Hopelessly white
Kasia May 31st, 2007
True confession time: I’m white.
Don’t gasp too loudly. Those of you whom I have had the pleasure to meet in person could hardly have missed it. I’m so white, I practically glow in the dark. When I buy foundation, I am invariably either the lightest or the second-lightest shade. When I was younger and had had less sun exposure, sometimes the lightest was pushing the darker tones of my complexion.
So we’ve established that I’m white. Right?
OK – next point. I work in the city of Detroit, where I also lived until last summer. In the city, I am something of a minority. If you haven’t visited Detroit lately (as in, since the mid-sixties), it’s reputed to be one of the most segregated cities in the United States. It may well be – I’ve seen demographic maps.
But anyway. About 82% of the population of the city proper is “black or African-American alone” (presumably meaning people who had African ancestry and did not identify as biracial, i.e. black/white, black/Hispanic, black/Asian, etc.). About 11% of the population of the city is “white alone” (like me). Please see the table below, from the Census Bureau, if you would like to check my numbers.
| Detroit city, Michigan | ||
| Estimate | Margin of Error | |
| Total: | 836,056 | +/-15,946 |
| White alone | 92,796 | +/-9,149 |
| Black or African American alone | 686,241 | +/-12,223 |
| American Indian and Alaska Native alone | 3,223 | +/-1,236 |
| Asian alone | 9,577 | +/-2,582 |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone | 271 | +/-240 |
| Some other race alone | 31,212 | +/-5,815 |
| Two or more races: | 12,736 | +/-6,138 |
| Two races including Some other race | 3,796 | +/-4,904 |
| Two races excluding Some other race, and three or more races | 8,940 | +/-2,116 |
Anyway. Apart from its being a symptom of the above-mentioned de facto segregation and some of the unfortunate results of that, I’m not particularly bothered by being such a minority in the city. I don’t mind working in the city – I’ve worked in the city for over six years, and lived here longer than that. By and large, it’s just normal for me.
However, what is assuredly not normal for me is to be addressed as “white girl”, particularly by people I’ve never met.
As I was leaving work last Friday, I was sitting on the side street waiting to turn onto Woodward so I could head downtown, pick up The Big Seester, then cross the border and pick up The Canuck. I did not see the person in question, as I had glanced down at my bag on the passenger seat to pull out my passport and wallet for the border. However, I distinctly heard a voice from a car that was turning off of Woodward onto the side street saying “Hey, white giiirrl!”
It would never EVER have occurred to me to salute the person who did that as “Hey black man!” I would never walk up to a strange Filipino and say “Hey, Asian lady!” So why did this person feel at liberty to do so to me?
I’ve been addressed as “girl” by black women of various ages and never been offended – I realize it’s simply a difference of culture. It isn’t so much the “girl” part that bothers me, even though I’m 30 years old (and thus probably not properly classified as a ‘girl’). And I know my stepmother would refer to “the girls at work” when the women she was talking about were between 40 and 60.
So I don’t think “girl” is the problem here. If the fellow had just said “Hey giiirl!”, while I wouldn’t have been especially impressed, I don’t think it would have really even shown up on my radar.
But I know I’m white. It’s obvious that I’m white. Is it really necessary to salute me as “white girl”?
Just weird!
Not only that, you say Okeydokey!
Well there “white girl”. I guess you stick out to them more than they stick out to you. I guess it was easier than saying, “Hey girl with the red hat!” or were you wearing a red hat? Oh? Oh well.
Hey. I’ve been to Detroit twice in the past year or two. Maybe it was a a Saturday or something, but I couldn’t believe – we couldn’t believe – how desolate it looked. There were no people at ALL anywhere downtown. It looked like there was an evacuation or something. What gives????
I’m 1/72 black, or something like that, but I am white as snow. Go figure.
Alexa, that’s just Detroit. Outside sports events, conventions, the casinos, and certain areas at night, it’s just not that crowded. Why go downtown when there are many other places to go shopping or wander around?
Well, they could have said “Hey Bi-atch!” But they didn’t. Next time they say “Hey White Girl!” respond by pounding your chest 3 times and saying “Only the Sexay People Brother!” That will confuse them and maybe they will think you are cool beyond belief-you are so ultra-fabulous that everyone will once again start quoting The Time and start saying lines from their hit song “The Bird.” O-ye-o-ye-o!
Yeah, downtown Detroit is empty on weekends because most of the buildings down there are strictly office buildings. I only go there for King’s Books on the weekends… or the Old Shilleleigh. Mmmm…. beer.
That “white girl” was just plain rude, probably some youngster trying to hit on you in front of his friends. Some people need their grandma to smack them upside the head. (Hint: It’s not your grandma.)