Good Example Of Movie Review On Tim Wise- On The Pathology Of White Privilege

Pathology of Privilege – Why is Tim Wise who is a “proclaimed expert” on racism giving this talk, while a person of color is not doing so?
Tim Wise is the “proclaimed expert” on racism because as he acknowledges that as a white man he is privileged, he also states that it places a responsibility on him to share this knowledge and message. During his lecture he says that if a person of color said the same thing he does, the message would not be received as opening because of the pre-conceived attitude on the subject.2. The Erasure of Race in Politics and Culture – How is poverty connected to the concepts of race and ethnicity in today’s families? What examples does he provide to support this connection?
Poverty is connected to the concepts of race and ethnicity in today’s families because of the gap in overall income, as well as assets that white people have in comparison to minorities, such as African Americans and Hispanics. An example Wise provides is that a lower income white family is likely to have more in assets than a middle class black family. This is because almost all white people have some assets that have been passes down from family, even if it is just a small piece of property. This is not the case with most colored families. 3. White Denial – Why does Tim Wise mention Elvis in his speech? Why do you think white people tend toward the belief that there is no racial discrimination in our society today?
Tim Wise mentions Elvis in his speech because he explains that 12% of white Americans believe Elvis may still be alive, but only 6% of white Americans believe that racial discrimination is not an issue in our society today. It is my belief that white people tend to believe that racial discrimination is not really a problem because they are never on the receiving end of what that is. A white person does not experience the challenges that colored people experience on a daily basis. The other reason for this may include a degree of deep denial of the imbalance in racial equality. 4. Unburdened by Race – According to Wise, what “benefits” accrue to white people?
According to Wise, the “benefits” accrued to white people are the everyday built in system that allows white people who never have worry about their failures becoming a representation of their race as a whole. The benefits are expansive in everything that white people do, leaves them free without the worry of how they are going to make others look.
5. The Creation of Whiteness – How has the concept of “Whiteness” come about from a historical standpoint?
The concept of “Whiteness” came about from a historical standpoint when the elite colonial Americans realized that the white and black subordinate portion of the population may possible revolt against the rich. In order to minimize a rebellion, they had to divide the group, allowing the poor white servants to believe they were better than the black individuals in the same positions. This began an attitude of “Whiteness” as the better race, creating the mentality of white privilege, regardless of class.6. Privilege and Pathology – What does Wise mean when he says “privilege generates anxiety?”
When Wise mentions that “privilege generates anxiety” he is referring to the selfish fear based mentality is creates. When people have something, they are in a state of worry over losing it so they remain paranoid and nervous. For example, he mentions the idea of Americans that feel threatened by immigrants who move into the country who will take jobs away by entering the country. Having a lot makes one worry about all that they have to lose.
7. Guilt and Responsibility – Wise argues that these two words are not synonymous. What is your opinion based on this argument?
I think that Wise’s argument about guilt and responsibility no being synonymous is valid because of his reason. Wise states that our responsibility has nothing to do with guilt; but has to do with doing the right thing because we are here and we can/should make me agreeable to the concept of this argument. If one is behaving responsibly strictly out of their guilt, the efforts and intentions may interfere. However, if the guilt and responsibility are independent of each other, then the actions toward change with are sincere.
8. In your opinion, was this discussion of race and ethnicity in the US fully comprehensive, or does it fall short of the whole issue?
In my opinion Wise did a tremendous job of covering the issue of race and ethnicity in the United States very comprehensively. The message was extremely powerful, changing my thoughts on the entire concept. One eye-opener was in hearing that white privilege is damaging to white people too. I honestly have a very different perception of racism after viewing the lecture. It is something I plan to share with people in my life, because there is so much value in Tim Wise’s message.9. What part of Tim Wise’s talk had the most impact on you, and why?
It is hard to pick just one part of the talk that had the most impact on me, because I was in awe through lecture, from start to finish. For the sake of providing a specific example, I will mention the part of the lecture where he mentions the way white people have responded when tragedies of terror occur at the hands of another white individual. When he discusses examples of school shootings and how these white children are in their basements assembling bombs, the way that white privilege allows the parents to not worry about what their kids are up to. Then he says, that you can bet a couple of black teens would not ever get away without their parents catching them, and provides somewhat humorous examples as to why. This struck me because it is something I never considered in terms of what life is like for the white families versus black families. Numerous times throughout the lecture I heard things that impacted me enough to want to share the video of Tim Wise with everyone I know.
10. Reflect on your own personal experience of “white privilege” whether you consider yourself to be white or a person of color. How has “white privilege” impacted your life?
White privilege has impacted my life in making me very aware of the difference in the way white people are a part of everything that we learn about and see in life. Most positions of power belong to white people. Those who have the most say so on the condition of our lives are generally white people. It is very obvious to me that the majority of everything in our cultural is based on decision made by white Americans.