Stained White
Tema Okun, writer behind White Supremacy Culture, lists multiple characteristics of white supremacy culture that appear in organizations that are still engrained into today’s society. The list includes perfectionism, defensiveness, quantity over quality, and many other damaging behaviors and attitudes that are sometimes invisible to the eye and unconsciously used as standards. The characteristics of this culture has become a societal norm, and as a result, many people feel obliged and have the sense of urgency to adapt to these preexisting norms. Today, it has been quite evident that our work places and organizations are still stained white. Intentional or not, this culture has driven other cultures away, causing people outside of the dominant white group to not share or expand on their ideas to their organizations. The idea of it is quite toxic and hinders thoughts and ideas that have potential.
In chapter three of Something Incredibly Wonderful Happens: Frank Oppenheimer and the World He Made Up by K. C. Cole, the author describes a moment in time when there was colossal, uncomfortable pressure for American scientists as they had the horrific theory of Hitler’s power. With the thought of mass destruction and Hitler’s influence, many frantic physicists began stressfully and continuously working on an atomic bomb in 1941 which was later known as the Manhattan Project. They were urged to overwork by producing enriched Uranium for the atomic bomb and were driven to fatigue even though the process was already difficult. Although this would give an essential boost to the military’s weapons, it made it challenging for the people working to stay mentally sane and healthy due to the sense of urgency. In Okun’s White Supremacy Culture, sense of urgency is one of the characteristics of white supremacy culture and it “makes it difficult to take time to be inclusive, encourage democratic and/or thoughtful decision-making, to think long-term to consider consequences.” The sense of urgency has led a norm even after Hitler was defeated that “[n]obody slowed up one little bit… And it wasn’t because we understood the significance against Japan. It was because the machinery had caught us in its trap” (Cole, 2009, p. 57). During that time period, the culture became more invisible and was accepted as the norm due to societal pressure. You could also relate to another key characteristic of white culture supremacy described by Okun: Quantity over quality. Emotions and feelings are disregarded during the creation of the atomic bomb.
The ideas from Okun’s writing on white supremacy culture manifest in the culture and work of physicists by including a sense of urgency and quantity over quality. The urgent need of the atomic bomb had led to emotional distress. Physicists were forced to prioritize the research and creation of the atomic bomb without considering their emotions. This created a culture in the work force for physicists to act inhumane and unrealistic. They had to primarily use their efforts on their work due to urgency and fear.
References
- Okun, T. (n.d.). White Supremacy Culture. Retrieved from https://www.dismantlingracism.org/uploads/4/3/5/7/43579015/okun_-_white_sup_culture.pdf
- Selections (p. 50–65 “The Uncle of the Atom Bomb” and 201–203 “Aesthetics and the Right Answer”) from Cole, K. C. (2009). Something Incredibly Wonderful Happens: Frank Oppenheimer and the world he made up. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
