Who is Dr. Bledsoe?

Published in 1952, Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison is set in 1945 and follows the narrator (a black man) as he looks back upon his life. The narrator begins telling his story around the beginning of his college education. He is awarded a scholarship to the state college for black youth and is completely overjoyed. He takes up a job as a chauffeur on campus, but one day, he drives a benefactor somewhere he should not have seen. Shortly after this incident, the narrator has his first encounter with Dr. Bledsoe, a black man who is the current president of the college. 

The narrator’s original opinion of Dr. Bledsoe is incredibly positive. He looks up to him, a powerful and wealthy man, the embodiment of success. However, upon their first meeting, his view of Bledsoe completely changes, resolving that he will murder Bledsoe. After learning of what has happened, Bledsoe lashes out at the narrator, perplexed and frustrated as to why the narrator does not understand unspoken rules. These rules are ways to thrive in a white supremacist society, ways to please white people and bypass the system. Bledsoe explains in exasperation that the narrator should only show the sponsors what they want to see- the nice parts of campus and the sections that will please the white people.

There are many different perspectives to be taken on Bledsoe’s mindset. The narrator sees it as unacceptable, as he has grown up trained to respect white people. Bledsoe is a traitor and a horrible liar. The narrator believes in the racist system and abides by it completely, which is why he is so shocked by Bledsoe’s words. However, another interpretation can be that Bledsoe is doing what he must. The problem lies not within Bledsoe, but the system. Within a white-dominated society, Bledsoe feels that he must act a certain way to be successful. This can both be interpreted as playing into the expectations of white society and allowing racism to persist, or as Bledsoe thriving despite oppressive circumstances. Bledsoe has learned how to use the system to his own advantage and became a huge success. If Bledsoe did not have this mindset, one might argue he would be more morally sound, but again, he might not be the affluent man he is today. Regardless of what one’s thoughts are on his actions, the opinion one holds on Dr. Bledsoe is a good opportunity for self-evaluation.

 

White Savior Complex

Richard Wright’s provocative novel, Native Son (1940), centers around Bigger Thomas, a black man living in Chicago during the 1930s. During the course of this novel, Bigger gets a job, commits rape and murder, is tried for his crimes, and is executed. Every step of the way, Bigger is surrounded by white people. White people who are abusive and racist towards him, but also white people who believe they are making things better for Bigger. White people seeing themselves as doing good and helping the black community. In other words, white saviors. The white savior complex is defined as “the phenomenon in which a white person ‘guides people of colour from the margins to the mainstream with his or her own initiative and benevolence’ which tends to render the people of colour “incapable of helping themselves” and disposes them of historical agency.” (Cammarota, 2011: 243-244) In short, these people are self-serving. They are harmful in a number of ways, as they reinforce the thought that POC cannot help themselves. They are treated as incapable beings, who need the help of a white person. White saviors shift the focus from the problems that POC experience to their inadequate efforts to “help” them, perpetuating racist beliefs about white superiority. Mr. and Mrs. Dalton are prime examples of white saviors- donating ping-pong tables to the black community and telling everyone about it (performative), whilst collecting overpriced rent from many black families (including Bigger’s). This is ultimately driving them deeper into poverty and helping to ruin lives, and making a much larger impact than their sporadic donations. Although Native Son is set in the past, many aspects of the novel are still very present. White saviors are still everywhere around us, in novels such as The Help, and even public figures such as Ed Sheeran with his “Comic Relief.”

Work Cited: Cammarota, Julio. “Blindsided by the Avatar: White Saviors and Allies Out of Hollywood and in Education”, Review of Education, Pedagogy, and Cultural Studies 33, no. 3: 242-259, 2011. Further reading:

https://www.e-ir.info/2020/07/13/de-constructing-the-white-saviour-syndrome-a-manifestation-of-neo-imperialism/

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-42268637