, still following the white line. Now a days, original is hard to come by since we are all following trends and becoming copies of originals. White lines can be seen as guidelines but can also pull you into a whirl of disruption. You follow the white line to an extreme extent, whether you agree or not. We all do it, some just don’t want to admit to it.
“To like an individual because he’s black is just as insulting as to dislike him because he isn’t white.”
-e. e. cummings
And this so simply makes sense. What doesn’t, is how people still managed to categorize people by their skin color, when thats not what shapes the person we are. It only does if you let it. Yet so many people let themselves, fall into the stereotypes of their race. And then they complain. But why don’t people feel the need to represent all that they were at birth, at childhood? Those years when we never questioned being ourselves. Or does growing seperate ourselves too far from the person we were born to become?
In my opinion I do not follow the white line. The white line to me is conforming to “white” ideals. I have no reason to follow it because if I do I will have to cut off my original roots. In the Invisible Man the color white is mention a lot and what made me decide not to follow the white line is that every character whose white get the privilege of being right over other colors. To me the only people who would follow the white line are white people because they have all the privileges granted to them without effort, but if you are a different color then you don’t get those privileges and you are not an equal, but instead an imitation. If I do follow it then I will be someone who does not represent my background, but someone else’s.
I do not follow the white line at all. Giving in to white teachings and doctrines is following the white line in my eyes. I do what I desire to do, when I desire to do it. I make my choices based on how I was raised which is trying to be courteous with everyone as much as possible. Do not take advantage of anybody and do not assume the “priviledge” of being superior. In the novel, all the white people accept their white priviledge but the colored people are treated as the inferior race. The white line is usually followed by white people. I am more like the main chcaracter himself, a “white lover.” I love white people and forgive them for what ever they did in the past, but I will not let them treat me less than I do myself. I hold high respectg for all people and I expect for them to hold the same respect for me because I do not do anything to deserve disrespect. Overall the white line is followed by white people who take advantage of their unearned priviledge. Us colored people still strive for the best life that we can have and try our hardest to be politely confrontational. We have lots more “Rosa Parks” figures in society now. We take action when we have our impulses. In conclusion, I do not follow the white line, I refuse to follow it.
I can say that i do not follow the white line. I was raised as a Chinese person living in America, taught to respect everyone’s different ideals but not necessarily to conform to them. Truly, I can think of no such reason to embrace the white line. It would otherwise, I feel, make me racist in the context that white guildeines are correct. The outlook that white is right from Invisible Man, I do not agree with. The white majorities can choose to believe they are right, but that view should be followed only if one chooses to. I’m not saying that to follow the white line, is a bad thing. I am merely voicing my opinion.
What is the white line? Does it mean conforming to the white ideal? I would never cast my own heritage and unique culture aside and accept the moral and ethical ideals imposed upon me by another race that regards themselves to be superior. In chapter 10 of Invisible Man, the part where the white paint engulfs the black drops that are used to create it symbolize the desire to conform blacks into American society by covering them with white ideals. How insulting and demeaning. How hard is it to actually accept someone who is different from you?
the white line is not part of my followings. i believe that those who follow the white line will lose an important part of themselves, their real identities. I will lose my cultural background and my cultural learnings to fit in or feel accepted since i am already accepted in my own ethnicity. There is no need for one to fit in since being different makes one unique, creating a part of the world. Those who follow the white line may have their reasons but for me, the white line does not exist.
*november 5, 2009 @11:09pm
To an extent, I do follow the white line. Certain perceptions created by society are drawn from this white line and society has forced some of these ideas on me. For example, when I look at magazines or watch movies, a majority of the women are white. White is considered beautiful. I rarely see women of “minority” photographed or given the lead roles in Hollywood. Even in my culture, the light skinned Filipino girls are seen as the most beautiful. I have found myself longing to be lighter. I have caked sunscreen on my skin in hopes that it would help me become lighter, or whiter. And honestly, I still do. But regardless, I do not believe white is right and I do not believe white is the superior race. I do not throw away the morals and beliefs I grew up with to follow those of a race who consider themselves superior to everyone else.
I’ve never actively made a point of acting like a stereotypical white person. I have, however, been the subject of numerous accusations of being white-washed. I do well in school, am constantly concerned with college, and pursue art as one of my greatest passions in life. However, I can’t do this without either being derided for rejecting my Mexican culture or deluding myself by acting “white.” No, I don’t care for Chihuahuas, reggae music, or long white t-shirts. I can probably tell you more about Captain Kirk’s history with Starfleet than I can about Carlos Mencia. However, I am not under the delusion that I can fit in with my white peers by acting like a stereotypical version of them. I do what I do by choice, not because anyone told me I might fit in with any culture by acting a certain way (something my Mexican parents have instilled in me since the crib). And it just so happens I’m an honors student who reaches a trance-like state when painting and loves when the family has tostadas for dinner, white line or not.
Having pride in your culture is a good thing, no matter where your ancestors hail from (though we make an unjust point of denying of denying this to our European population in America). However, it appears to me that defining yourself exclusively by your heritage is a sign of dramatic insecurity.
Following the white line, I honestly have no idea what following the white line really is, because for one I am to be considered white but I do not see myself as white….I have no American upbringings, everything about me is Italian and I’m always surrounded by so many diverse people. I have never truly seen the white line through my eyes, unless I have been blind to it subconsciously. I feel I see beyond the white line and who people are and what they stand for. And I want to see people past the color of their skin, their body type, their height, and everything else that hides the real person under all that. And I figured out that the only way to do that is to try to let others see who I really am under my exterior. I guess what I’m trying to say is be true to yourself in order to let others see “YOU”.
I don’t see myself following the white line at all a(although others will disagree with me) I’m just me I’m all kinds of things I’m not just a color no one thing defines me and I won’t let it, I don’t follow any color line really, that’s not to say that I’m not proud of what African Americans have done to get me where I am but I’m also proud of a lot of what other cultures have done not just my own. This whole thing reminds me of a song by India Arie called “I am not my Hair”
I am not my hair
I am not this skin
I am not your expectations
I agree with Alysa. I do find myself following the white line, to an extent. I follow trends that are presented by white models and hair styles for “white hair”. I do not find my race to be superior and hope that my skin color does not effect opportunities in my life. But while going over the True and False answers to my invisible knapsack, I realized that because of my race I don’t have to deal with half the things that some of the people in my class do. I was brought up to believe everyone has the same opportunity to life and that a persons skin color should not effect my view of them as a person. And I stick by that today. My color does not define me. I am much more than a white girl.
I am much more than just a white girl.*
Following the white line could mean many things–learning the general “American” culture or listening to the “American” rules, for example. But does the “white line” mean “white culture”. If it does, of course I can’t deny that I follow the white line on occasion. My parents often pester me about my loss of Chinese culture–or inability to speak Chinese to be specific. I don’t stay on the white line; I need to stray off the line and experience other ideas and other views. On the other hand the “white line” could mean “do you follow the status quo”, “do you let others determine who you are as a physical and mental being”. That is, one doesn’t have a sense of background or the right direction of judgment to make decisions for themselves.
I think that I and everybody else has done some following of the white line. No matter how much we want to deny it, how much we want to substantiate our cultural background, the influence of the white line has touched us all. I have a different cultural heritage, however, it has become somewhat white-washed. Yes, I eat cultural foods, but I also like going to baseball games and having a hamburger. Almost nobody can say that they absolutely do not follow the white line. The white line has had such a profound impact on the world that everyone has had some run-in with white ideals (I say almost nobody because I’m sure there are some native populations in distant countries that still have never had contact with the outside world). So when someone says that they do not follow the white line in any way it is all wishful thinking. Again, the white line is so common in the world that everyone has followed it. And it has changed to accompany everyone. The white line changes with the changes in people. The group consensus changes and so will the white line. The white line has become so intermingled with all the other cultures that I don’t think there is a white line anymore. I think that the white line is more gray now.
What would the white line be considered as; would it be following the American ideals and cultures? I believe that if this is what the white line would be considered as, then I follow the white line closely yet I am not directly on the white line. Along with many of my peers, I sometimes travel along the white line, sometimes directly over it, and sometimes across it. At first I did not trail along the white line as much as my classmates because I was brought up speaking Vietnamese fluently, eating Vietnamese food, and living in a Vietnamese household; but slowly I diverged near the line as I befriended classmates at school. I began to speak English more then Vietnamese at home, I began to eat out fast food and American food like hot dogs and pizzas, and I began to hang out with my friends more. I agree with Andrew that many Americans cannot say that they “do not follow the white line.” American culture has affected not only the United States, but other nations as well; our ideals and cultures have been pushed onto other countries such as the appearance of McDonald in Africa. Around the globe, American ideals and culture have merged with the other nations. We are unable to avoid the white line because it has greatly traversed the world so we follow along it.
I don’t follow any white line. This question gives me the same feeling as when someone says to another person “you’re acting too white.” The first thing I ask myself is what constitutes as a “white action” in the first place compared to any other person’s action? If the white line is defined as attending football games, being a cheerleader, or whatever else that people stereotype as white then I have failed to follow that white line. If following the white line is preparing for my future and wanting to do something with my life rather than lounging on my couch, then I change my mind and say that I do follow that white line. But I can’t necessarily say I’m following the “white line” until I know specifically what that white line entails, and who is drawing it. I draw my own line (I’ll color it cerulean and scarlet) and if people help me draw it, then that’s great too.
I follow the white line…sometimes. And only in a sense that might not be completely obvious at first. Before asking this question of myself, I had to ask another question first: what is the white line? I concluded that the white line is another term for conformity. Since the White/Caucasian demographic is the majority ethnic group in America, following this group and following the white line are synonymous. Therefore, I asked myself a new question: To what extent do I conform? Simply, I do conform (which is why you see me in T-shits and jeans instead of traditional Chinese clothing). I don’t try to hide this fact from myself and I also have a hard time believing people when they say they don’t conform at all or, in this case, follow the white line – which is why I’d like to respond to Mr. Lawrence Beard: you do conform, whether you want to or not.
Following the white line refers to following white culture; therefore, I do largely follow the white line. I follow the white line by going to school everyday; I follow the white line by eating fast food from time to time; I follow the white line by sitting on the couch watching football; I follow the white line by pursuing the American Dream; I follow the white line by enjoying democracy. It is a known fact that one’s environment influences how one develops; I am no longer in Vietnam, but in America, a country raised on white ideals. Although I’ve kept parts of my own Vietnamese culture and ideals, most have been replaced by the white’s culture. The white line has expanded, from a small broken line in the middle to now nearly the entire area of my road.
To follow some white line abhors me.
I would never abandon
my culture
my heritage
my life
to conform.
Each color emits their own beauty and none should ever come to the ugly face of inferiority ever again.
A strange distorted reality mocks us still today.
Never forget that we each have the ability to conquer a vicious evil feeding from the flesh of hatred.
The white line is not something I follow at all. My parents do not condone it and neither does my Indian society. I still speak my language, eat my food and wear traditional Indian clothes. A lot of other cultures have conformed and forgotten their roots and ancestors. They say they don’t follow the “white line” and are immersed in their own culture but the truth is most of them don’t even what their culture. Why should I conform when I was born to stand out.
I think that we all follow the white line, to our own extent. Since I am white, I probably follow the white line more than others of a different race and culture. But, I don’t try to follow the white line or act like a stereotypical white girl. Not following the white line is harder for me than it is for others because I am white; I have nothing else to follow. I was born a mix of a little bit of everything- German, Dutch, English, and the tiniest amount of Mexican as well as others but I wasn’t raised as anything other than an American girl. So the culture I follow is the American culture, and the American culture seems to be closely related to the white line. I don’t try to fall into any stereotypes, offend anyone by acting the way I do, or receive any unearned advantage because of the color of my skin. But like Kelsey, when we unpacked our invisible knapsack during class I realized that being white has given me unfair advantages over my classmates. I wish I could say that there isn’t a white line and nobody follows that line, but there is a white line and it affects us all in our own way.
What is it to be white? Who defined white in the first place as beong a skin color? Does it really have to be your skin tone? Yes, I have white skin but not a “white” background. It seems to me that this White Line that has been established has been created through the idea that to be classified as white you have to be purely white. And what I mean by that it seems that a person has to have been born through a purley white background, in America. These “white peple do what people would call “white behavior such as sports and academics and status.I think that some see whites as being born with the idea that they are superior to the other races without looking at their heritage. For myself, I was not born in this country but I do have white skin. I dont think that people should look at a white person just because of their skin color because that person might not entirely classify themselves as white but as their nationality. These privelages that white people get does not mean that they stand on top. White people are not necessarily the only ones to get privilages and benefits. I think people should not classify everyone else just by their idea of what a white person is but by the though that they are here for the same reason. I follow the white line because it seems like I dont have a choice because that sterotype has been engrained so much into society that there cannot be any lined drawn and I try not give others the illusiion that I am better than them or that I have a better chance than them because of my skin color. I also follow it because my parents have followed it, it is in their background; they were born in America have achieved great academic status but they dont forget thier heritage and they see themselves as Americans regaurdless. I dont believe that there should be a “white line” because there are so many other cultures underlying in people even if thier skin color is white. I am proud to be American yet I still have a sense of pride in my culture and people should not be defined by color.
Living in California, I must say that I somewhat follow the white line, but not to the full extent that someone in say Texas would follow it. Sure, I follow many white ideals–of course, I’m white–so in one aspect I really do follow the white line. The white line is what I have been raised following. But in another aspect, I do not follow it. I am not racist and I accept other races and cultures. This is not to say that white people are all racist and unaccepting, but the “white line” does hint at this sort of behavior. I consider myself very fortunate to have been raised to follow the white line, but not in a racist way.
Everyone dances to their own beat. Everyone sings their own song. Everyone lives their own life. We are all different in so many ways. Nobody is more or less unique than the person sitting next to them. So why is there this “white line” in the first place? Make your own line and follow it.
In a literal sense, yes we follow the white line, unless, of course, we are driving down a dirt road where there is no line present. In an abstract sense I believe it’s impossible to not follow the white line. The white line, in my opinion, refers to the white ideology, the white culture, the white influence. It is almost impossible to go anywhere around the world nowadays and avoid the white lines. We conform to the white lines everyday, living in America. Do we listen to white music? Yes. Even if you listen to different artists from different countries, they base their music on the white influence. Can you go to China and escape the white lines? No. There are McDonald’s popping up in street corners all over. Can you go to Africa and escape the white lines? No, there are cars whizzing by. From other people’s comments, it seems as if the white lines are a bad thing. To some extent, yes they are. But you have to look at it logically. Without the white lines, electricity would’ve never been discovered, cars would not exist and several different things that everyone around the world depends on would be lost to us. Let’s be honest here, I enjoy my culture and my people, but if I were to choose living in the jungles of Thailand over the surburbs of Sacramento I would be crazy.
Conforming to the white culture will be losing my ancestry, my heritage. But I believe the white culture has spread throughout the world, making everyone’s heritage and culture “whitewashed”. My people’s way of life now is vastly different than 50 years ago and that’s because the Vietnam War brought the whites to my culture. For humans to survive, we must adapt to our surroundings. Can we not say the same to human culture? We need to adapt to whatever is happening and white lines are what is happening.
Sadly, and unfortunately enough I am a follower of the white line, just as any other. I am accused of being ‘white washed’ because I wear certain brands, I like ‘white’ music, and I speak more english than I do Spanish. Heck, most people don’t even know that I even speak Spanish and are surprised when I can whip out a full conversation with the perfect rolling of my ‘r’s’. I do not hide my Mexican background because I am ashmed, I do it unintentionally. It is not something I think about or do conciously. I am still a hispanic girl at heart, whom apparently does alot of ‘white’ things. I still celebrate the ‘Mexican’ way, and I have millions of relatives that I don’t know, and I love spanish music, and eating flautas and empanadas. But I also enjoy milkshakes, rock music, and burritos give me headaches. So while I may do ‘white’ things, I will never forget about my culture and my heritage. And the fact that college, and my academics, and my love of sports are a huge part of my life, it may be seen as a ‘white’ approach to life, its really not…It’s just me, a Mexican girl, trying to get ahead in life, so that someday I can be a successful, happy woman, whom just so happens to be Mexican.
I agree with what Carol said, in that in it’s past, the white line has paved way to many of the advancements and advantages we have today. But I also believe that every culture has their own accomplishments to be proud of. The Japanese, for instance, are far more technilogically advanced than white people in this day. African culture has so much richer customs and cultural expression than white people do. So we may have invented electricity, but every culture has something to be equally as proud of.
I follow the white line simply because I am white, but I think everyone should follow their own line because they all have the opportunity to be equally as successful and “ideal” as the white line.
I don’t think anyone can completely follow a white line in life just because it takes so many twists and turns. The way I would see a white line is following certain standards and procedures like if we apply for a job we have to go through a process such as fill out the application, wait for a call, or go to an interview and then maybe get hired. I see this as a white line because there is pretty much one set way to do it and there is no strain. However, in other aspects I don’t follow a white line. I don’t follow the recommended way of running; I do my homework ahead of time like recommended; I run my life by my standards. I think every person puts their own spin on life by having different interests and basically being unique. Yes I do follow a white line in terms of set order, but most of the time I don’t.
I do not believe that I follow a white line. Although, I may do so unbeknownst to myself. Just by being a white person, living in America, I may be subjected to some kind of auto pilot that keeps me on the “white line” without my knowledge. I do not make decisions based on whether they follow the “white lifestyle”. Instead I base my decisions on what I believe to be the best for furthering my knowledge and life in the right direction. Although some of my decisions may seem to follow the white line or ideals, those decisions are not something I put any concious thought into. Knowing this, I believe that no one follows just one line, but they have aspects of many different cultures and “lines”, regardless of if they are cognizant or not.
Naturally, since I am white, I most likely follow the “white line” without meaning to. It is something that i do automatically, since it has been taught to me growing up. However, I do not base what I do off of what a “white” person would do, I do it because its what i want to do. I personally have no problem doing something that is considered “white” or “non white”, because I am part of a culture with many different elements and people to it, therefore the sense of “white lines” are often blurred. Since these lines are so blurred, there is hardly any line for me that I follow, I only follow what I feel is right.
Because my looks define me as “white”, although my cutlure does not support this statement, I can honestly say that I do follow this “white line”- but unconsciously. I recieve the benefits that come along with this term without even realizing, simply because I look “white”. I do not willingly go out of my way to walk this line. I do, however; believe that it happens unknowingly. I’m sure it isn’t coincidence that most of my close friends are white, or that I fit into the “stereotypical white” style. Yet, the awareness of my culture does not allow me into my other culture’s groups because of the unconscious manner in which I follow this “white line”. On the contrary, because I have already begun to follow this line, although unaware, I cannot simply change the line in which I choose to follow. Thus, I do follow the white line, regardless of my awareness of it or not, I still follow it.
oops! CULTURE!
White line….hmmm… assuming the ‘White Line’ means both white ideals and white culture, I do follow the white line to a certain extent. White standard is to eat food with a spoon and fork. At times, when I do not have time to enjoy my food or am in a lazy mode, I eat with a spoon, not wanting to take the extra step of washing my hands after I have finished eating for I regularly eat with my hands. White culture is to eat at a table, eat pizza and dress a certain way. I eat pizza, eat at my kitchen table rather than on the floor (as in Pakistani, Indian and Arab culture), and wear jeans. However, I have not completely changed my dressing: I where a Pakistani style top and American style jeans. Living in a white society, following the white line to a certain extent is inevitable.
I suppose you could say I tend to walk the “white line” in society. As I have grown up a Caucasian girl in a Caucasian family, I do not know any other life really. While you could say that I do follow a “white” lifestyle I really don’t think there is one specific way that a group of people with a certain skin color live. While yes, ethnicities all have their traditions and customs; I don’t believe that there is a specific “line” we all exactly follow. This “white line” is no different. Every white person follows their own motives and traditions just as a person of any other color would.
However, there are parts of life that, as so many of my peers have pointed out as a contribution to that “white line” such as fast food, television, football, etc. While so many of these activities/objects have become a natural part of so many people’s lives, they are not the only things that make up a “white line.”
Yes, I partake in many things that would make me “white”. I’m a cheerleader, I’m smart, I love fast food, I love barbeque, and I enjoy lounging and watching television. However, there is more to me than my skin color, just as a person of any other skin tone would say. I believe that, in today’s growing sociological society, there is not just one “white line” but several lines that come together to make a rainbow colored line making its way down the road called life.
I’ll admit I was a little scared looking at this question. Obviously, I am a white girl. Of course I partake in the white culture, that is the only culture I have. So I tried to look at this question a little differently, I thought of the white line as a form of oppression, a way to keep people from finding who they really are and knowing truth. In that way, I do not at all follow the white line. I do not follow the roads people set forth for me, I make my own decisions about what I want to do with my life. I do not just follow the road, I look inside myself and decide what direction I want to turn. For the longest time, I tried to look for some kind of culture for myself. I looked so longingly at the multi-cultural assembly I held on to the part of my heritage that only recently emigrated from Holland because I saw racism and, disgusted with it, did not want to have to identify myself with white America. But I cannot change that, I can only change the path that I, individually, follow.
If i follow the white line, i do so unintentionally. I dont quite understand what it means to follow the white line, and maybe that is simply a result of the fact that i have grown up as a white male. However, i would like to believe that i follow my own line. I just do what i want. I dont want to be defined by any white line, i want to be defined by my own actions. I do what i want because thats what makes me happy, not because i am white and its what all of us white people do, but because i want. If by some chance it happens to fall under the category white line, then so be it, but honestly i just dont care.
To what extent do I follow the white line? I do not feel that I really follow the white line placed down in life. I try to stay away from conformity and what the majority feel as normal. Even though my skin color is a shade of white and my DNA shows that I am European, I do not feel I follow a white line through my actions. I was not raised to see people in color, I was not raised to feel I was better than anyone else. Furthermore, up until junior high I was not even aware of the lines that society tends to draw between the color of one another’s skin. It’s not to say that I have never been judged differently, or that slight thought of racial profiling has never gone through my head; these types of thoughts have gone through everyone’s head. But i do not act upon these thoughts, I do not voice them. I laugh at myself for thinking them, for have letting society place them into my head. I do not act upon these thoughts. I am poor. In some cases in life I am a minority. I am average. I am nothing special. I see no white lines.
I would have to say that to an extent I do follow the white line. I think that everyone follows the white line in some ways of their life.
For I personally, being white, have been raised to follow that white line. Yet I am still able to make my own decisions to not follow it. This white line is not only a sense of physical color but also a kind of culture. The American culture is somewhat like the white line. However I did not realize the advantages that I have because of my skin color.
This white line affects individuals regardless if they try to avoid it our not. This is more of a culture and things like trends, stereotypes, and such. There is no way to destroy this white line.
I Think everybody embodies or follows the white line. We live in our culture where to be successful, to be intelligent, to be cultured, to be sexual, you must have some white attributes. As a minority in a country of minorities i have found myself being called white-washed because I struggle to become a well-educated succesful person. To follow the white line is to follow, sadly, societal norms because for the most part of American society, to be rich was to white. To be culture was to be white. But slowly, by slowly that line is being broken, by ethnic intellectuals like Langston Hughes and Toni Morrison, politically and economically by figures like Jeff Yang- co-founder of Yahoo- or Sonia Sotomayor- Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States- and Americans as a whole struggling for that line. But sadly we still live in a where white is right, and until that white line is erased, its always going to be that way.
sorry To be cultured was to be white
What exactly is the white line? Does it mean to follow the white culture? To an extent, I believe we all follow the white line. Ever since the pilgrims set foot upon this land, the people of this country have always conformed to the white culture. White people have been viewed as the leaders of this country. Today, many of the media is influenced by white culture resulting in the viewers being influenced as well. A foreigner may try to hold on to their culture, yet some part of them is lost to the “white line”. When my parents first came to America they were as Filipino as they could be, but slowly and surely they too began to adopt the ways of white people. Adopting the white culture meant that they could be accepted into the society and not be seen as outsiders. I believe for those who came to America following the white line as closely as possible was important to be accepted.
I think that I follow the white line, not because I want to but because that is how I grew up. Like I said earlier, my parents had adopted the white culture to fit in, so when I was born I was taught to follow the culture in order to escape the prejudice that sometimes follows a foreigner. I was never told that I was becoming more “white” just more American. I never forget my roots, yet this society is all I know.
I like to think that i dont follow a white line. i dont know what the white line is actually. well not exactly. and i dont follow it. i dont want to own a nig pretty house and have a wonderful husband and kids. i also dont want to be rich! shocker isnt it? what kind of psycho am i? a psycho who really doesnt like society. i was raised poor and im going to die poor. i want to be an English teacher for hs students. haha of my own free will. i never match. when i do its cause someone dressed me lol a friend who thinks it matters whether my leggings match my dress. im pretty open about my feelings. i go up to the slightest of friends and ask them to give me a hug because im feeling down. when i think a friend is being mean. suprise? i tell them. and they get very mad. i know the rules. i grew up in new york afterall. where they shun you if your too ugly. haha i got shunned a lot? =D i have no sense of awkwardness at all. i dont care about my grades. as an AP student its shocking. i actually do just want to learn. but obviously i have to pass AP English to graduate..i think..ha probably wont find out. i dont care about who im supposed to be. what im supposed to be doing. i dont care if people dont like me. theres only one line i follow. and its my own. im just grateful that its a good line. that it doesnt lead me to any trouble. and im also grateful for the fact that i have the brutal honesty of a 5 year old. im just a kid. lol always will be. im responsible. you know i pay my own phone bill, i got a job blah blah blah. so i dont know if i follow any line at all. im only answering this thing because Mrs. Flowers wants me to. its not a question i even understand. hopefully this response brings amusement to someone…and no weird looks…lol not that ill notice of course =/ 11 pm btw Mrs. Flowers…an hour to go till the deadline…lol =D see you in class tomorrow!! =)
btw whoever thinks this was a immature and naive response: im so glad im not a typical teenager who thinks they know everything and have the abiliity to judge. i see that in AP students quite frequently. im sorry if i dont want to sound like a pompous know it all with a stick up my behind. however, i am capable of an elaborate and “deep” response if you ask the proper question. in case any one was wondering…lol =D
There is only a white line in peoples minds. we make them up to set standards for ourselves and those around us. people could live and act they way they want just by understanding that a white line has no meaning and going against the crowd setting yourself apart is a good thing, and those that don’t respect that are just to afraid to try it themselves.
I don’t believe I follow any white line. I really don’t know what it means. Would it mean that I follow rules to my specific ethnicity? Well, I frankly do not live up to certain individuals expectations and I will not start now. I like to say that I’m indifferent. But, of course I can’t say the same for our community. There is still a lot of white dominance in schools, jobs and private communities. I hate to say it but, with my family it sort of is.
With me, it’s a different story as well as the rest of our younger generations. All I can say is the I try to be aware of my horizons and I do my best to not put a target on my back.
Honestly, I don’t even really understand this “white line” concept. If it means how “white washed” I am then i would LIKE to say I’m not at all, though I’ve heard otherwise. People tell me “oh, you’re so blonde” “you talk like a white/valley girl” but it’s not really that I TRY to. That’s just how I am. So personally, I don’t really think I follow this white line. I’m proud to be Filipino and I like my culture, I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I am aware that being white seems to be better than anything else, but I try to ignore it and look past that. When I pick out what to wear or how to react to things, I don’t base it on if a white person would do this or that.
p.s. this is asking to what extent YOU, personally, follow this white line, not if everyone does or not.
What is this white line you speak of? In life, I follow plenty of white lines. Ever since I was a child, I have been following white lines marked on the pavement to and from class every day. I attempt to balance on a line on a street or sidewalk whenever I walk from place to place for my own amusement. I follow white lines to cross the street at intersections to prevent myself from getting into any accidents. I have followed white lines at several theme parks, and at local convenient stores in order to complete my purchases. I make sure to follow the white traffic line that lies in the middle of the street to make sure I obey all traffic laws. This is literally speaking, as you may have notices, but if you want the truth figuratively, you got it. If these white lines are goals and aspirations set down by others, I must confess that I have followed those too; for the aspirations that I live for are those that my parents believe I can achieve. They are those that my sibling believes I can achieve, and they are those that my peers believe I can achieve. But there are plenty of other white lines set forth in front of me by anyone and everyone else that surrounds me: my teachers, advisors, classmates, coaches, other adults that know me by name, and even strangers. They all set standards for me based on what I have accomplished, and based on what I want to accomplish. Based on how they see me, and how they judge me. So they set these white lines for me to follow. They set these paths in front of me. They temp me to follow behind them in their footsteps, but to them I say NO! I follow the line that I want to follow, no, the line that I create as I am walking it. I draw my line a few inches in front of me as I follow my own dreams. On foot, I walk my own journey, and no one else’s.
If the white line is being refered to as the line of conformity i would say i honestly follow it often. I beleive conformity is unavoidable. No matter how much one tries to resist conformity, by resisting, on conforms to resisting with others. As much as i wish everyone could be accepted as they are it isn’t really possible. The world is judgemental and it is human nature to create opinion and thoughts, whether nice or not, in the mind. Those opinions make a “wrong and right” which cause the unwanted conformity. Everyone is unique but we are all the same in being unique so i believe we all follow that white line throughout life.
This white line has been established without our own consent. It has been placed and followed. The reason why we go to school, the reason why we walk each passing period to our next class, the reason why we talk to those who want to.. all applies to the white line. If you don’t have anything to follow, where will you go? Yeah, sure you can say that you are independent, but you are independent because you see that others are doing it as well and that it is possible, still following the white line. Now a days, original is hard to come by since we are all following trends and becoming copies of originals. White lines can be seen as guidelines but can also pull you into a whirl of disruption. You follow the white line to an extreme extent, whether you agree or not. We all do it, some just don’t want to admit to it.
“To like an individual because he’s black is just as insulting as to dislike him because he isn’t white.”
-e. e. cummings
And this so simply makes sense. What doesn’t, is how people still managed to categorize people by their skin color, when thats not what shapes the person we are. It only does if you let it. Yet so many people let themselves, fall into the stereotypes of their race. And then they complain. But why don’t people feel the need to represent all that they were at birth, at childhood? Those years when we never questioned being ourselves. Or does growing seperate ourselves too far from the person we were born to become?