

At first glance, 'whiteness' as status is all benefits, advantages, and shiny packages of sparkly goodies. But the truth is white people don't make it through unscathed. Clearly, maintaining this hegemonic system comes at a cost to us whites. Recent studies show that white, middle aged men, unlike other groups, have a mortality rate that is rising at a rapid race. They're dying from stress related causes. White Americans are also the biggest terror threat. We have been led to feel disconnected from the humanity of others as well as from our own. We fear being cast out from the only club to which we tentatively belong" says this presenter at Portland Community College's "whiteness history month". "This is the deadly set up we are up against" the whole group reads, "And it is high time for us to attempt to break free from these narratives and redefine our place as white people in the society and in the world