This week you are asked to read an article by Tim Wise. Click here to find it. Watch the video below. Name three central themes of his speech. Use two quotes from the reading above. Find one external source to round out your blog post. For each theme make connections with examples from current events (this will mean you have to do your own research online). See requirements below for due dates and . Requirements for BLOG POSTS
80 Comments
Alexander Salah
9/30/2014 02:58:40 pm
Time Wise speech 3 themes (video)
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Alexander Salah (revised)
10/1/2014 01:19:05 pm
A Political Ideology, Tim Wise
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Hakwoo Kim
10/3/2014 04:22:46 pm
I mostly agreed with your concerns and ideas. It is true that education plays a crucial role of success. Although I agree that our education should be provided equally to all people, I wonder what would be the way to make it so as it seems to have been failing to do so. There must be something that moves those with privileges to really feel the problem and become willing to change the way. However, like you pointed out, those who privileges tend not to sed the problem, and this ignorance hinders society from progressing. Then again, how can we help them see the truth and take actions about it? These are the most things I had questions about while reading yours :)
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Karla O'Connor
10/1/2014 04:56:06 pm
In “Exploring the Depths of White Racist Socialization,” a quote that stood out to me was: “Our guilt is worthless, although far from meaningless. It has plenty of meaning: it means we aren’t likely to do a damned thing constructive to end the system which took us in… (Wise- 174). This can relate back to the video when Tim Wise explains how guilt and responsibility are not synonyms, and that we need to understanding the difference between the two. He gave the example of how someone with privilege has the right to walk away from a situation he or she already “destroyed,” leaving negative effects onto a certain group or area. This can also be seen in American imperialism. He ends the video by saying that as a society, we must take responsibility for our own actions because this guilt gets passed onto generations and can destroy a society as a whole, without actually being conscious of it. In order to end this cycle of victimization, rationalization, deflection, and minimization which Wise describes as the four reasons of white denial, there must be conscientiousness that race is an issue, and to exempt them from racism only furthers the issue. Once we can challenge White Privilege and get people to acknowledge that institutional racism still exists, we can take start taking steps in achieving racial equality.
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Sharon Serper
10/4/2014 05:28:44 am
The idea of “I have black friends so I can’t be racist” is quite an interesting one. To me it seems as though people try to convince others (along with themselves) that they could not possibly be racist because of this. Often times we need to ask ourselves if we are simply making an excuse, rather than an effort regarding racism.
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Judy Chen
10/4/2014 01:21:40 pm
For those individuals that are still racist to this day, their actions and behaviors not only affect the people they are showing prejudice towards, but they also affect those individuals who are not racist subconsciously, which Tim Wise exemplifies with this article about his grandmother. If people are constantly being surrounded by negative energy and racist beliefs, sooner or later those thoughts become ingrained within them as well. And through this repetition, there is little hope for any change at all with American society's overall attitude towards prejudice and racism. America needs to take serious courses of action to enlighten people about why racism or sexism or any other sort of prejudice is so detrimental to the political and economic progress of this country.
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Karla
10/5/2014 11:29:06 am
I really like the fact that you mentioned that being around negative energy and certain beliefs, these beliefs become ingrained subconsciously. I believe this because it has happened to me. After overcoming a negative experience with someone, those negative thoughts affected me and the present, even when I thought I moved on positively. Sometimes the only solution to this is realizing that there is a problem, and one has to take responsibility of ones’ own actions. What we can do is acknowledge these negative thoughts, and instead of suppressing them, try to re appraise the situation.
Arnulfo Gembe
10/5/2014 06:38:32 am
The idea of having black friends excuses someone from being labeled a racist is challenged due to social media and the entertainment industry. Nowadays we have comedians who bring up that concept and because we as a society find it amusing and funny we can question this idea to help us open society’s eyes. Certain comedians such as Dave Chappelle in his standup routine talks about his white friend “Chip” and through “Chip’s” eyes Chappelle is able to explore the way that White America views the rest of America. Because Chappelle uses satire in his standup his audience should be able to realize the privilege that some Americans are granted.
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Arnulfo Gembe
10/2/2014 07:47:16 am
Tim Wise speaks about the concept of White Denial in the YouTube video. I think the part that
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Nicole Cheng
10/5/2014 03:46:11 pm
Hey Arnulfo; I find the concept of sympathy super interesting too! How does one understand something so different? It would be hard for me to understand a sociopathic or pedophilic mind set-- maybe that's what it was like for white individuals back then. Because the black community was sold to them by society, those in power, and history, as something very different from themselves-- letting ignorance do the rest. And I agree that privilege is largely what allows ignorance--
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Dylan SanFilippo
10/2/2014 10:05:36 am
Many Americans believe that racism is no longer a problem. Tim Wise however, begs to differ. Statistics say that 6% of white Americans think that racism is a major problem in America today (14:10), while everyone regardless of position acknowledges that in 1962-1963 racism was extremely rampant in America. In 1963, 80% of white people said that racial minorities were treated equally. Tim Wise says that this is because it is difficult for people to deal with the problems of the current day, and it is easy to say that the past is what is was. The main point that Tim goes on to say is that denial (to the oppressor) has been in every generation regarding the problem of racism (19:10), even since before racism was even a word(18:30). In Tim’s work, ‘Exploring the Depths of White Racist Socialization,’ he says that, “the first word newcomers learned when they came to this country [was] nigger.” (p173)
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Myah Rodriguez
10/3/2014 08:01:21 am
It's interesting that you bring up the points about our current social system being just as harmful to whites as it is to exploited groups. My question to you and anyone who wants to respond is what do you think would be the best way to combat this system of inequality? Or do you believe there is even a solution at all?
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Dylan SanFilippo
10/3/2014 09:30:14 am
If there is a solution, it would have to appeal to the ruling power: the white people of America.
Sharon Serper
10/4/2014 05:32:51 am
Unfortunately, I think it would take generations to make any sort of strides in combating racism. Does this mean the issue will ever be fully eradicated? Probably not. People always make predispositions about others, and skin tone is an easy way to look at a person and say “they are different than me.”
Nelson Chuang
10/5/2014 09:23:59 am
There is no clear way to combat the system of inequality. Throughout the world, no system has yet to come close to providing equality. Even in communist countries where it is supposed to have equal resources for everyone, they still deal with corruption and other extreme conditions like famine. For society to minimize the gap of inequality, we need to look past the system and come together as individuals. After all, no system works without its people.
Jason Do
10/5/2014 04:11:00 pm
A solution is definitely hard to find. I for one can't decide if it is better to actively address and point out the ugliness that is racism or a slightly more passive approach that aims to quietly transition to the end of racism. Tim Wise advocates the first option rather adamantly while Morgan Freeman goes for the latter: "Stop talking about [racism]. I'm going to stop calling you a white man. And I'm going to ask you to stop calling me a black man. I know you as Mike Wallace. You know me as Morgan Freeman. You're not going to say, "I know this white guy named Mike Wallace." Hear what I'm saying?"
Brandon Morin
10/5/2014 02:02:44 pm
The toughest challenge in the battle for equality and puting an end to racism is the fact that the people that would have to do most of the work to get the nation to that place are the people that ARE privileged and have very little want, desire, or incentive to do so. How do you convince the powerful and the rich to put their hands out and even the playing field? Why would they want to do so? I believe that if you're in the upper elite it's all about maintaining that status and stopping the rest from catching up. How do we change that mentality?
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So Chun Kiu Ryan
10/2/2014 11:31:20 am
After watching the whole video clip, the word “self- centered” appeared in my mind that seems to connect several themes about racism. In my opinion, selfishness is pretty much the root of racism that people who are racist, only care about themselves. They neglect, deny the fact that other people are suffering because of their selfish thoughts and behavior. For instance, White Denial as Tim Wise mentioned, exists because white people have the privilege of not needing to know about racial inequality. White people always have the upper hand in nearly all circumstances such as education, employment, healthcare…etc. They don’t have to face series of racial challenges and hence fail to realize the seriousness of racism suffered by people of color. Even some of them do recognize racism, they try to deny that they are the cause of racism and escape from the responsibility. An excellent example of white denial is that there are many white people who claim racism doesn’t exist in modern society. However they are actually choosing to deny the overwhelming racism while taking advantage of it. In reality, racism is so deeply inherited, planted in everyone’s mind that no one can actually free of it. “All this is why I’m so tired of other white folks trying to sell bullshit like: “I don’t have a racist bone in my body” or “I never notice color”. Fact is “nigger” is still the first word on most white people’s minds when they see a black man being taken off to jail on the evening news.” Time Wise said.
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Nicole Cheng
10/5/2014 04:00:49 pm
What is selfishness? If ignorance is selfish then we are all doubly selfish.
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jennifer melgarejo
10/5/2014 05:14:52 pm
Hi So Chun Kiu Ryan I believe your “self-centered” approach is very interesting and another thing along the same lines is that privileged people are not able to make the connection with those that are oppressed. This inability to form a human connection and empathize with another person is what probably encourages a selfish mindset, we are so worried about ourselves that we do not see how we affect others. Furthermore we live fairly segregated lives form those that are oppressed so that the narratives of oppressed peoples get lost and instead one allows their understanding to be clouded by stereotypes and single stories.
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Dakota Bramer
10/2/2014 01:18:14 pm
A main theme in Tim Wise’s video was societies ignorance to problems. Generation after generation ignore the fact that problems are relevant in their time. It is very easy to label problems’ as a part of the past and say, “oh, back in the 60’s there was so much racism.” People seem to go to great lengths to forget or deny issues that do not necessarily pertain to them. In Tim Wise article, Exploring the Depths of White Racist Socialization he says, “I don't have a racist bone in my body, or I never notice color.” I think that is a good example of denial. Obviously there are people that are not racist but it’s too easy for someone who may be racist to say something like that. A current issue on this is that fact that only 6% of Americans believe racism still exists in America (Tim Wise) and if that little of the population believe it exists, then we clearly have work to do.
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So Chun Kiu Ryan
10/5/2014 10:39:45 am
I am totally shocked by your statistics! It's so interesting that only few percent of white people admit the problem of racism when most of them expressed anti-black sentiments ( White takes up 74.4% of US population according to Wikipedia)! The contradiction is sufficiently apparent that it reflects most of white people must have intentionally denying existence of racism. It is also sad to me that situation of racism seems a lot harder to improve as White people must be truly enjoying taking advantages of racism. With our current society which is dominated by white, I can only see dimmer and dimmer light of hope in fighting racism... Although we are still far from racial equality, that doesn't mean society has the excuse of not fighting it.
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jennifer melgarejo
10/5/2014 05:30:35 pm
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Brandon Morin
10/2/2014 01:29:43 pm
Tim Wise touched on many topics during his lecture, political ideology(white privilege) and what tied them all together was white privilege. From the very beginning of the lecture it was noted that he was standing before us giving us a speech on racial inequality, something only white privilege could've granted. Throughout our history White America has enjoyed obvious and not so obvious luxuries that others only dream of and due to those luxuries it has created a lack of desire to act on the subject of inequality. The luxuries have also caused their vision to become blurry and the blind-eye and ignorance has been passed down from generation to generation leaving the issues relevant today. Wise spoke about the racial profiling and injustice that happens in our society and the assumptions that are formed based on class and race. He gave a great example when he polled a group of police officers and asked them what they thought when they say a minority driving an expensive vehicle versus a young white male and the responses were rarely different than drug dealer and rich kid. The people who are sworn to protect and serve the community are admitting to being racially and socially biased and that ignorance is a huge disservice to the society we live in. A big key to making a real change in today's world of inequality is to get the individuals who have the power to do so, care about the topic of change. Tim Wise said in his article,"Fact is nigger is still the first word on most white people’s minds when they see a black man being taken off to jail on the evening news." How do you get a privileged group of individuals, who on top of that might even be racist or enjoy the benefit of being blind to the realities of life, to want to make the world a different place? How do you get them to want to become equals to the individuals they fear might take their position in life? It's a great challenge to create change. Getting a selfish society to change our modern world will take unrelenting selflessness.
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Dylan SanFilippo
10/3/2014 09:01:35 am
This question that you pose is an interesting one. In this country, we are taught to see everything through the question, “how will this affect me?” There is no good reason that you have given for white people to give up their own privilege to make the world equal. You say that change will take “unrelenting selflessness,” but we all know that America is one of, if not the least selfless countries in the world. Although, there is a way that just might work to convince the white people of America to consider equality. You have to tell the white people how racism affects them. You have to tell them what negative effects it has on the white people. Tim Wise tells of this in the video. Many white folk, buy-in-large will just turn the other way when you present to them how their own racism affects them, but it is in my opinion the best fighting chance you have to any type of positive change.
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Judy Chen
10/4/2014 01:45:05 pm
I think the most unreasonable and astonishing part of this whole concept of equality is the fact that it's mostly based on appearance. They say that they fear "outsiders" taking their positions in life, or being too dominant, when people within their own race may or may not pose the same threat. For example, if a white man fears that a person of color may take their job position, why wouldn't they have the same fear towards a white person taking their job position? This just goes to show how much disrespect and inferiority white people put upon people of color; to consider them more of a threat because outsiders are "supposed to be less qualified" or "supposed to live less fortunately". From a country of all immigrants, it sure is ironic how much the United States despises "outsiders".
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Karla
10/5/2014 11:50:03 am
The question you posed is very challenging because I feel in my opinion, white privileged individuals are so ingrained in their own mentality; they only know their position, class, and their own race as the only right way of living sometimes. They are too comfortable to even acknowledge the detrimental effects their privilege might have on others, so they might not even consider to help others. In order for a selfless society to want change and equality, deconstructing materialism, systems of hierarchies, as well as racial categories are the first steps. But it will take more than just privileged individuals to want change, it will take the efforts of the community as a whole to educate those in power and to move in a direction where prejudices and racial inequality cannot exist.
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Karla
10/5/2014 11:50:52 am
The question you posed is very challenging because I feel in my opinion, white privileged individuals are so ingrained in their own mentality; they only know their position, class, and their own race as the only right way of living sometimes. They are too comfortable to even acknowledge the detrimental effects their privilege might have on others, so they might not even consider to help others. In order for a selfless society to want change and equality, deconstructing materialism, systems of hierarchies, as well as racial categories are the first steps. But it will take more than just privileged individuals to want change, it will take the efforts of the community as a whole to educate those in power and to move in a direction where prejudices and racial inequality cannot exist.
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Jason Do
10/5/2014 04:17:46 pm
You bring up a good point in that people don't necessarily want to give up their advantages. It is true that it is only human nature to want to have as many advantages in life as you can to survive. Perhaps a way to counter this is to make priveleged people realize that these advantages they have aren't necessary to survive, and are things everyone deserves to enjoy. Though, not being judged by appearances might seem like a small privilege to a white person, the consequence of judging black people is immensely more harmful for their fellow human beings.
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Veronica Romo
10/2/2014 02:03:29 pm
The speech by Tim Wise touched on many overlooked yet extremely important issues relevant to all Americans even if unnoticed by those blind to it. I think three of the most prominent themes mentioned are racism, white denial, and the cost of inequalities. racism is a constant socialized force created in order to create a supremacy and divide the people rather than show similarities, and Wise was able to clearly demonstrate that in both the video and the article. "No one is innocent. No one is unaffected by the daily socialization to which we are all subjected—specifically with regard to the way we are taught to think about persons of color in this society" (Wise 172) In an article I recently read in the LA Times was regarding a proclaimed win of a lawsuit by three Latino police officers who were constantly given "mall duty" instead of positions of more importance. however, I believe this is an example of white blindness. The true test of equality would be in my opinion if the attorney representing the three Latinos would have been black or brown rather than a blonde white woman, would the results have been the same or different? white blindness is basically the habit of "sweeping things under the rug" and "glorifying our past and present accomplishments without taking responsibilities for any of the wrong or bad" (Wise pathology of privilege) the costs of inequality are demonstrated towards the end of the video, if people do not begin to educate, become aware and demonstrate a change we will continue to experience the oppression of entire groups of people, as well as all the unbalanced division of powers in politics and government. It supports the entire system of blind ignorance and supremacy. "In so many ways that’s all whiteness ever meant, and all it needed to mean for those of European descent.To be white meant at least you were above them."(Wise 173) How can we begin to make people in powerful positions notice this need to change the inequalities of privileges? the biggest problem is that they seem to not care because the don't have to.
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Alexander Salah
10/4/2014 04:37:40 am
Throughout reading your response I had the question how can we change our society if the rich and powerful do not want things to change due to self-interest and lust. I’m glad you addressed the topic with your question at the end. I think in order to change the views of the rich and powerful we have to make them aware first hand of what their actions and decisions are doing to the rest of the world. Although harshly said, I think my previous statement has some relevance because most of the time the wealthy are trapped in their little perfect bubbles of life filled with caviar and champagne, not aware of the struggle other people are facing.
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Dominic Allred
10/5/2014 11:27:44 am
Since people with "power" have a tendency to not care about issue's that do not personally effect them. For those with perceived power to change inequalities and inequities formed from privilege they would most likely have to experience the inequalities and inequities themselves. Another less extreme thing that can be done is to have large masses of people demonstrate/protest in a peaceful manner about why the inequalities and inequities they face need to be changed.
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Brandon Morin
10/5/2014 02:17:40 pm
Im honestly not sure if those in leadership or power or government will ever change for the simple fact that it does not benefit them. Imagine if the shoe was on the other foot. Imagine if everyone in our class became them. Would we want everyone to have the advantage of catching up to us or maybe take our positions or would we want to preserve and protect them?..Greed is powerful, and I believe that's a huge part of the problem...How do you make a greedy person or people turn into charitable ones?..Because that's basically what's being asked of the "white privileged" ...change your lifestyle for the benefit of others. That's just for the simple aspect...now what about if those individuals have had issues of racism against them?..What if blacks or other ethnic groups bullied them in their childhood or acts of violence were committed against them?...Racism isn't an intelligent attribute, however it is real and occurrences in life can change a person's outlook quite a bit. I believe the complexity of the situation makes the goal of equality an extremely difficult one if not impossible.
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veronica romo
10/5/2014 03:46:15 pm
However, don't you think that to believe those in power will never have a change of heart or that they will always be greedy is to too readily admit defeat? I would like to hope that if many of us some day reach a level of power, especially those of us in this class, would not so readily choose fortune and privilege over equality and unity.
Laura Pino-Flores
10/2/2014 02:08:43 pm
One of the themes in Tim Wise’s speech was white privilege. He opened his speech by saying how people view him as an expert because he is white as opposed to racial minorities who have had actual experience. White people sometimes do not see their privilege because they do not see past their white community and are not exposed to the under privileged minorities. One example of white privilege is how whites get lighter sentences than other minorities after committing the same crime simply because of their race.
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Tiffany Le
10/2/2014 02:29:35 pm
Three central themes of Tim Wise’s speech include the “other”, institutionalized racism, and white privilege. First of all, race is a socially constructed concept, socially constructed to “[command] power over resources and opportunities at the expense of people of color” (Wise). People who are not considered part of the white race (mainly people of color but also people who don’t have class privilege etc.) must know what “white” people (people with privilege) think of them in order to understand how they may be disadvantaged by being underprivileged. People with privilege act selfishly so that they can maintain the benefits while the “others” suffer. In addition, the language that people use excludes the “others” by dehumanizing them. Terms like alien, illegal, nigger, hold a negative connotation causing people not to think of people of color as human beings. For example, Wise states in his article, “Exploring the Depths of White Racist Socialization”, “Here was a woman who no longer could recognize her own children… yet, knew what she had been taught at a very early age to call black people” (Wise). Racism has been so ingrained in white American culture; as Wise’s grandmother’s mind deteriorated, what was left of her conscious mind could remember a single word that’s used to degrade black people. This language is a form of discrimination. A study published in the American Sociological Review (2012) describes how racial discrimination increases the crime rate among young black males: “’Those that experienced high levels of discrimination were at a much higher risk of criminal offending,’ said Burt. ‘And we found that much of this effect occurred through the three social psychological mediators that were depression, hostile views of relationships, and disengaging it from conventional norms…’” (https://asunews.asu.edu/20120816_racialdiscrimination_crime) Unfortunately, this is a consequence that racism has created. Another consequence is racial profiling. Arizona has a new law that requires police officers to ask people for their legal documentation based on “reasonable suspicion.” Wise has mentioned in his video and in his book that “whites are over 70 percent of drug users, but 10% of peoples incarcerated for a drug possession offense, while blacks and latinos combined are about 25 percent of users, but roughly 90 percent of persons locked up for a possession offense” (Wise 19). This demonstrates white privilege and racism that’s prevalent in the US.
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Laura Pino-Flores
10/5/2014 02:25:04 pm
I completely agree with everything you mentioned. I think a big problem in the United States is race and how we want to place everyone is a certain box regarding race and class. This becomes a problem when races start mixing in with each other because not everyone fits in a certain group. I think this country has to realize that your race does not define who you are, and that as the years go by it is going to be harder to classify in regards to race because the United States is full of many races that are merging together and will continue to. Therefore we cannot continue to stereotype people simply by their race.
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Niloufar Pirkhezri
11/10/2014 11:13:04 am
I love the points you made. I think that its ridiculous for society to put you in a box for the rest of your life based on the color of your skin. Not acknowledging the person you are but based on something that is out of your control.
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Sharon Serper
10/2/2014 02:50:53 pm
In the video above, responsibility, privilege, and denial are key themes. In his speech, Wise discusses the necessity of everyone (regardless of skin tone) to understand why racism is an issue in our nation today. He makes it clear that each of us has a responsibility to not stand idly by and ignore the issue. In the article, “Exploring the Depths of White Racist Socialism,” Wise explains how each of us has a responsibility to fight racism. He states, “Those people called ‘white’ have a particular obligation to fight racism because it is our problem, created in its modern form by us, for the purpose of commanding power over resources and opportunities at the expense of people of color,” (Wise). An example of this is the bystander effect, which claims that individuals are less likely to act in emergency situations when others are present.
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Gordon Wang
10/2/2014 03:18:05 pm
Wise touches on many themes in his speech including erasure of race in politics and culture, being unburdened by race and social responsibility.
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Tiffany Le
10/3/2014 01:25:58 pm
Sadly, people in this society are not equal.Viewing people with a colorblind perspective only adds to that erasure in politics. Each ethnicity has their own cultures and traditions that should be acknowledged, and these differences should be taken into consideration when elected officials create policies. Recognizing our intersectionalities maypromote solidarity, which may move us as a society to a better place.
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Caitlyn Nürnberg
10/2/2014 03:23:19 pm
One of Tim Wise’s main points in his YouTube video was white people being made self aware of their privileges, their actions, and their words. Throughout the video he comes back to the topic of being self aware of what color you are, and based on that what limitations our society puts on you. Within the first few minutes of his video he recognizes that yes he is a white man, and the only reason he is the one up on the stage talking about this subject is because if a man of color came and talked about the same thing it would unfortunately not have the same impact. He wants to spread a message to us about trying to act like racism doesn’t exist within us all, at least subconsciously, because of the environment we were raised in. If we become aware of this, it is the first step to trying to change it. In his article Exploring the Depths of White Racist Socialization Wise states “All whites, irrespective of their liberal attitudes, “tolerance” for others, and decent voting records, have to address the internalized beliefs about white superiority from which we all suffer”.
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Gordon Wang
10/5/2014 08:50:56 am
I like how you brought up this article that contains the idea that these small advantages are not a big deal. While individually these situations the journalist talks about may not seem like "lifetime game-changers", it is the sum total of all these small oppressions and discrimination that contribute to the general landscape of social disadvantage.
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Judy Chen
10/2/2014 04:09:17 pm
One of the central themes mentioned by Tim Wise in his speech is denial. There are certain inequalities and injustices that white people ignore, or choose to ignore because of their unspoken privileges. They assume that issues of racism simply aren’t true, either because they aren’t witnessing it firsthand, or because the issues don’t affect them directly. It’s a privilege in and of itself to be able to ignore inequalities amongst other races, and to have a choice to stay ignorant, because they don’t “need” to know about these issues. This type of behavior happens to a certain extent mostly within the Bay Area it seems, since we are fortunate enough to have such an accepting community (for the most part) that welcomes all races and sexuality. Every year the Bay Area proudly hosts the gay pride parade without hesitation, and this type of open-mindedness may also lead to the unintended consequence of ignorance. We can assume that racism is diminishing, or that all sexualities are now widely accepted, because we can’t see how other regions or states in the United States are experiencing severe inequalities. Also, white people tend put their culture and their standards above all other people who may look, sound or act different. “—specifically with regard to the way we are taught to think about persons of color in this society: their behaviors, lifestyles, intelligence, beauty, and so on” (Exploring the Depths of White Racist Socialization, Tim Wise). We have been socially constructed as a nation to believe that our way of life is better or the only correct way, and that outsiders must assimilate to us because we believe that we are the most important country in the world.
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Judy Chen (my response got cut off, here is my question part of the blog)
10/2/2014 04:11:26 pm
Like Tim Wise said in his article, it really does show how much America has to work as a nation to break this pattern and eliminate racism for good.
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Gordon Wang
10/5/2014 09:01:31 am
I think you bring up some good questions here on the issues of assimilation, but I think the issue is a little less black and white then your questions seem to imply. America advertises itself through the idea of the "American Dream", causing many diverse peoples to come and chase it. I feel like the entire issue of assimilation and outsiders stems from this idea. People allow themselves to become "white-washed" so to say, to become more "American" and thereby subconsciously perhaps bringing them close to the "American Dream" ideal.
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Nelson Chuang
10/5/2014 09:32:25 am
It may not be wrong but it is definitely not recommended for someone to deny their individuality just to assimilate to American culture because that ideology in itself creates a system to where the elite control the masses. The minorities will further be suppressed and eventually accept the idea of racism that they are lower, undeserving, or unworthy of any standard a blue eyed, blonde haired, perfect being is.
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Nicole Cheng
10/2/2014 04:27:53 pm
Tim Wise addresses the tangled yarn that is racism in his lecture “A Political Ideology”; it is made clear that privilege is at the core of division, inequality, as well as systematic and socialized injustice; differences aside, Wise asks viewers to take responsibility and act upon the problem as their own.
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Alexander Salah
10/4/2014 04:44:31 am
Nicole, I agree that our whole world for rich or poor tends to have some denial built into our lives whether it is about the environment, animals, or our society. It will not be an easy thing to change but I think with more classes like grassroots democracy, and new generations becoming more aware that we live in a world that is far from perfect, we can learn to change our old habits. Learning to behave differently is not an easy thing to accomplish but I think with enough time and effort put towards change, it can be possible.
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Dominic Allred
10/5/2014 11:36:17 am
People who are denial about these inequalities and inequities do not want to face the truth because they are afraid that the perceived power they hold will diminish. They will be blind to these issue's because they do not have to face them directly in their point of view so it does not happen in their mind. You could lay all the facts out in front of them and they still would not believe that inequality and inequity exist. The dreading thing that seems to materializing is that none of the inequalities you stated will change until it is too late. We will have to find a way to help these people blinded by their privilege pull their head out of the sand before it does become too late.
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Caitlyn Nurnberg
10/5/2014 01:37:39 pm
I think you made many good points when it came to white denial, and in reference to your question for how long can we ‘burn in denial’, although I hope our society as a whole can recognize and come to terms with this denial sooner than later, I also believe that it is taught. If people really do lead by example, then it may be some time before we come to realize our mistakes.
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Niloufar Pirkezri
11/10/2014 11:09:17 am
Nicole I completely agree with your points about white denial, however i agree with Caitlyn. Not only does our society need to recognize this and grow from it, but it is also something that is taught. Teaching your kids, talking to your friends, and leading examples will begin to make improvements in our society.
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Vanessa Fernandez
10/2/2014 04:46:01 pm
After watching the whole video "A political Ideology" something Tim Wise said really stuck to me. He mentioned "the failure of talk feeds denial". He mainly focuses on the theme "white denial". Not having know that there is a problem ties into the theme Wise calls "white priveledge". In order to change something we must first acknowledge that there is something wrong. Only 6 of 100 white people believe that racism is still existent. Fifteen percent of white voters admitted that race influences their vote.Recently a white teenage boy killed 4 people while driving under the influence. He was sentenced to 10 years of probation and no jail time and was diagnosed with affluenza. I firmly believe that if this young man was African American he would be seen as more of a threat to the public and would face much more extreme punishment with no sympathy. If white voters admit that race affects who they vote for as important government leaders, how is one to believe that race does not play part in the consequences of a criminal? Another example of recent racial inequality is the data that show that in 2006 there was the largest number of housing discrimination complaints. In his article Wise states, "those persons called “white” have a particular obligation to fight racism because it is our problem". This quote emphasizes that not only is racism still current, but that it is not only a colored person battle. Wise talks about his grandmother's loss of consciousness resulting in her referring to the black nurses as niggers, he says, "A word she would never have never uttered from conscious thought..". To me, this is a symbol of the way we too, say things that we are not fully conscious of only because we have become too conformed with the racism that exists around us.
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Dylan SanFilippo
10/3/2014 09:22:55 am
The continuation of white privilege is the gut instinct of anyone who has bought into the ideology of the caste system based upon race. Any person who is used to something especially at an unconscious level is not going to want it to change. There is a saying, “we are a product of our upbringing.” Although this is only true to a point, it is true enough to keep this race-based caste system going. It is then no wonder that “we have become too conformed with the racism that exists around us.” (Vanessa Fernandez) To do anything else would be a radical change that hardly anybody past or present would admit to be fully ready for. In my sight, the hope for this “positive” change to go national is dim at best.
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Jeana Lindsley
10/5/2014 02:27:18 pm
Racism is everyone’s battle, and we all have a duty to help fight it. Just because “white persons” aren’t directly affected doesn’t mean that they are exempt from its effects. White privilege is dangerous as it blinds us from seeing the violent capabilities of white people. We ignore the fact that there have been 129 confirmed white terrorists in America because in our delusional minds somehow they still are not a threat to society, purely based off the color of their skin.
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Nelson Chuang
10/2/2014 04:58:25 pm
Too often do emotional feelings come across my mind regarding the issue of racism and its unconscious effects on society. Many times we assume we aren’t under racisms control because “we are better than that” or “we are educated enough to know right from wrong” but even the most educated are under its spell. In Exploring the Depths of White Racist Socialization, Tim Wise addresses these obstacles of racism and tries to portray the seriousness of the issue through personal testimonies. His most serious account comes from his grandmother MawMaw and her battle with Alzheimer’s disease that unveiled the unconscious racism within. Wises grandmother was a strong advocate against racism and a good account of that was when MawMaw confessed to her KKK father that she had fallen in love with a Jewish man and to choose whether to “burn [the KKK robes] or whether she was going to have to do it herself” (Wise, 172). It was a small step in minimizing the impact of racism.
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Dakota Bramer
10/5/2014 03:36:20 am
I think that is insane, how she could barely remember how to do things that were a necessity of life, yet she could notice someones race. There's really no explanation for that. If someone with Alzheimer's who can't remember most things, can remember to be racist, then it is pretty clear that there are some very deep problems with racism in society. Obviously this was his grandma which was in a different era and she was brought up by a KKK father so racism was likely much more relevant in her life. It definitely does go down to the roots of how people in America are brought up, and thats where we need to pull these roots out to prevent future generations from repeating this cycle.
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So Chun Kiu Ryan
10/5/2014 05:34:04 am
I agreed with you. No one is born racist. I can still remember it was really fun playing with children in different colour without caring the social pressure. Frankly I didn't even notice they were different from me. However, as i grow up, racial preconceptions starting to form in my mind. I just hear and learn what adults told me and it became one of my subconscious thoughts. What I am trying to say is that eliminating racism has to start since our children is born with appropriate upbringing as you said. Children are so vulnerable at their age and can easily absorb improper belief. It would be too late to correct them when they are grown up as solid subconscious racist thoughts will be planted in their mind by our cultural environment.
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Arnulfo Gembe
10/5/2014 07:00:03 am
I think upbringing has a lot to do with how we view society and how we express ourselves. If we as children are influenced by negative thoughts of our parents or our community towards other races then we are doomed to be subconsciously racist. The television shows, movies, and music that we are influenced by as children also affect the way we think. Certain shows like Friends hardly ever had any minorities in their episodes. In the coffee shop scenes you might spot a minority in the background somewhere. Isn’t New York City supposed to be extremely diversified? Things like this make me question if in that fake New York City it was the norm to see a minority once every few days.
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Jeana Lindsley
10/5/2014 02:34:01 pm
I agree; for racism to be eliminated (although it is almost impossible for it to vanish completely, we can get pretty close) we must begin with the children. We must raise them to be open-minded and teach them ideas of equality and equity from a young age. Then as they grow older, they will teach their children the same ideology and the cycle will continue until our end goal is achieved.
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Jeana Lindsley
10/2/2014 04:58:57 pm
In Exploring the Depths of Whit Racist Socialization Time Wise says white people “have a particular obligation to fight racism”. This is interesting because most “whites” brush racism away claiming it’s “not their problem” when in fact it is. It is not only the problem of people who are racist but also those who stand idly by and watch this racist culture continue to live on. Everyone who has the power to make change has the moral obligation to do so and as Desmond Tutu once said, “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.” In the video Tim Wise points out that whites have a special obligation to help fight racism because we fit the aesthetic that is needed to be heard. White skin is associated with power; therefore people are more likely to listen to a white person talk about racism than a colored person and view it as the truth. Therefore, it is a white persons duty to speak for those who cannot be heard.
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Tiffany Le
10/3/2014 01:08:12 pm
Unfortunately, the justice system and the media forgives white terrorists and criminals for the crimes that they commit because white is pure, white is not wrong. Also, much of our (white) American history textbooks omit a lot of information that could empower people. The Chinese built the railroads across America and established many Chinatowns throughout San Jose. All but one were burned down by the white inhabitants of the area. Not only did the Chinese face this racial injustice, but also people of color face and still face racism.
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Caitlyn Nurnberg
10/5/2014 01:48:43 pm
Our society does not use 'overprivileged' because we do not like to think that get special treatment in any way shape or form, even though in the real world that happens all of the time. We use ‘underprivileged’ because we acknowledge that there are people who do not have the same advantages as others, but never do we acknowledge the other side of it.
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Laura Pino-Flores
10/5/2014 02:30:25 pm
I think our society does not use the word over privileged due to those who are over privileged. Whites make up most of the population in this country and they are the over privileged. I think the word is not used because they do not want to be seen as the bad guys taking all of this privilege. Also, if we stared using that word many people would start to question more and ask why whites are over privileged and not them. Then, this might lead to the over privileged losing their privilege which is something they do not want.
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Shannon Casey
10/2/2014 05:16:25 pm
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Dakota
10/5/2014 03:47:09 am
It is really an underlying problem especially in law enforcement. I think one of the main reasons so many more Latinos and Blacks are being pulled over and searched is that is what society has led many to subconsciously think There are some police that are racist, but many who are not. Even with the ones who aren't, it's still a problem because of how they are brought up in this society. This wouldn't be something they can be taught on the job, rather something we all need to learn ourselves early in life. For many, being subconsciously racist is a result of their surroundings and that's something that takes more than "don't be racist" to fix.
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jennifer melgarejo
10/2/2014 06:15:47 pm
Tim Wise is the symbol of privilege speaking out about white privilege yet it takes his strategic use of his privilege to address a subject and get credibility for it. The theme of credibility behind whitehood is the privilege of validity to being white. Along those lines I do not believe white people have to prove/ play the role of a white person because they do not delegate the benefits they get from the system. Wise’s grandmother was aware that despite her anti racist intentions it did not matter because there whiteness has already been chosen for them. Therefore there is an unfounded fear in a white person to stand up to “racism” because there is not repercussions.
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Hakwoo Kim
10/3/2014 04:52:06 pm
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Hakwoo Kim
10/2/2014 07:07:41 pm
Tim Wise’s speech in the video helped me see how the current system creates certain privileges to certain people, and how those who are privileged and not privileged are affected by it. One of the very insightful, often neglected, ideas was how the social and cultural system blinds those with privilege not to see what others have to go through, which he called white denial. With the historical context, white people have been enjoying many privileges over generation and generation. Being a ruling class allowed them to feel superior than others, and by having that mentality over a long period of time many of their ways of regarding themselves and others have formed in a way that sees their privileges as something that they earned by the intergenerational efforts and hard work and something to righteously enjoy. This particular attitude even leads them deny of their privilege and see the struggles that people of color have to go through as something that those people themselves created rather than as a result of their privileges. An example of this can be found in the current case of Michael Brown, who was wrongly shot to death by a white policeman, who, for some reason, thought Michael Brown was related to the robbery that happened minutes before. The fact that the chief of the police department publicly apologized for wrongful gunfire of the officer two months after the incident, and the fact that the policeman judged Michael as a suspect shows something about racial privilege. It seems that the label of black people as criminals have delayed the chief to decide it was their fault and affected the officer’s decision to regard Michael as someone dangerous. Even after the apology, the fact that there hasn’t been any legislative reaction to such a case shows that they regard this incident as a mistake, rather than something resulted from the interaction between privileged or unprivileged. Although the officer may have fired the gun without any personal attempt, social and cultural norms of regarding black as such has led this incident to happen, as Tim Wise claims in his article: “No one is innocent. No one is unaffected by the daily socialization to which we are all subjected”
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shannon casey
10/5/2014 02:34:13 pm
I agree the current media visible challenges faced by people who identify outside of what society, community or their family of origin define as their sexuality or gender is that same idea WISE speaks of when speaking to the challenge of representation. Janet Mock and Lavern Cox are living the Frier quote at the end of your blog post, having empathy for those who covertly and overtly wish to oppress.
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Dominic Allred
10/3/2014 02:02:48 am
Some central and resounding themes Tim Wise discussed in speech are white denial, privilege (of whites), and responsibility to eradicate racism. Wise states that a majority of individuals believe that racism no longer exists. Some roots that have caused white denial are how media portrays racism, more or less hiding. Something media does often with minority groups is tokenize a few well to do people in that minority group. As an example we can look at how Oprah Winfrey is tokenized daily for her success and that she is accurate depiction of all African-Americans. That is not true, but it’s the feel good story media likes. Another root of white denial is racism is not a topic discussed in education until college, and by having racism nonexistent in schools allows for the perpetuation of a racist culture in the US and allows people to believe things are “good”. Wise goes onto discuss privilege and the particular privilege whites in general have in the US based on race. To paraphrase one of the most important things Wise says about privilege is that being white means that you never have to worry about your missteps in life because they won’t be attributed to your race, unlike every minority group has to be mindful of their actions at all times because they will experience the opposite. Privilege comes from whiteness or the ideal person and Wise say in his article “Exploring the Depths of White Racist Socialization”, “to overcome the tendency to cash in the chips which represent the perquisites of whiteness; to traffic in privileges—not the least of which is the privilege of feeling superior to others—not because of what or who they are, but rather because of what you’re not: in this case, not a nigger”. This quote from Wise exemplifies white privilege based on whiteness and how those with these privileges are allowed to be blind of what issues exist around race. Lastly and most importantly that Wise discusses is our responsibility and specifically the responsibility of white individuals in the US to do work to eliminate the racist culture that continues to exist in our country. In the video Wise explains many people’s mindsets about racism and that most white people will say things like “I’m not racist”, “I didn’t create our racist culture”, “I have black friends” all to not take responsibility for the previous generations wrongs. These phrases that are used often allow white people to take advantage of another privilege were they take the glory of the past generations but do not have to accept their debts that still haunt us today. This is because white people don’t want to feel guilty, but many do because they know what previous generations did is wrong. Wise states in his article, “Our guilt is worthless, although far from meaningless. It has plenty of meaning: it means we aren’t likely to do a damned thing constructive to end the system which took us in, conned us, and stole part of our to spend every day resisting the temptations of advantage, which ultimately weaken the communities on which we all depend”. Not wanting to feel guilty is like white people getting another free pass for everything they have and continue to do wrong when it comes to race. Wise makes it evident that if this continues we are only hurting ourselves for generations to come and this is why we must take responsibility for the wrongs of previous generations and make the appropriate corrections to change our racist culture.
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Dominic Allred forgot to put his critical question in the main post.
10/3/2014 02:07:33 am
What course should take as society to change our racist culture? How can we stand together with people from different racial backgrounds to make these changes and make it safe environment for all?
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Vanessa Fernandez
10/5/2014 07:09:06 am
Many stereotypes have been wrongly put into place because of misinformation. For example a big part of our society believe that most African Americans are criminals when data shows that only 3% will commit a crime in one year. Throughout our lives we are socialized to believe that white men are the people we should look up to. All of our presidents have been white until just recently, and since 1967 only two other non white justices have been appointed in the Supreme Court. These figures with strong authority don't represent the "browning" of this country for many reasons and we need to change this.
shannon casey
10/5/2014 03:08:26 pm
Q-What course should take as society to change our racist culture? How can we stand together with people from different racial backgrounds to make these changes and make it safe environment for all?
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Veronica Romo
10/5/2014 03:43:04 pm
I believe in order to create a larger group of individuals who are working towards a common goal, there needs to be unity. where the lines of division are blurred and we are then able to view another for their similarities rather than differences. I also believe much of it has to do with just simple socialization. If we begin to change the way we treat and think of one another it will help to develop and enlighten a new generation of equality seekers who aren't polluted by the common American white supremacy system.
Hakwoo Kim
10/5/2014 05:03:36 pm
I really appreciate your question Dominic, that you seek for a solution for all humanity, and I really appreciate both answers Shannon and Veronica! I wanted to add a few things. Many of contradictions and problems in the current society, I believe, is coming from our lack of understanding and seeking of what humanity really is for. If conversations of solution rather than arguing and defending privilege is important and if our attitude towards each other can make a difference, we must seek for what will bring and encourage those changes. If we come up with a new understanding of humanity that defines our current tendency as real harms, all of us might be able to commit ourselves to change society in a way that supports our new understanding. One of our classmates asked in class that what would be a merit for white people to change if they seem to lose nothing when preserving the current order. I think this is a real good question to ponder upon, and I believe our solution should address this as well. Change will be possible when we all agree that the current order is harmful for all, and I believe seeking of a new understanding of humanity will bring such solidarity and unity.
Jason Do
10/4/2014 09:52:48 am
The major theme of Tim Wise's speech, and obviously what it's all about, is the fact that white privilege exists. It is a truth of the world we live in made reality by the consequences of mankind's actions throughout history. "No one is innocent. No one is unaffected by the daily socialization to which we are all subjected— specifically with regard to the way we are taught to think about persons of color in this society," states Tim Wise. Its effects, though many would like to not see it are vast and adverse. Even now, white people have the luxury of having many advantages over colored people such as not having to worry about random police searches, housing discrimination, or even understanding the realities colored people have to face. Racial profiling, another major theme in the video, is another consequence of white privilege. Colored people are more likely to be stopped and searched by the police just because they look like criminals. What does a criminal look like? Someone who isn't white would most likely fit this description. A slew of police brutality reports have been posted online, usually ending in officers shooting down unarmed civilians because they feared for their lives. The Ferguson protests is a major example of this as people riot in outrage over the shooting of Micheal Brown. These protests are facing a crackdown by police, despite many being peaceful. (http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/ferguson-police-arrest-protesters-freelance-journalist/2014/10/03/d77f389e-4aba-11e4-b72e-d60a9229cc10_story.html) As you can see, racial profiling is a harsh fact of our reality, and despite being around for centuries, its end does not appear to be coming anytime soon. The reason for this is another theme of Wise's speech: denial of responsibility. The first step to solving a problem is admitting there is one, and it looks like we haven't even completed this step yet. Though racism has been recognized as an issue that needs to be addressed, most white people are outraged when told that they have white privilege. "Fact is “nigger” is still the first word on most white people’s minds when they see a black man being taken off to jail on the evening news," says Tim Wise. Though it is definitely not by choice that white people benefit from white privilege, it is their decision, conscious or not, to continue benefiting from it.
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Vanessa Fernandez
10/5/2014 04:48:02 pm
I agree with you that we must first recognize that racism is still a problem. The problem with white privilege is that a lot of people don't know they have it. In class we discussed how you don't have to be white to belong to "white privilege" and we can not put the entire fault on white people. Our society as a whole has adopted a racist mentality without even knowing it.
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Niloufar Pirkhezri
11/10/2014 11:04:59 am
After watching Tim Wise's "Political Ideology" speech, a lot of the points he made really stuck out to me. The first thing that stuck out was racism vs. class. The idea that if you are a race other than white, if you have a career, a wife, and kids then you have "made it." Because of this ridiculous idea, you are now exempt from racism. Which leads to the next point of the experience of the "other." The other being any race other than white, that has stereotypes stuck to them just because the color of their skin. The fact that you "made it" breaks you from the norm, which you are now living the "American dream." Ridiculous. But the biggest point that Wise made and that stuck out to me most was white privilege. Before taking this class I never even thought about it, but now its the only thing I can think of. Just because someone is white, they are treated differently than someone with a darker complexion in school, work, basically their whole life. And then I got to thinking, well Im persian, and persian people are usually a lot darker than the "norm"(which is obviously white) but I am really fair skinned. Growing up as a kid I was never categorized as a darker but rather than white and i never understood why. I then realized its because of my skin color. Because my skin tone is lighter, I automatically am more "privileged" than my cousin who has a darker complexion. This idea never even crossed my mind. I mean, is the world really that caddy? Does my skin tone matter? Yes. For some reason, society has made it an important idea that your skin color, tone, what have you is an important part of your character. How sad that something like that can put you in a box for the rest of your life.
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Bojana Cvijic
12/2/2014 06:01:27 pm
In Tim Wise's speech some of the main themes he discussed were responsibility, privilege, and denial. As Wise goes on with his speech he talks about the system in this country that greatly affect how people of color live in the United States; he mentioned an academic study on how great the number of black people have died in this country due to poor health or healthcare, the number was 1 million people who died between 1991 and 2000 because they did not have the proper access to healthcare that the typical white people could get, that they would not have died if they had equal access to better neighborhoods and better healthcare for themselves.
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