"Confessions" by Glen Bucher

Here's a paper for my Group Prejudice class on an article. Read it. Edit it. [= hahaha. 

The idea that “one cannot be part of mainstream America and committed to changing it” is the perfect embodiment of Glen Bucher’s experience of the American Dream (Bucher, 27). Bucher’s article “Confessions” from his book Straight/White/Male traces through his own experience of his receiving of the American Dream, his challenge to that dream, and the results of that challenge. In order to get a better understanding of Bucher’s experience we must explore his idea of the American Dream, his challenge to debunk that dream, and finally why his challenge failed.

            To begin with, Bucher describes the American Dream as the dominance of race, sex, and heterosexual preference by white, Anglo-Saxon Protestant, straight, males over political, economic, and social aspects of society. He nicknamed these controllers WASP’s. The American Dream for WASP’s is inherited and essential for life. According to Bucher “Every American of straight male WASP orientation grows up with this dream implanted in his consciousness and gonads” and as a result it “inevitably affects his behavior” (Bucher, 12). To identify the American Dream more clearly, Bucher explains his understanding of it through his own experience while growing up. He was taught that every American community was the exact replica of his, white, Angelo-Saxon, Protestant, and straight. These communities placed an emphasis on a middle class income, family, prudence, rationality, and simplicity. The communities created the perfect amount of opportunities, success, and affluence that were easily obtained by all those who fit the criteria.

            As a result of, the WASP quality of life was deemed necessary for the “development and survival of the nation and world” (Bucher, 16). The strict following of WASP beliefs, Bucher discovered, lead to the development of prejudices, and stereotypes of all who did not fit the norm, including women, blacks, and homosexuals. For blacks, labels like “shiftless, lazy, emotional, smelly, and intellectually inferior” were negatively applied (Bucher, 16). Blacks were to be viewed as dangerous challengers to the American Dream trying to take away what white straight males had. Women, although viewed as the counterpart body to the men’s head, were still stereotyped. They were viewed as “sensitive, compassionate, docile, and obedient” (Bucher, 17). They were, by nature, intended to be caretakers of the men and children. The stereotypes of homosexuals were created through the avoidance of open sexual discussion. If there was such discussion, it was focused on females only. Males never discussed themselves in a sexual manner because homosexuality was viewed as a sickness that could be treated with therapy or medicine, therefore stereotypes of “fairies” “queers” and “freaks” developed.

            Bucher decided that once an individual received the teachings of the WASP quality of life and stereotypes, one of two things could be done. On one hand, the individual could embrace the teachings and do nothing about seeing the American Dream in its true context. Or on the other hand, the individual could “analyze thoroughly that which one has inherited” and understand the implications on those who are abused by this dream. Bucher chose to analyze this dream and make an attempt at changing it for the future and in order to do so he left his hometown community of suburban middle-class America and its beliefs behind. Bucher went to graduate school and entered into the urban middle-class neighborhood, one which was engrossed in the conflict of desire to conform to the WASP style of life and the inability to do so. His goals were to educate African-Americans so they could succeed, participate in a fight for social injustice to rid immigrants and minorities struggle with the American dream only to face the cruel hands of reality, and bring attention to whites that racism still existed.

 During his stay in the urban community, Bucher reevaluated all of his ambitions, goals, and priorities. To challenge the American Dream he converted his Conservative religion to one of pietism, evangelicalism, sectarianism, legalism, and pacifism. He changed his political views to that of liberal assumptions of a just America that provided equal opportunities of middle-class to everyone who are educated and work hard. Bucher believed that “liberal political philosophy and strategies of social change consistent with it were the means by which the restoration would be accomplished” (Bucher, 23). However, despite these changes, his attempt to make progress in the fight to destroy the WASP American Dream was defeated.

Bucher dove deep into the fight by obtaining a professor position at a predominantly black college. He saw the environment as both scary, because he was in the alien world, but also ideal because of how much there was to do. Despite Bucher’s efforts reality came crashing down. Bucher realized that even graduate educated African-Americans were not as proficient as white junior high school students. These individuals worked for meager wages at meaningless jobs. They were “consumed by a subculture of poverty, depression, disease, and despair” (Bucher, 25). Black men were found wandering the streets looking for jobs and black women were found in hospitals looking for a roof over their head or a doctor. There was a steady stream of violence, police brutality, and death. Bucher realized that “blacks do not have the option of leaving alien America” however he did (Bucher, 26). Once he came to this realization, Bucher’s ideas of liberalism were destroyed. He discovered that the liberal beliefs did not fully understand the context of the social problem, mostly because they still benefited from the problem itself. Liberal beliefs challenge to the social arrangements only helped Bucher come to the conclusion that straight white males were the “creators, maintainers, and change agents of the American way of life” and that America is not going to give up its racism (Bucher, 27).

I believe that Glen Bucher’s article accurately describes the confessions of a white straight male who was unsuccessful at making our society better. I completely agree with his idea of the American Dream and the WASP quality of life. Whites, for many years, have benefited from our past history. I think that the WASP teachings are definitely inherited, however if they are not inherited, they are easily taught. I have made my own realization in my own prejudice from this article in that if I was unsuccessful in something, I would blame it on something externally, however if I was successful in something I would attribute it to something internal. In our society today, it would be difficult to prevent the teachings of the WASP quality of life and therefore avoid the stereotypes that accompany these teachings. It is unfortunate and bothersome that the underprivileged must suffer at the hands of reality after dreaming of obtaining American success. I think that Bucher and others made a valiant effort to make the necessary changes for our future and it was unfortunate that they were unsuccessful.

I do agree with Bucher that racism and prejudice is a white problem because whites are the creators, however I disagree in that whites can be the only ones to solve the problem. I think that prejudice happens across cultures and those who are discriminated against, discriminate themselves. For example, African-Americans are greatly discriminated against by whites; however they discriminate against homosexuals just as much. I think it is unfair to leave solving this social problem only up to whites because of their inheritance of privilege while minorities participate in only making the problem worse. Even though, stereotypes, racism, and prejudice has seemingly decreased in our society the only explanation for this decrease is due to a more covert display. We have truly made no recent progress in more forms of social justice and in order to do so I think a more collaborative effort by all races, sexes, sexual preferences, etc need to be made. An open minded attitude to both similarities and differences must be taken where no group is better than another, where there are no model minorities, and more. Societal standards and norms have to be altered to include everyone in such a way that is not enhancing one groups control over another. WASP teachings and inheritances need to be eliminated from society and the American Dream should be altered to provide opportunities for everyone. With these important changes, I believe that Buchers’ envision of change may just begin to progress.

In conclusion, Glen Buchers’ article “Confessions” explored Buchers’ understanding of the American Dream and the world that it played a major role in. Bucher realized that as a candidate for the WASP quality of life he had the option of accepting the beliefs and fulfilling his own potential at the expense of others, or challenging the teachings and changing the effects it had on those who suffered from them. After choosing the path of change, Bucher realized his minimal efforts were unsuccessful because “one cannot be part of mainstream America and committed to changing it” (Bucher, 27). I agree with Buchers’ idea of challenge and change, however I place the burden of both, challenging the American dream and changing societal standards and stereotypes, not only on whites, but society as a whole. Without collaboration from everyone, successful changes will not be made.