Why Can’t White Men Talk About Race?

Even as long ago as the politically correct movement of the 90s, there have been taboos around what can and should be discussed by white men, particularly, white, straight, old men. And of course, as theoretical occupiers of the top tier spot within the power structure that lives rent-free in so many people’s minds- it was inevitable that the opinions of white men (on race and racism) would be called into question- then cast aside as irrelevant- as they are told to sit down, listen, or educate themselves. 

On Real Time with Bill Maher, between a conversation with Charlamagne Tha God and Frank Bruni, as well as another exchange I wrote about back in 2022, with Jon Stewart, Andrew Sullivan, Chip Gallagher, and Lisa Bond, the shutting down or ridiculing of white people’s perspective was openly present. 

Unfortunately, it goes like this: 

Minorities DO know what it is like to be minorities (because they are affected by privilege);
Minorities DO know what is like to be white (because they are affected by white privilege);
White people DO NOT know what it is like to be white (because they are blinded by privilege);
White people DO NOT know what it is like to be a minority (because they are privileged).

It seems to me that once this dynamic is put into motion, it will, with some reinforcing, hermetically seal off any and all perspectives of race and racism that are outside the established politically correct lens. 

For thirty years, this dynamic has grown- white guys! Boo! The unhip, unknowledgeable, pasty white male who could not possibly offer any perspective on contemporary conversation is a concrete archetype. However, there are white men expressing their unhappiness with this premise and are sharing their opinions, political correctness be damned.  

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One such writer and thinker is Zephareth Ledbetter, author of A White Man’s Perspectives on Race and Racism. As one may note by the title, Zephareth is aware of the dynamic in play- he is aware of the rules that exist and is breaking them, by writing about race and racism as a white man. 

The book’s title may be taken a variety of ways- I am now thinking it could be a comedy, like a Saturday Night Live sketch where the character is somewhat molded after Tom Hanks’ MAGA hat-wearing truck driver type from the Black Jeopardy! series. 

But the title makes a point all by itself- it understands that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover while knowing all too well that some will. This is dicey perhaps, but Ledbetter believes it is worth the risk- if you can’t stomach the title, nothing he says matters, anyhow. Judging a book by its cover is awfully similar to racism.

But to understand any book, one must get past the book’s cover and dive into the text itself. And not only does Ledbetter talk about race, but he also provides an outline of race and racism from its very birth- the first chapter is titled “What is Racism?”, and while this may seem laborious, clearly for Ledbetter, a book of this sort must start from the very beginning. For a subject as complex as racism, one should not start in the middle.

And although the title is rebellious, some of the first half of the book does feel slightly apologetic-with some textual throat-clearing. The author leaves no room for ambiguity, and at times, still seems slightly self-conscious of the potential for misinterpretation, whataboutisms, and simply being taken the wrong way. 

And while he is prepared to talk about race as a white man, he does not go so far as to write the book using his real name. And even he himself acknowledges this as a potential weakness of his piece, but also acknowledges that within the “attempts at unattainable perfection, we are shooting ourselves in the foot”. 

Zephareth Ledbetter was born in New York City, identifies himself as an agnostic-bordering-on -atheist is from a working-class background, and is of Italian, Irish, and Ukrainian descent. But as mentioned, there is no Zephareth Ledbetter, only a white guy who wrote a book that many people may find inappropriate, or even impossible to write given the subject. 

The style in which the book is written seems to reinforce this- you won’t find too much autobiography in the text. Instead, the author sticks to his perspective, buttressed by a common-sense approach to reasoning, a relaying of statistical data when necessary, and a reference to more classically liberal doctrines like freedom of speech, freedom of cultural expression (including appropriation), and the like. He does mention he is more of a centrist, swinging left of center on social issues and towards the right, fiscally.

While Zephareth is a white guy, he acknowledges the past, present, and future pain that racism has and will likely continue to cause. In his third chapter, “How can we fight it”,  (racism, that is), Zephareth concludes that statistics is the way out indeed, this may put the author in the corner of someone like Thomas Sowell, who has used statistics and raw data to sus out particular narratives that deviate from reality. A reality which, if we look close enough, is able to be understood by all. Indeed, a working knowledge of various stats (the more the better) is an effective tool for finding truth that so often hides itself inside noisy narratives. 

However, even as Zephareth acknowledges certain aspects of racism and its effects, he can be quite unapologetic throughout a number of passages he takes fire at double standards, particularly by the media in concern with popular fiascos surrounding figures like Tiger Woods, Serena Williams, and Ray Lewis. 

He also directs his criticism towards the prevalence of entitlements, affirmative action, and the ongoing silliness surrounding the controversial N-word. He wonders why we still give it so much power, and why we can’t seem to differentiate between the weaponizing of that word, and simply referring to it. He makes this distinction clear by using the word in full, in reference to the Chris Rock sketch, Nigga Flakes.

Zephareth is no mainstream conservative type he doesn’t believe that racism is completely fabricated in the modern world he has sentiments that even echo some of the talking points from the modern social justice refrain- we need uncomfortable conversations; we all have work to do; but he also deviates from the activists in crucial ways. For Zephareth, identity politics has reached an “impassable plateau”, and looking for racism under every rock for signs of its existence is not a viable strategy for its termination. 

After reading the book, some may still be convinced that the white male has no place in the discussion but what distinguishes Zephareth from the caricature of the white male perspective is the offering of solutions. And one cannot offer a solution, without first acknowledging a problem. He is not Thomas Sowell; he is not Jon Stewart or Tucker Carlson. He is just another white man albeit one who has put an extraordinary amount of thought and effort into a book that is vulnerable to critique, but impervious to the charge of un-educated. 

JSV

Wrong Speak is a free-expression platform that allows varying viewpoints. All views expressed in this article are the author's own.