Ethic replies (f/S/l/t)

Each response to classmates must follow 3CQ format: One compliment, one comment, one connection (for example, to your own experience), and one question.

Victoria

Watching Tim Wise’s White Like Me sparked a lot of reflections on race and privilege. Wise delivered a strong critique of whiteness and the systematic advantages that it brings to white Americans. Throughout the film, he pushes uncomfortability and reality for how privilege works within our society. He talks about how white privilege is deeply rooted into our society and is not a matter of individual wealth or success. An example that is pointed out is how white people are less likely to be racially profiled by police or monitored in stores. These are instances that white people do not put much thought into, but can help for a smoother path through life. It was interesting to hear about Wise’s experiences in predominantly white environments and how privilege is often times invisible to those that have it. It is important that we are able to acknowledge the privilege and learn from it to help get rid of systematic racism and create a better future for the community.

Elizabeth

There is no doubt that some people wanted black people excluded from benefits that Tim Wise mentioned, like the G.I. bill which gave aid to returning veterans from WW2. Many black veterans didn’t get the same help as many white veterans did. I was saddened to hear that people who put their lives on the line for this country didn’t get the aid they deserved for their service. Another example that Wise brought up was the Social Security Act that FDR put forth which gave financial aid for retirees, unless one was an ‘agricultural worker’ or doing ‘domestic service in private homes.’ The majority of people in these fields of work were African Americans. But racism is not gone, it has just taken different forms. One example was at a McCain rally, the man who ran against Obama. One of the people there said, “I’d never vote for a black man,” which I believe was very short-sighted. Tim Wise believes that most white people aren’t racist, but they’ve become so used to being the majority, so they unconsciously discriminate against people of color. He believes that we as a society need to veer away from ‘color-blindness’ and go for ‘color-awareness.’

Melissa

Reflecting on White Like Me: Race, Racism and White Privilege in America, I agree with Tim Wise in bringing awareness to white privilege and how it can affect people of color. Tim Wise challenges his viewers to look at the racial differences that go back historically against people of color whether it’s in schools, workplaces, social places, or in healthcare. He also addresses the wrongdoings of people trying to “mask” racism by coming up with the “colorblind theory” which does the opposite of facing the problem and comes off as being avoidant to the real social issue. Tim Wise also states that it’s not enough for white people to stop being racist but that they have to actively work to be anti-racist, one of the examples that portrayed white racism was when Barack Obama was elected as president, and white people encouraged/threatened the ending of his life. One example that he wanted to bring awareness of white privilege is the GI Bill in which only whites were compensated and people of color did not have access to those benefits, welfare was also an example of whites being racist because they only saw people of color being portrayed to revive it by magazines which created a stereotype, not knowing that white people have historically benefited from welfare programs without the same stigmatization.

Ezeq

In reflecting on White Like Me: Race, Racism and White Privilege in America, I agree with Tim Wise on his position on whiteness and white privilege existing in history and America today. One example of white privilege in history was FHA loans that helped people buy their first homes. For the first 30 years, 98% of those that participated were white. Another example was the GI Bill which was set up to help veterans returning from the war get assistance with loans to start businesses and cash for tuition but again most of those who received these benefits were white. It saddens me that people were excluded from receiving these benefits due to the color of their skin. I agree with Wise when he said that white people have the legacy of obliviousness that allows those of us in the dominant group to rarely think about these matters (19:29). My thoughts are that I do feel like white people are oblivious to the racial inequalities that still exist because they have not experienced them. I feel bad for those that experience racism and although some may not directly participate in racism, their obliviousness does not contribute to the solution.

Saadi

In “White Like Me,” Tim Wise provides a compelling critique of whiteness and white privilege in America. He argues that white privilege is an invisible package of unearned benefits that white individuals encounter daily, often without recognizing it. For instance, Wise recounts his experience of walking through a store without fear of suspicion. This starkly contrasts with the experiences of people of color, who often face profiling. He emphasizes that whiteness is not just a racial identity but also a societal construct that confers power and opportunities primarily to white individuals.

Brandon

After watching “White Like Me: Race, Racism and White Privilege” I was astonished by the undeniable evidence. Thus, I agree with Tim Wise. Many white people do not know about the privileges they have over other ethnic groups. This is an undeniable fact for most white people because they have never lived in the life of other ethnic groups so they are unable to experience what their life is like. This is seen in “White Like Me: Race, Racism and White Privilege” when they talked about loans. They stated that loans were easier for white people to acquire compared to other ethnic and racial groups. This is another form of white privilege that the white people of that time did not know they benefited from because they did not live the life of those ethnic or racial groups. Therefore, Tim Wise’s position on whiteness and white privilege in America is crucial because it enables people to think about their past experiences and learn about privileges they have experienced that other racial or ethnic groups wouldn’t have experienced.

Zainab

I agree with Tim Wise’s perspective on white privilege and being white in America after watching the “White Like Me” video. He thinks that there is such a thing as white privilege and that when people are unaware of their own privilege, it negatively affects both their mental and physical health. He points out that the first statute ever passed in the United States stipulates that only free White individuals may obtain US citizenship. Since people of color were denied citizenship, white people in America were inevitably at a disadvantage or enjoyed a benefit. Additionally, he included a statistic in the film that states, “College-educated African Americans have a nearly twice as high unemployment rate as college-educated Whites” (00:30:46). This merely demonstrates that, despite the fact that black and white candidates are equally competent for the same position, the likelihood of a white candidate receiving it is twice as high due to skin-color discrimination. Seeing all these facts on white privilege and the fact that white people continue to deny its existence and how it impacts people of color is depressing.

Sophia

From watching the video, “White Like Me” I agree with Tim Wise’s stance on whiteness and white privilege in America. He believes that there is such a thing as white privilege and that it hurts people physically and their mentality when they are blind to their own privilege. He makes the point that with our first ever law, it states that only free white people can become US citizens. People of color weren’t allowed to become citizens, so that automatically gave the white people an advantage, or privilege in America. There is also a statistic that he put in the video that says, “College-educated African Americans are nearly twice as likely as college-educated whites to be unemployed(00:30:46).” This just proves that even though both a white person and a black person are equally qualified to get the same job, the white person is twice as likely to get the job just because of their skin color and the prejudice around it. It’s sad to see all these statistics about white privilege and that white people still don’t believe that it is real and that it affects people of color by not believing in it.

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