Am I Anti-White?

Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash

A few months ago, I received some feedback on one of my posts, a comment which began:

“This is one of the most bigoted and uninformed statements I’ve ever read. It easily ranks down there with some equally bigoted statements by neo-Nazis…”

This show of indignation had been brought on by a particular statement of mine: namely, that there is no such thing as “white culture” apart from colonialism. The commenter was furious, pointing out the rich mythologies of Ireland and Eastern Europe as counter-examples to my “racist” remark.

I hadn’t given this accusation much thought until yesterday, when I discovered the existence of an up-and-coming independent film series, purporting to be about the battle between the Celts (referred to as “Celtics”) and the Roman Empire. My curiosity piqued by Irish Twitter’s gleeful roasting of the project, I watched a few trailers. It was exactly what I’d hoped for: Macha yelling about the Romans as if she were demanding to see the manager of the local Gaius Walmartus. Belenos (spelt, funnily enough, in the Roman way––“Belenus”) hamming it up about being a muzzled sheep. The mythical Queen Medb mumbling something about totalitarian Roman censorship, while making the same faces a toddler would during a toilet-training session.

The historian and folklorist in me felt torn between laughing and sobbing as I watched this parade of ahistorical nonsense. Aeronwen, a Welsh goddess, is lumped in as Irish. Celtic deities speak of their then-nonexistent “Celtic identity” and “national borders”, with no proud Icenis or Ordovices to be seen. Icelandic elves make an appearance, despite the fact that this series is purportedly set eight hundred years before Iceland was settled.

I do not believe this lack of accuracy was an accident, for there was another, more disturbing theme to the film clips: a pointed narrative promoting the idea that ‘white’ heritage must be protected from an outside threat. On the official series’ Twitter account, there are plenty of dog whistles about pure Celtic heritage being threatened by “globalist” (an antisemitic canard), “multicultural” Romans, and troops from Africa:

A piece of the script as seen on the series’ Twitter, reading: “The massive multinational, multicultural Roman Empire is upon us.”

In an even more bizarre and blatantly racist vein, the women in the film lament being seen as too pale and beautiful by the barbarians, and––like many out-and-out white supremacists––decry the idea of being “mixed” into extinction:

A piece of the script as seen on the series’ Twitter, reading: I see our Celtic people told our skin is too alba (white), our eyes too blue, that we must be made to feel ashamed, feel guilty for being who we are. Our sovereignty ended, our borders crushed, our people enslaved.

Most telling of all, the detail which really got me thinking about “white culture”, is the series’ preference for supposedly “white” aesthetics over accuracy. The trailer backgrounds are decorated not just with Irish Ogham symbols, but with Elder Futhark, an old Norse writing system (which, ironically, derived from Latin letters). The fact that Futhark, which was not in use at this point and certainly not by the Celts, shows up in this ahistorical capacity may be taken as a quiet nod to the strange and well-documented pan-European aesthetic adopted by many (mostly American) white supremacists. After all, Europe is and has always been dominated by white people, or so their reasoning goes. These bigots, eager to reclaim a homegrown “white” past, snatch European symbols––whether they are Slavic, British, or Scandinavian––and place them side by side, creating a new culture: bound not by history, but by skin colour and a sense of superiority. Celtic crosses hover over faux-Viking horned helmets, which are juxtaposed next to the fascist-origin Romanian St Michael’s Cross. Historically distinct ethnic identities be damned––blond hair trumps all.

As I have stated before, the usage of “white” as a term to describe supposedly “superior” pale-skinned people grew from a need to justify slavery, Manifest Destiny, and other products of European imperialism. Prior to the rise of colonialism, Europeans did not have a ‘European’ identity, nor did they have a white one. Of course, there were and are a myriad of richly interesting cultures across Europe––but none of them were white. “Viking” was not a blond blue-eyed master race––it was a job description, one used by people across the spectrum of skin and eye colours. The Celts have fairly mysterious origins, but one of the oldest Celtic bodies discovered––Ava, a young Scottish woman who lived and died over four millennia ago––was dark-haired and dark-eyed (actually, through one of my parents, I have distant familial ties to Ava). Would Ava have considered herself “white”? The historical consensus says no: the Bell Beaker culture, from which she hailed, was multicultural, its native lands stretching eastward from Central Europe. Whiteness was simply not present for most of world history––not until it was coined in pursuit of empire.

So, given all this, what about my prior statement on the nonexistence of “white culture”? Do I still stand by it?

Despite what the commenter from my previous article insinuated, I’ve nothing against European cultures and history. In fact, I’ve had special interests in medieval English history, Irish folklore, and Norse mythology for years on end. I take Norwegian classes for fun, own a replica of Queen Anne Boleyn’s “B” necklace, and avidly pore through Katharine Briggs’ books on British fairies. I liberally spoon crushed Calabrian chilli peppers into my signature baked pasta, and I’d take spätzle (a word I am proud to be able to pronounce correctly) over regular mac and cheese any day. These foods, these items, and stories––they’re Irish, English, Norwegian, Sicilian, German… but none of them are white.

So yes, I maintain what I said: “white culture” is nothing more than a myth, and to defend its supposed reality not only perpetrates anti-Blackness but does a disservice to the fascinating variety of real cultures which racists lump under the umbrella of “white identity”.

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