White Privilege

Tim Wise's White Like Me raises questions about race in a different way than you might have seen before. He's not arguing the obvious fact that racism still exists towards colored people in today's society, but that white people inherit a certain privilege for being white. I have to say, he makes a good point. This problem has much to do with the past, but the past is not the reason it is carried on today. Despite slavery and the civil rights movement, the oppression towards blacks today is solely because of how we act today. Wise gives the example of teachers today who are "blaming poor performances by kids of color on their 'dysfunctional' families or presumably defective culture traits." This idea of accepting a black man's failure because its not his fault, but his race's, is not only a burden for black students, but a privilege for whites. White students, just because of their skin color, are often given second chances because society tends to knows of the value white people contribute to society everyday. Skin color is one thing people can and do always notice about someone. Black men do not have the privilege of being society's norm when it comes to skin color, forcing them to tolerate people's unconscious stereotypes in their everyday lives. Looking to the past, to slavery, to the Jim Crow laws, and to the rest of our countries mistakes is important in understanding racism today. However, in order to fix it, people need to stop looking for excuses from the past and start looking towards their actions today. It might take a few years, or even 20, but if people started treating everyone as individuals and not as a race these problems can go away. The burden people of color face can be lifted, but it's going to take shifts in the media and in various parts of public policy. There is a privilege white people have, and with that comes the power to change the face of racism in our country. Now as white people, we just have to admit it and then choose to do something about it.