“Imprisoned and Enthralled”: Whiteness and Delusions Around Exploration, Conquest, and Mortality
Abstract
Today, there exists a series of thrill-seeking, hedonistic, and (sometimes) death-defying activities, that are often taken up by white people. Spelunking, free diving, and bouldering, to name a few, are all activities that while enjoyed by many, continue to be risky acts that can end fatally. What is it about these activities, about playing in the face of death, that makes these hobbies so attractive to white people? Whiteness is often discussed as something purely physical, but what are the psychological effects and impacts of whiteness? And how do these psychological aspects of whiteness manifest themselves physically? In this essay, I will discuss whiteness in the metaphysical sense, and its physical implications. Using Achille Mbembe’s writings on necropolitics and W.E.B Dubois’ writings on the “psychological wage”, I will be exploring the delusions that spawn from and within whiteness, and how it affects one’s relationship to exploration, conquest, and mortality.
“Imprisoned and Enthralled”: Whiteness and Delusions Around Exploration, Conquest, and Mortality
Today, there exists a series of thrill-seeking, hedonistic, and (sometimes) death-defying activities, that are often taken up by white people. Spelunking, free diving, and bouldering, to name a few, are all activities that while enjoyed by many, continue to be risky acts that can end fatally. What is it about these activities, about playing in the face of death, that makes these hobbies so attractive to white people? Whiteness is often discussed as something purely physical, but what are the psychological effects and impacts of whiteness? And how do these psychological aspects of whiteness manifest themselves physically? In this essay, I will discuss whiteness in the metaphysical sense, and its physical implications. Using Achille Mbembe’s writings on necropolitics and W.E.B Dubois’ writings on the “psychological wage”, I will be exploring the delusions that spawn from and within whiteness, and how it affects one’s relationship to exploration, conquest, and mortality.
