Why do authors assume most white americans feel guily about past racial injustices commited by some white people. Being a white american myself, and having mostly contact with moderate white americans, I can't think of anybody I know who feels personally guilty. Why would we feel guilty about something we personally had no control over. I may vote for Obama but it won't have anything to do with appeasing my feelings of guilt.

My experience is similar but there are little ways that white guilt hits from outsiders.

For example, I am a public high school teacher. The only initiatives our school will even bother to discuss anymore is regarding minority achievement gap. In fact, our so-called expert on the topic shallowly tried to cow us by indirectly calling us "unintentional racists." Yes, that really happened. Couple this with the fact that every hire in our school has been African-American within the last year. The final list of candidates has not included a white male in an administrative position for three years now.

If these individuals are qualified, I don't mind but the fact is that we are surrounded by such examples. I would consider this guilt or anxiety and the common ideal seems to be that we should make up for lost time.

I think it's more correct to think of the "guilt" as being a socially manifested thing. Affirmative Action has been a response to that "guilt."

Personally, I think Affirmative Action is a great effort, but is more of a "band-aid" approach. Dramatically improved funding for our nation's poorest of educational systems is the only way to lastingly improve the poverty/power gap.