*sigh*
Today, I learned that there is more than one Whitest Place On Earth.
Previously, Sedona, Arizona held that title in my mind. Overpriced kitsch, questionable spirituality, exploitative use of misunderstood (as if they cared to try to understand) Native culture, oppressive building design codes... that's about as white as it gets, right? I mean, who else (with a college education) would rub crystals on their cancer to make it go away?
Today, I saw a place that was capable of doing worse. Imagine if somebody came in from another country, got so excited about being an American that he had to do something drastic, took explosives to a major cathedral (or synagogue or whatever it is that theists use) in order to celebrate that enthusiasm, and then opened it to the public. Who then overwhelmingly approved, made pilgrimages to the site in order to put themselves in front of it in pictures, emblazoned it on crappy merchandise, and then capitalized on it by opening even more disgraceful and disrespectful ancillary businesses for dozens of miles around. If this weren't all bad enough, operation of the site would be handled by the National Park Service (the stewards of the physical, cultural, and historical legacy of our nation), who would completely neglect to acknowledge what previously existed on the site or why some people might find the new use offensive.
I went to Mt. Rushmore today. It is (also) The Whitest Place On Earth.
And so we come to the title of this post. The Thinking White Man's Burden is this: to forever bear the shame, embarrassment, and humility that the rest of his kind utterly lacks. On all our behalf: I'm sorry.
