Yodeling and White Supremacy

The Mythology of Modern-Day Racism

We all have heard the rapidly modulating vocal artistry that is yodeling. Yodeling comes from the German word “jodeln” meaning to say “jo” which is pronounced “yo”.

Armed with this knowledge, it is fairly safe to assume that yodeling is a primarily Caucasian activity, being how frequently it is associated with European cultures, and you would be correct! Does this make yodeling racist or even white supremacist? On what, if anything, are we basing those assumptions? Let's explore these questions.

To find out, we first need to discover what racism actually is, which if your exposure to popular media is taken into account, can be a very difficult and even daunting task.

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The classical version of racism is more universal and describes a lack of favor towards a particular ethnicity or race, usually in favor of another. It was a cut-and-dry term. Things that come to mind are segregated drinking fountains, internment camps, and of course one of the most discussed examples in history, the West African Slave Trade.

In contrast to this, the meaning of the word racism has been somewhat diluted for political and ideological appropriation. Rather than describing straightforward and universal concepts and ideas, there is now a sinister twist portrayed by popular media outlets such as:

The Atlantic
The New York Times
The Guardian

The commonality between these portrayals is twofold. They work to expand the definition of racism to include cultural activities, and they are not universal portrayals. They are weighted specifically towards describing one specific ethnicity oppressing another, be it by a system or by said cultural activity, while denying the possibility of it occurring in reverse.

We are going to have to look a bit deeper to understand the negative effect this has on all ethnicities and cultures involved. To do this, we need to first acknowledge the positive effect cultural contribution adds to society. Cultures of every ethnicity, when intermingling with others, contribute rich ideas, among the most popular are music, dance, language, and my favorite, food.

The most pointed negative point we need to discuss, is that politics and media have begun to create a division based on ethnicity, specifying certain activities and ideas, that are “off limits” for other ethnicities to even discuss. Certain places are designated for only one culture or ethnicity. To question this, discuss it, or even notice it now conveniently falls under this new definition of racism.

So let's look at yodeling. Yodeling is a culturally renowned, and regional activity. Does this preclude someone of a non-caucasian ethnicity? The answer is no. The only thing preventing anyone of any culture or ethnicity from yodeling is motivation and inclination. There are plenty of yodelers of many ethnicities; yodelers like Mike Johnson made their name in the American yodeling arena decades ago. This reminds me that many of the barriers to cultural and ethnic activities are imaginary or self-imposed, to say the least.

Now for white supremacy; what is it? The classical idea of white supremacy inspires pictures of Nazi armies marching with raised arms, or men with white hoods, confederate flags, and shaved white heads. These are extreme examples by today’s standards. White supremacy is by basic definition the belief that Caucasians are superior to any other ethnicity. Today, particularly in the past several years, the definition has expanded to include any idea, and even any ethnicity; to include not only the prior extreme examples as an anchor point but segway into more mundane things. Some examples of this are:

The Washington Post
The Atlantic
National Education Association

The above media articles to some degree anchor in an extreme past while labeling anything in today’s most prominent cultures as the result of white supremacy They even outline basic human emotions as catalysts for white supremacy. This makes it very difficult if relying on these kinds of sources, to determine what white supremacy actually is. As a matter of fact, by acknowledging all of the ideas present in these sources, every single person is by these measures a white supremacist. By removing the meaning of the word, it now becomes a political tool for groups and ideologies, promotes guilt to the unguilty, and no ethnicity is safe from its shadowy reach of undefinition.

When it comes down to it, we must all make our own decisions about whether yodeling, organizing your pantry, putting on a helmet or even feeling angry makes us racists, white supremacists, or even privileged.

Ask yourself, “Am I excluding people? Am I hurting people? Am I having fun? Am I expressing my culture, as people have done for thousands of years?” We must decide for ourselves to take responsibility for our actions, and if those actions are justified. We have to avoid letting preconceived notions about race or equality decide what activities we take part in and embrace our own desires and motivation outside of the looming storm clouds of racial preconception, and political gain.