Week 2: Identifying the characteristics of a racist social system

9/29/2014

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

You must write 250 words each post (due Thursday @ Midnight), Responses to two other students 50 words each (due Sunday @ midnight)
Students must post during the week the blog is assigned or it will not be graded.

80 Comments

Alexander Salah

9/30/2014 02:58:40 pm

Time Wise speech 3 themes (video)

1. Privilege and pathology- Wise opens this section by saying how “those who are privileged enough to begin with are constantly worried about people taking what is supposedly “theirs”.” although this is a hysterical statement, it bares some truth to it. Today, the privileged (white) are creating a racial gap not only of wealth, but also of education. According to msnbc, “Despite dramatic upticks in overall student achievement in recent years, the achievement gap between white and minority high school students remains wide and steady.” This is a problem that needs addressing because a country’s future generation is only as successful as their educational base. There is a skewed number of African American, Latinos, and other minorities living in disadvantaged areas. In order to create a balanced and fair environment for which children and teenagers can succeed in school, our government has to start providing adequate funding for these schools to receive better resources to succeed.

2. White denial- what I pick up most from this theme is the constant lack of acknowledgment of problems in society. How can people change a society without admitting there is a problem to begin with? Wise opens this section with a national censes statistic around the question “whether or not we believe racial discrimination was a significant problem, or just a problem, like junk mail.” Of the 100 white people they asked, only 6 said it was a significant problem. The fact that only 6 people said it was a significant problem convinces me that there is no faith left in humanity. Today, people are less reluctant to see that there are racial gaps in our society, due to improper evidence being circulated about race.

3. Under burdened by race- this section provides me with a sense of false empowerment due to skin color and skin color alone. How people perceive you can go a long ways towards how well you do financially, mentally, and physically. When white people are perceived as privileged, it is not due to class status, but in fact the false stereotype that feeds off of lack of awareness. This gap, being the lack of awareness; is due to the way people still blatantly falsify their knowledge of race and their acceptance of the racial wealth gap.

Two quotes from the reading.

“The message I deliver is always the same: those persons called “white” have a particular obligation to fight racism because it is our problem, created in its mod-
ern form by us, for the purpose of commanding power over resources and opportunities at the expense of people of color.” (Wise pg.1) This quote jumped out to me immediately due to its complicated simplicity. When I say complicated simplicity what I am referring too is the truth of the quote due to the lie it was built upon. Due to falsified knowledge of racism and how it affects our society, we have learned to demote other races that are not white due to the past generations building on the lies we have created for over three centuries in the United States.

“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 pg.1) due to lack of proper information (factually based), we are brought up believing that there is a racial gap for a reason. The reasoning behind this is that we think this entails minorities such as African Americans or Latinos simply not being able to compete with other “superior races” due to lack of knowledge and material wealth. The fact of the matter is everyone is born knowing nothing, which can grow and blossom into knowing something. This falsified stereotype that we have so wrongly created needs to be addressed head on and corrected before we fail to change, ultimately disappointing future generations with our lack of understanding towards race.

Alexander Salah (revised)

10/1/2014 01:19:05 pm

A Political Ideology, Tim Wise

This week’s section revolved around the video, a political ideology, which focuses on some major themes that I found to be very prevalent in today's society. This first theme that I picked up on was Privilege and pathology. Tim Wise opens this section by saying how “those who are privileged enough to begin with are constantly worried about people taking what is supposedly “theirs”.” although this is a hysterical statement, it bares some truth to it. Today, the privileged (white) are creating a racial gap not only of wealth, but also of education. According to msnbc, “Despite dramatic upticks in overall student achievement in recent years, the achievement gap between white and minority high school students remains wide and steady.” This is a problem that needs addressing because a country’s future generation is only as successful as their educational base. There is a skewed number of African American, Latinos, and other minorities living in disadvantaged areas. In order to create a balanced and fair environment for which children and teenagers can succeed in school, our government has to start providing adequate funding for these schools to receive better resources to succeed. A second theme that Wise addressed was that of white denial. What I pick up most from this theme is the constant lack of acknowledgment of problems in society. How can people change a society without admitting there is a problem to begin with? Wise opens this section with a national censes statistic around the question “whether or not we believe racial discrimination was a significant problem, or just a problem, like junk mail.” Of the 100 white people they asked, only 6 said it was a significant problem. The fact that only 6 people said it was a significant problem convinces me that there is no faith left in humanity. Today, people are reluctant to see that there are racial gaps in our society, due to improper evidence being circulated about race. “The message I deliver is always the same: those persons 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 pg.1) This quote jumped out to me immediately due to its complicated simplicity. When I say complicated simplicity what I am referring too is the truth of the quote due to the lie it was built upon. Due to falsified knowledge of racism and how it affects our society, we have learned to demote other races that are not white due to the past generations building on the lies we have created for over three centuries in the United States. The final theme I will address has to do with the topic under burdened by race. This section provides me with a sense of false empowerment due to skin color and skin color alone. How people perceive you can go a long ways towards how well you do financially, mentally, and physically. When white people are perceived as privileged, it is not due to class status, but in fact the false stereotype that feeds off of lack of awareness. This gap, being the lack of awareness; is due to the way people still blatantly falsify their knowledge of race and their acceptance of the racial wealth gap. “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 pg.1) due to lack of proper information (factually based), we are brought up believing that there is a racial gap for a reason. The reasoning behind this is that we think this entails minorities such as African Americans or Latinos simply not being able to compete with other “superior races” due to lack of knowledge and material wealth. The fact of the matter is everyone is born knowing nothing, which can grow and blossom into knowing something. This falsified stereotype that we have so wrongly created needs to be addressed head on and corrected before we fail to change, ultimately disappointing future generations with our lack of understanding towards race.

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 :)

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.

A key moment in Tim’s article was when his grandmother lost her consciousness completely, and the only thing her subconscious remembered were the instilled memories of her growing up in a world of racism, a world in which she fought so hard to fight and resist against. This was surprising to read because the fact that America has instilled this kind of racial thinking among someone with Alzheimer's says something of our country. This quote states, “She could not remember how to feed herself, for God’s sake. She could not recognize a glass of water for what it was. But she could recognize a nigger” (Wise-173). What people do not tend to see is how destructive the nature of racism has had upon a population, what the Jim Crow laws did, and what racist bigotry has become now, as well as its consequences on black people today. They have to live in racial discrimination for not being white, or not having that privilege of being white. Some people choose to deflect the situation and say “It happened, and we cannot do anything about it now” or “I have black friends, so I cannot be a racist.” This is the kind of naivety that needs to be acknowledged and worked on in order to see progress in America.

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.

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.

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.

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
most stood out to during that segment was how white folks in the 1960s believed that
Dr. Martin Luther King and the Civil Rights Movement was asking and pushing for too
many rights for African Americans during that time period. It is astonishing and also a cliché
because white folks during that time period and now a day cannot understand what African
Americans were experiencing on a daily basis. I say it is a cliché because you cannot understand
a day in someone else's life without walking a day in their shoes. However you do not need
to walk in an African American's shoes for a day in the 1960s to understand their pain. Anyone
can feel and see the pain and cringe that a face makes automatically when attacked with
offensive language. Time Wise talks about his grandmother at an old age who's "consciousness
the soundess of mind that had led her to fight the pressures to accept racism began to vanish"
(Wise 173). She could no longer take care of herself however hidden deep down in her the
skill to "recognize a nigger" (Wise 173) was still embedded in her. It is not an attack on Wise's
grandmother rather an example that she was knew about racism and did not deny that everything
in society was fine. She choose to acknowledge the inequality and fight it rather than denying
that society was perfectly fine. Tim Wise also addresses how some people are granted the
privilege of living in a bubble that keeps them blind to other parts of the country that aren't in a
bubble. A great example of a bubble is the Bay Area, we are shielded from headlines in the news
of racism and discrimination. Instead we are fed news about new stadiums for teams, local fires
in state parks, or teachers such as Krista Hodges from Newark Memorial High School who
take to their twitter account to jokingly express her dislike for her students by twitting "So happy
to be done w/school for 10 days, but especially to be away from the ones who truly try my
patience and make my trigger finger itchy." A majority of people who only watch the local news
believe that other news stations across the country also cover these same stories. However
we, Bay Area folks, are protected from such news events like the "white folks [who] yelled at
black students who occupied the basketball court during a Rutgets/University or
Massachusetts game a few years back to protest racist comments by Rutgers'
president" (Wise 174). Time wise towards the end of his speech speaks about a false sense of
identity. "This five year old is punking our nation" referring to the child in the AP photo who
was sending our nation a message that a majority of the nation misunderstood. This ties in again
with having the privilege of not knowing enough about the rest of the world. As a whole we knowthat the world is not perfect, so as a nation we send our troops to be the world police. But because we do not face these same problems we turn our backs on the problems and prefer the troops fix them just so that someday in the future American can brag about fixing a country. This also happens with inequality just because we may not face the same inequality or discrimination as someone else we decide to turn our backs on that discrimination.

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--
But how does one combat ignorance? When every perspective that's taken into consideration can be biased in some way? I'm sure there were whites back then who wanted to do what was right, and truly believed in the degradation of other minorities. We are privileged to live in an era and location that allows us to think that way-- how do you really judge what is right when filters are fastened onto you from birth?

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)
In the 1660’s and the 1670’s, there was no “white race”, there were only “those of European descent”. The creation of the white race was made up by the elites of the time to keep the population pacified, to keep the black population oppressed, and to trick those of European descent into working for the elites for little to no pay (35:10-35:50). This resulted in the rebellions against the elites at the time to stop almost instantly. The elites of the time effectively caused division in and conquered the population of the colonies. Tim offers this solution in his work, “end this vicious system of racial caste. For us to spend every day resisting the temptations of advantage, which ultimately weaken the communities on which we all depend.” (p174)
A burden of racism is that of white privilege. While privilege sounds like a good thing, it ironically creates an intense anxiety, a mental dysfunction (42:20). Privilege makes people constantly afraid of who is gaining on them. “Those who have [privilege] are constantly anxious” (42:48). This results in massive mental disorders and massively increased stress for the oppressing party (whites). On the flip side, if a white person does anything bad like a shooting, it is not credited to their “whiteness.” (2:30) (http://www.timwise.org/2014/06/tim-wise-discussing-white-privilege-on-the-david-pakman-show-52914/)

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?

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.
If you approach a white person and say, “these people are sad and have less opportunity,” then the white person would say something to the effect of, “so what? How does that affect me?” You have to appeal to the best interest of the governing party. You have to make how it affects them apparent.
If there is a solution to the racism in America, then this would be the best method to obtain it.

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?

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.
Another theme that is caused by being “self-centered” is the erasure of politics and culture. Given that our government and culture is still dominated by white people, it is easy to understand the reason officials, media rarely mention the profound impact on our society created by racism. They try to hide these factors because of selfishness. If they bring this up to the society, it would probably kill their privilege. So why would they want to mention it? Environmental Racism is currently a concern of people of color in urban area. Government chooses to invest more resources in white areas that white areas can have better public facilities/area. It eventually affects public health of people of color in those area unfairly. Unfortunately, officials have never proactively changed nor brought up the dreadful situation.
At last, guilt and responsibility, which is the last central theme in the video, clearly describes the responsibility white people hold. Most people nowadays think if they don’t cause the problem, they do not have to compensate for the victims of racism. The “selfishness” tells them not to care about other races. However, Tim Wise clearly expresses that even our current generation is not the creator of racism. We deserve a responsibility of changing the current situation because we have deliberately or not, harmed people of color. He also states that eliminating racism is also more than just helping them. It also protects us from all the potential danger and hatred white people don’t even notice. At the end of the day, feeling guilty doesn’t help racism, as Tim Wise said “What those women at my grandmother’s nursing home need and deserve-much more than a sniveling apology from embarrassed family members-is to end this vicious system of racial caste. For us to spend every day resisting the temptations of advantage, which ultimately weaken the communities on which we all depend”

Nicole Cheng

10/5/2014 04:00:49 pm

What is selfishness? If ignorance is selfish then we are all doubly selfish.
Perhaps, mistakes are brushed under the rug because there are so many hoops to jump through when trying to do something meaningful. And even more so, when you want to do it the "moral" way.
Take a hypothetical young politician. They don't have much of a network, aren't well known, but have very strong convictions on a cause they want to change. To contribute to their cause, they must first build public image, gain power (monetary? socially?) and "stay in the game," which means bending to other people (like a party, or lobbyists).
Maybe we can only criticize and give politicians (or any antagonist) such a bad rep because we have the luxury of not knowing all the difficulties of trying to get a bi-party government to agree and work cohesively.

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.
What I am still struggling is the actual threat of people “killing” there privilege. I do not believe there is a scenario where white people face repercussions at calling out white supremacy for its privilege. Those that choose to live that path such as Tim Wise’s grandmother will see it as far from “loosing” privilege. And those that fear antiracism but still label themselves as liberals, are obviously not changing the system.

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.
Another theme to Mr. Wises’ speech was “groups”. There was a lot of pitting people against each other like “they did this, they did that, they are responsible for this.” I understand where he is coming from, but in my opinion our society has a big problem with “grouping” people together. In some ways it’s good in that it reveals things like racial discrimination. But it also leads to stereotyping and this goes for all races whether you are Latino, Black, White, Asian… etc. It causes us to look at people not as what they are, which is an individual. The issue in Ferguson relates to this in some ways. I get it, it can be looked at as a “White vs. Black” issue and it’s easy to give reasons why but I think that almost downplays the fact that a young man lost his life. Whatever the outcome in this case turns out to be, “black vs. white” should not outshine Michael Brown’s individual life.
A lot of problems have to be looked at from the roots. Tim Wise gave some great insight on how racism was essentially invented to keep the already wealthy, rich. While there were indentured servants in early America, both black and white, the elite began to give the whites a little taste of power. They’d get a piece of land or maybe the duty of watching over the other slaves. It wasn’t necessarily about giving the other white people more power but a strategy to pit them against the blacks they actually had more in common with. “Those persons 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.” (Tim Wise: Exploring the Depths of White Racist Socialization.) This is a good example of what I previously said, racism at a small scale is about weakening one person for another ones gain.
I would like to point out that acccording to https://www.dosomething.org/facts/11-facts-about-racial-discrimination, in 2012 51 percent of Americans expressed anti-black sentiments. Whether this is absolutely 100% true or not, racism is still a definite social issue in this present day. We cannot keep doing whatever it is we are doing.

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.

jennifer melgarejo

10/5/2014 05:30:35 pm

Hi Dakota
Thank you for bringing up the issue of “labeling” because I do believe it can get complicated. The act of identifying with a specific group can be empowering for an individual, where it goes wrong is when that particular group is employed by a system to disadvantage its members. That is when identifying with a specific group can have negative repercussions because of its role in an oppressive system. The flip side of this issue is that weither we choose to identify or not people will attribute a race to you and treat you accordingly, thats when there is not escaping race/racism.
Also an important message that Tim Wise delivers is that these problems that we have inherited are not something we should feel guilty about because obviously we did not create them yet if we do nothing we perpetuate them. And perpetuating an oppressive system is as good as creating these conditions for the next generations.

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.

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.

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".

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.

Karla

10/5/2014 11:50:52 am

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Another theme in Wise’s speech was racial profiling. He spoke about how police can be racist and biased. For example how blacks are more likely to get stopped and checked for drugs while white people are four times more likely to carry drugs. Also, when a crime occurs, most people automatically think it was done by a racial minority when clearly whites have also been known to commit horrible crimes. Minorities are the ones connected to crimes, but a study done in 2010 showed how "White respondents in a 2010 survey overestimated the actual share of burglaries, illegal drug sales, and juvenile crime committed by African Americans by 20-30 percent." (Houston Forward Times) This actually proves that white people are just as if not more likely to be committing crimes. Which connects to a quote from Tim Wise’s article which states that “No one is unaffected by the daily socialization to which we are all subjected.” We all are affected by what happens around us whether we agree with it or not.

Guilt was also a theme addressed in Tim Wise’s speech. He said that we should take responsibility of the people who came before us not because we are guilty, but because we are here. Wise wrote in his article how “guilt is worthless”. Committing actions to fix the problem is what we need to do because feeling guilty does not do anything. Wise also stated in his article that, “those persons called ‘white’ have a particular obligation to fight racism because it is our problem.” I agree with Wise but I think all races have an obligation to fight racism because it is a problem for all of us. That is why you see people come together to fight against racism like in Ferguson where many people of different races came together to protest.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Another theme of the video is privilege. Wise encourages his audience to think about why the term “underprivileged” is not an adequate way to describe a person or group. In his article, Wise writes about his grandmother, who always consciously stood up against racism. As she developed Alzheimer's, however, his grandmother could not remember how to complete simple tasks, yet she clearly remembered what she was taught to call people of color at a young age. Wise claims, “...the prerequisites 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 because of what you’re not: not a nigger,” (Wise). Here he explains that by not being a person of color, white people automatically have prescribed privileges they may not even realize they have. An example of this particular privilege is many of the white people living in the Bay Area. We live in a huge “bubble” here, which often times causes many white individuals to be unaware of the privileges they have.

Lastly, an important theme in the video is denial. Wise tells us that not speaking about the issue only makes things worse. In the article, “On Denial of Racism,” by Stephen S. Bowman, the author discusses how the United States, even in its construction was built on racism. Bowman states, “Perhaps the poster boy for racial denial should be Thomas Jefferson. It is baffling to learn that in his initial draft of the Declaration of Independence, he listed the institution of slavery as one of the evils created by the English crown that justified war. This written by a man that owned over 500 slaves,” (Bowman). This demonstrates that even the man who wrote about liberty in our country’s constitution discriminated against people of various skin tones at some point.

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.
Erasure of race in politics and culture is very prevalent in today's world. Wise points out how no politician today will address systematic racial discrimination as an issue but will instead address various symptoms of this issue; issues such as crime, poverty, employment are constantly turned into sound bites yet the root issue is never addressed. Even the institutions of public education is being affected by this issue. In current affairs, various school boards pushing for more conservative schooling have been trying to remove various influential figures from history books based on race and idealogy.
Wise also talks extensively about the idea of being unburdened by race and "us versus them" thinking. Even in the deepest levels of people subconscious, our society has ingrained the idea that being white makes you better. He talks about how white people are viewed in a positive light whereas minorities are subconsciously and consciously cast in a more judgmental fashion. For instance one of the group discussions we had in class, we spoke about how a white student who is doing well would more likely be looked upon in a pitiable fashion and thought of as not living up to expectations, where as a minority student in the same situation would more likely be thought of as being expected to do no better.
Finally Wise points out that privileged people have a responsibility to those that are systematically downtrodden. He points out that America as a whole likes to loudly proclaim how great they and their heritage are, but they make no move to lay equal claim to the negative things of the past. This can be seen through polls over the years that have asked white people whether they thought blacks were being given equal treatment and opportunity. Without fail the obvious trend is that at the time of each poll people overwhelmingly proclaimed that yes everything was equal, but in retrospect we can all clearly see things were not equal.
Wise makes it clear his agenda is not to disparage privileged people but to open people's eyes. "Then once we're all through feeling bad for having been sucker-punched by racist conditioning just like everyone else, let's learn to forgive ourselves." Here he is showing us that the whole point of his agenda is to promote racial healing not to point fingers. Through the story of his grandmother, he shows that despite the good intent and heart of one person, that alone is not enough to effect change. "...it speaks volumes about her country. It speaks volumes about the work white folks must do, individually and collectively to overcome that which is always beneath the surface; 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."

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.

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”.
Another theme in the video is of white privilege. Wise discusses how although there are many ways white privilege is there and in your face, whether it be social, political, or economical, there are many small ways that white people are privileged without it being realized. Wise talks about two scenarios of a teenage male driving a nice car in a nice neighborhood, and what comes to mind if he is white (a spoiled kid) and if he is black (a drug dealer). Stereotypes like this perpetuate white privilege because the white kid will most likely not be pulled over, while the black kid will, despite if he was doing anything wrong or not. Wise wants people to realize that this white privilege and racism is there no matter what, even if it is unintentional.
Lastly Wise references the topic of white denial many times throughout the video. He states in his essay that “Maybe all this is why I’m so tired of other white folks trying to sell bull- shit like: “I don’t have a racist bone in my body,” or “I never notice color.”” He realizes and acknowledges that although there are many white people who recognize that there is a problem with racism, are not too quick to concede that they are not part of the problem as well, simply by sitting idly by and not being a part of the solution. If you do not accept that everyone has a hand in it, even if not intentionally, then how are we ever going to put an end to it? The fact that journalist Stu Bykofsky wrote an article in The Philadelphia Daily News (on September 16, 2014) titled Privilege to be white? Not quite and stating that “Maybe most whites enjoy a "special advantage" in hailing a cab, or getting a better restaurant table, but is that a lifetime game-changer?”, shows that there is still a major problem with white denial that many people have not come to terms with just yet.

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.

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.
Another theme he talked about was paranoia to protect dominance and status. Considering how much prestige and power America has, Americans put their culture and country in the center of everything else up on a pedestal. This becomes a problem because we assume that any foreigners are a threat to the integrity of this country, which is why America is currently trying to close the state border to Mexico. “It isn’t certain whether the decision is related to the Obama administration’s continued claims that the U.S. border is more secure than it ever has been and apprehensions of illegal aliens are at their lowest levels since the 1970s” (Securing America’s Borders, Jason Howerton). The idea that anyone outside of the United States poses a threat is an idea that we must change as a nation. Anyone different gets labeled as harmful or bad, and in the case of this article, aliens, which has an extremely negative connotation. They fear that outsiders will disrupt the status quo within the United States and threaten the steady wages for all jobs given. White people shut foreigners out because they have such a strong-willed prejudice against anyone who dares to show any individuality. Predominantly black populated areas get poorer education than a rich white privileged region. Because of this, people of color are less educated and not likely to be as qualified for future jobs, because the American system has already set them up for failure. And because of this, white people put stereotypes on people of calling, assuming that they aren’t qualified or well educated, when they were the ones who created a system in which people of color never obtained a fair opportunity to be just as well off as white people.
One of the biggest and most obvious theme touched on by Tim Wise was racial profiling. This is exactly was happened during the killing of Michael Brown, where policeman saw what they were trained to think was a likely suspect, and gunned him down. Mass school shootings have also taken place, and the offenders were, more often than not, white males. These shootings may have been prevented if the same amount of suspicion was placed among white men for possessing weaponry. “But it speaks volumes about her country. It speaks volumes about the work white folks must do, individually and collectively to overcome that which is always beneath the surface; 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” (Exploring the Depths of White Racist Socialization, Tim Wise). Tim Wise’s grandmother is a perfect example of how racial profiling can have such a power influence, and how it’s been passed down by so many generations that even those who have a good heart and advocate anti-racism at all costs, end up remembering the worst of what their were taught, either by their superiors, parents, friends, or anyone around them. Like Tim Wise said in his article, it really does show how much Am

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.
How do people of color or people of difference sexualities play into the status quo of American society? Is it the wrong choice for them to alleviate themselves and deny their individuality just to assimilate to American culture, even if it’s absolutely necessary in terms of their own success? Can the cycle of racial and sexual discrimination ever be broken if “outsiders” continue to give up their individuality and change their own standard to fit America’s standard?

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.

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.

For someone to be successful, sure they can assimilate to meet success but they should never forget their individuality, who they once were.If they do that, it creates an illusion of success.

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.
Privilege is the luxury of ignorance. It breeds ignorance, because there is no urgency for knowing-- less chance for seeing and experiencing all the toes stepped on in reaping its benefits. Privilege is the comfort and ease of inherent opportunities -- advantages which exist at no merit of one’s own effort, but the random lottery of genetics, time, and geography. In our patriarchal white supremacist society, white males have the most privilege, which is why Wise (oh, an alliteration) asserts that “all whites… have to address the internalized beliefs about white superiority… [and] the way [they] are taught to think about persons of color in… society.” Society (at no fault of its own) socializes youth and adults alike to subscribe to a set of values-- like the value of higher education (class / worth) down to the appropriate behavioral tics of gender (stereotypes). Socialization is a tool for maintaining the status quo: division, because it hazes the important truths (like in the example Wise gave of the two communities in the New Orleans area affected by Katrina: two working class communities more similar economically and situationally were pitted against each other because of how susceptible they were to the socialized stigmas surrounding race.) This pattern of picking out race as an important distinction is reflected in the disproportionate racial representation in our prison systems, the unequal opportunity, media coverage, and terrorist responses when executed by different races.
A curious reaction people have on both societal and individual levels is that of denial. As Wise comments showing people the internalized racists beliefs that exists within cannot be done “with statistics, or poll numbers,” or rationale because people are unwilling to face the uncomfortable questions. This holds true for any problem-- gender inequality, abuse, confrontation, etc-- the problem is put on hold as excuses of blame, intention, and ownership are brought into question; But, Wise warns, that disregarding the problem, and accepting the status quo as dangerous not only to those immediately affected, but those who “benefit” because privilege (power) gives the impression of superiority, and righteousness -- allowing us to invade third world countries and enforce our ideals of correctness.
Any news of injustice can be broken down into these themes of privilege, socialized injustice and denial. Such as in the case of Ferguson, privilege and socialized beliefs allowed the attending police officer to make snap judgments of Brown. Denial and refusal to own up to his mistake incites the cover up; the culmination of this fiasco leaves neither police or community better off in the long run, but propagates the disputes.
But how much time can we burn in denial? Not just with racial inequality, but injustice towards animals, towards the environment, towards our humanity?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.
Unfortunately when Alzheimer’s disease got the best of Wise’s grandmother, her inner racism unfolded. Wise states, “[his grandmother] could not remember how to feed herself, for God’s sake. She could not recognize a glass of water for what it was. But she could recognize a nigger” (Wise, 173). That makes no sense in all reasoning for someone who loses all consciousness to be able to have racism remembered right? But for MawMaw to be the last person to use that word by forgetting all consciousness goes to show how powerful and unconscious racism is everyone. Wise also adds “you can’t prove the point with statistics, or poll numbers, or by pointing out the wide disparities in life chances that form the backdrop of American institutionalized racism” (Wise, 172). For racism to be recognized and eliminated, we need to start with the fundamentals of ideology and upbringing because without it, there will always be a unconscious influence of racism like how Wise experienced with his grandmother.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Tim Wise also argues that “no one is unaffected” by a white supremacist society. We must worry about what white privilege does not just to the oppressed but to us as well as it blinds us from the truth. To be white means to be “pure” and means that you can do no wrong. So naturally when there have been 129 confirmed white terrorists in America in the past 20 years and it sticks to no one who is white, but 19 Arab Muslims blow up a building and it sticks to everyone in the world who is either Arab or Muslim. White privilege is very dangerous as it blinds us from seeing the horrendous and extremely violent capabilities of white folk.

In the video, Tim Wise talked about the word underprivileged being relative. If we use the word ‘underprivileged’ then by definition there must be an ‘overprivileged’ yet this word does not exist. Why does our society not use this term? In what ways are white people overprivileged?

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.

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.

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.

Shannon Casey

10/2/2014 05:16:25 pm

White guilt and the avoidance of responsibility leading to action was woven through the entire video. He covered a great many realities to the facts of white privilege
When WISE was talking to the criminalization of anyone not white I remembered coming across an article about the decrease in arrests for anyone of color in Colorado with the newly passed legalized marijuana sales. WISE refers to the privilege of driving while white, and the reality of the higher rate of white folks driving around with illegal drugs, yet police pull over AND FRISK more than 80% of Latino or African-American drivers while only frisking 8% of whites. The article on the law states-
As the president acknowledged, marijuana prohibition targets black and brown people (even though marijuana users are equally or more likely to be white). Ending prohibition through passing legalization laws, as Colorado and Washington have, will reduce this racial disparity.

The war on drugs was created in the 70’s so that the government had a cause to rally around. The quickest and most lucrative boost for the economy is a war with the added benefit of a distracting the public by encouraging rallying around the cause and once again loses the class war happening on our own soil. Racism is a product of classism- the clarity of facts WISE lays out regarding the 2006 aftermath of Katrina is a truth most privilege folks absorb.

At the end of the WISE video, he states that those with white privilege need to show up for anti-racist work, not because we are guilty but because we are here.
Watch this video for some tips from experts on the state of racism in our country:
http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/black-kids-from-ferguson-speak-out-in-hey-white-people-comedic-video-educating-whites-on-racism-20140909

Q: Given the information in the article about the Colorado efforts, what one thing would you target in our institutions or culture to begin decreasing racism in one small way.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/neill-franklin/marijuana-legalization-race-racism-minorities_b_4651456.html

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.

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.
Furthermore the theme of : language reinforces white denial, found throughout both article and videoclip. The words we use to communicate ideas to one another is crucial yet in this vocabulary we struggle to find terms that address the issue. How can we talk about “white denial” if the words are not there.
In the article he illustrates his grandmothers condition, “Her utterance of a word as viscous as nigger says nothing about her but it speaks volumes about her country”(Wise). Despite our agency we are the products of our society and within this society certain realities exist. For example the reality of racism as a true category (Soliva) Similarily language is crucial to the culture of a society. For example within the eskimo culture there exist an extensive list of words for snow, because snow is an important component of their reality.
White denial is so pervasive as to be a force we consistently consciously have challenge in order to not perpetuate. The terminology we do have, falls short, it tends to emphasis where the problem is not. Racism does not shed a spotlight on the real issue which is “white supremacy”. Instead the word, racism has negative connotations not because it is tied to white privilege but rather because it emphasizes the disadvantage of people of color, and their victimization. Furthermore, in the video clip Wise addresses this grammatical issue: it is only logical that if there is “under”-privileged category then by qualitative purpose there is “over”-privileged. Yet that is not connection we are encouraged to make. And not only are white people taught to deny their privilege but language reinforces this denial in ourselves: by not properly labeling hystory, art, etc with the prefix “white” when talking about the white culture.
Finally there is a goodness in white. We are conditioned to internalize this image of a default human being and everyone else fits in a box outside of the ideal being.
The idea of their being goodness in white is a, “privilege of feeling superior to others because of what you are not” as example is white womanhood functions because black womanhood is devalued. Going along the lines of grammar once again if white is good then black is bad, it pits humans against each other in a hierarchal relationship that is strictly defined by what one is not.

Hakwoo Kim

10/3/2014 04:52:06 pm

I was mostly resonating with what your wrote, and many of your ideas were very interesting. It also helped me to understand Wise's points better as well. A strong relationship between humans and society really suggests something that many of the aspects of our society, either its structural or cultural, reinforeces this society of many isms, and scary thing is that we are not even aware of many of those things as they have soaked into our daily lives for so many decades or centuries. I think what you wrote really shows that: "...language reinforces [white] denial in ourselves: by not properly labeling... the prefix “white” when talking about the white culture." It clearly is a privilege of being a dominant and ruling group. Thinking about all these just leaves me with some confusions and concerns how we can progress towards a society from this skewed and unequal one.

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”

Another theme he touched upon was the burden of representation that people of color have to go through as one of the unprivileged consequences. The structure that form privileges at the expense of unprivileged also traumatizes the unprivileged. Like Time Wise says in the video, there are certain connotations that people of color have to deal with. His example was a black student viewed as normal when performing poorly in school as opposed to a white student viewed as underperforming and getting attention for help in the same situation. It seems clear that people of color have more burdens go work through; they often have to transcend the connotations attached to their identity. They have to be constantly aware of what others think of them and act upon it. Recently, Laveren Cox has been getting spotlight by media as a transgender actress. I assume that she would feel a lot of pressure as the issue of transgender got hit up by her, and how she behaves will set the tone for and affect the way transgenders are going to be perceived.

Tim Wise finishes speech in the video by addressing a theme of responsibility of our generation. He puts particular emphasis on the change in white people as he claims in his article: “Those persons called ‘white’ have a particular obligation to fight racism because it is our problem, created in its modern form by us....” His message is basically that if we have enjoyed privileges that have been passed down from our ancestors, we must also take the responsibility of the consequences that these privileges have brought to society. However, his message of responsibility seems to apply to all of us who are living in this society. Although it might seem unfair, those who have privileges and those who don’t act together to maintain this society which creates this some-have-some-don’t contradiction. White’s obligation to fight racism doesn’t seem possible without people of color acting together to recognize this system of privilege and transform into a society without racialized privilege.

"the solution of this contradiction is born in the labor which brings into the world this new being: no longer oppressor nor longer oppressed, but human in the process of achieving freedom."
- Paulo Freire (from his book Pedagogy of the Oppressed)

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.

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.

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?

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?

I'm happy to see your questions and I find myself looking for some ideas toward change. An engaged population having real conversations of solution rather than arguing and defending privilege will improve civic engagement. Until we have all the people involved in impactful government and civic engagement we won't move out of the strangle hold white supremacy has over our citizenry.

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.

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.

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.

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.

This is just one example he brings up in his speech, but the idea is clear. That we live in a country where the system benefits a specific group of people and has institutionalized oppression; that it is our responsibility to take action and become anti-racist, that white privilege does exist and that people who have it and benefit it from it must recognize and take action to do something about it, and that denial of these privileges, denial of these systems not only keep the system running and working but creates a more racist environment to live in. Another example of this is in Wise's speech. he talks about different time periods where people would ask white people and people of color if racism is a problem in this country. In almost every time period most white people said, "no racism is not a problem in this country." while people of color all vehemently said, "there is a problem with racism in this country." This denial of racism is what keeps the oppressive system alive; if we do nothing to take action against and act as though nothing is wrong,what is wrong will stay alive even longer and will continue to oppress the people that are so greatly affected by it.

Week 2: Identifying the characteristics of a racist social system

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Week 2: Identifying the characteristics of a racist social system

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