Analysis Of Charles Mills's Article 'White Ignorance'

In his article “White Ignorance, ” Charles Mills argues that ignorance has largely contributed to the creation and segregation of racial and gender groups. He supports his case by identifying the “originally solitary Cartesian cognizer,” which is the imperialistic British state of mind where whites, especially white males, were dominant, and the historical implications of that state of mind, specifically the idea that all non-whites were inferior in thought process and mannerisms therefore do not deserve the time of day required to be understood. Although he labels this ignorance “white ignorance,” he does not limit this intentional ignorance to just white males or the repercussions to racial separation. Instead he designates it as a specific way of thinking that encourages ignorance in favor of the dominant party in a given situation. At the end of his article, Mills comes to the conclusion that ignorance, in general, is damaging to society, specifically interactions between people, and comes up with

For the first objection, I would agree. The unknown will eventually come up, but it wouldn’t come before building a relationship. Once trust and respect have been established, the individual is willing to open up and satisfy any unknown that still applies, As for the second objection, I understand the fear that goes along with this objection. But consider the emotional level of the individual being questioned. Given an incident where the man and the woman began to converse and the man began interrogating the woman in an attempt to cure the unknown, feeling vulnerable, the woman would instead withdraw and refuse to talk or perhaps even leave. Not asking and refusing to know would create a level of trust where the unknown is voluntarily