What is racism and privilege, and how is race constructed, in America today? How does this definition apply to yourself and your life? How might this tie into the work you’ve been doing for paper 3?”

When asking a group of people for their own meaning of racism one can receive various responses. The same can be said of privilege, this is so because of people’s differences. In the way that someone is raised and their background will affect how they treat and react to others. After reading an interview with Tim Wise (by the color of their skin: Tim Wise in the Myth of a Postracial America) one can apply their definition to their way of life. When defining racism a judgment against a race biased on a pre conceived idea. This is dangerous because people will treat differences the only way they have learned how, giving some privilege over others. Racism and privilege go hand and hand, for example: “We also know that job applicants with “white-sounding” names are 50 percent more likely to get called back than those with “black-sounding” names, even if both have the same qualifications.” (Page 6) Tim Wise’s words show that just because a person has a name that sounds different they will not be considered in a serious role. That is a fault of most people, coming up with a result before trying to solve the question. Over time the definition of racism and privilege has changed and can be seen in American culture and life today.
Racism is a word that evokes powerful feelings. This is true especially in America, where racism has a long and rather dismal history. According to Tim Wise, racism and privilege are directly related. In American society today, this correlation is apparent even amongst the nation’s most prestigious leaders. As Wise states, “Privilege also takes the form of less pressure to perform” (page 5). He further explains this statement by asking if Obama, our nation’s first black president, happened to make the same grammar mistakes in his speeches as previous president Bush did, would he be considered less qualified for the job? This is a question many Americans should ask themselves. Wise also proclaims that “we can make peace with the past by recognizing that good people can still do great evil…once we come to realize that, we become a lot less smug about our own goodness and more aware of the evil we participate in every day” (page 9). I find this applies to my own life, as even I find myself guilty of falling for racial stereotypes.

Tim wise often talks about “white privilege”, which are different institutions and programs that give additional resources to whites that may not be accessible to other races. Wise also states, “Privilege also takes the form of less pressure to perform (Page 5).” This privilege may be present in more diverse communities, for example larger cities. But in the smaller less diverse towns there may be more of a chance for equal opportunity. White privilege is a form of inequality that is hard to regulate. It takes the whole communities cooperation to change for fully equal opportunities. Just like it will take our whole communities to change what kind of food we get to eat, if we want all organic or non-GMO, it’ll take the whole community to unite and change.

Over all it will require complete cooperation from all races in order to eliminate racism, and "white privilage". Racism may have different effects on different people, but still needs to get bad.

Works Cited
Cook, David. "By the Color of Their Skin: Tim Wise on the Myth of a Postracial America." The Sun July &
Aug. 2009: 4-12. Print.