Proud to be White?

I received an e-mail today that proclaimed the sender to be "proud to be white". It got me thinking...am I proud to be white? I don't think what I feel could be called pride. I'm thankful that I'm white because, living in Canada or the States, we have an easier time in life. I definitely don't feel superior to other races and often envy them at times for a variety of reasons.

I have Irish skin...pale and freckled...so I envy anyone with healthy, naturally tanned skin.

I have no true family nationality (my ancestry is Irish, French, English, and who knows what else) so I envy people who can lay claim to one country that their ancestors came from.

Occasionally I've been in an environment where I was the only white person in sight and I have to admit I felt a little out of place. My concerns were how the people around me felt about my presence but it didn't make me feel like a lesser human being.

I don't think it's possible for white people to fully understand what it feels like to be of another race in north America. We haven't been subjected to the conditioning they've lived with for generations.

So, am I proud to be white? The answer is no.

Like Popeye says, "I am what I am and that's all that I am".