White Like Me: Reflections on Race from a Privileged Son by Tim Wise - Book Report/Review Example

?Timothy Jacob Wise is without any argument a forerunner as an anti racist activist who profoundly works with the racism that still exists in Americaand often makes us ask ourselves is this free country is fare enough for all? Wise no doubt has led a formative combat against racism that reflects through his impressive statistics of lectures delivered in different colleges and universities of the United States of America that counts at a staggering six hundred is no doubt keeps him and his neutrality as a pro anti racist beyond any questions. Not only a vivid lecturer; Wise has shared his knowledge and literally trained hundreds of teachers, police, employees and persons connected with non profit organizations. A prolific writer, Wise came up with his first comprehensive book against racism, namely White Like Me: Reflections on Race From a Privileged Son in the year 2004. The book published from the Soft Skull Press, immediately attracted public attention and that from experts and commons alike. Before moving into the detailed review of the aforementioned book it would be wise to consider the views of Wise against racism in America in a nutshell. In the briefest possible way, Wise considers that racism one of the most ancient of the practises in America is an institutionalised affair. The virus of racism that is no short f any evil had been carried from the past and the society still rills under those past mal practises. This has resulted in the discrimination based on racial background in the modern day USA. Wise’s argument against racism is not a one-way ticket and that reflects when in general he agrees with the fact that such discrimination at individual level is much less nowadays than what was in the past. However his concern for this burning matter that is a disturbing question to the politicians and commons alike is that he profoundly feels that racism in America is institutionalised and all the efforts that are directed towards making America a country free of racism and a country fostering non biased policies, eventually ends up strengthening the racial discrimination in this very land. White Like Me: Reflections on Race from a Privileged Son by Tim Wise might sound narcissistic and offensive at times to the reader. As he narrates walking down the memory lane about the privileges and the special belongings that whites have enjoyed owing to their color and race over the so called people of different colors and origins, he carefully illustrates the supports and resistance to those privileges that came from different people belonging to the same so called white race. This white’s advantage over the other castes received great animosity from Wise as he extended his thoughtful advice to the people belonging to his own class to renounce the much-cherished advantages that they enjoy as a class of majority in no time. The uniqueness of Timothy Jacob Wise gets reflected here when he warns his own breeds about the grave danger that might awaits them if they still holds to those foolish privileges that once vested upon themselves. A remedy from this disease of whiteness that Wise calls for and that he believes on one hand will eradicate racism from America and on the other will save the skin of those white inhumans who still consider themselves superior than their darker counter part only in terms of their brighter color. (Wise 150) Wise is no short of courage when he accepts that as an American born and having a white color has helped him immensely through out his voyage of life so far. His claims are all well backed with examples and that certainly proves that Wise not only walked through the events that life presented to him but he took a keen observation of those events and that helped him to realise what equality of race is all about in America. Wise mentions that being a white, in his youth he managed to be a part of the Tulane University and came across far less resistance while going through his activities that are profoundly meant against racism (An act of the majority). The way that Wise managed to pay for his tuitions at Tulane has also been contributed to his complexion by no other than himself. Wise carefully illustrated the white privilege that surrounds the property market. He has mentioned that his mother forwarded her inherited property from her parents to be considered as collateral and managed to take a loan in those days of hardship. Interestingly a colored people cannot purchase a property with is/her legitimate money in a neighbourhood that might belong to their white counterparts. (Wise 12) This points to the fact that only the so-called whites are privileged to enjoy the possession of property and increase it in a cumulative way. Here wise makes an honest confession “I am where I am today…because of being born white” (Wise 13). He also laments on this very fact that he cannot change this fact, as this was not a choice that he could have made by himself. Wise’s personal experience does not stop here in his portrayal of the events that he witnessed through the way of his life that were predominantly paved a society biased towards the white people. He deliberately explores and cites that even the plays that were acted in schools and the debates that used to take place among the students were in terms of matter and style of expression meant for the whites. Wise also questions the false assumption that kids of colored people are less disciplined than that of the whites. Wise cites his childhood memory that when he was at first grade his parents never punished him for troubling milk break, whereas his black friend was frequently punished for the same offence. In a heart twitching way Wise illustrates the difference. According to him since a white boy once grown would certainly be subject of some specific social exemption that the blacks cannot even think of, hence they should behave themselves and become better disciplined from their childhood to avoid any future malady that might cease his future for the rest of his life. (Wise 22) The whites according to Wise climb through the ladder of age with a much lenient view towards the law that govern the society as they know it is a law of the whites and a law that governs a society which is predominantly white. The whites equally indulges with drugs, gets high with booze and join in several activities like selling fake ids and so on that might not get classified a right in any scale or following any doctrine; yet seldom these activities gets addressed. However if for the blacks 100 out of 100 times these would have brought severe legal steps that might have left their future career in jeopardy. (Wise 37) Wise critically questioned the role of the Tulane administration regarding the biasness that they have shown towards protecting the whites in that formative period of life while showing little concern for the blacks. (Wise 43) Illustrating his own experience while acting as a community organizer in New Orleans (Wise 47) when not a grain of fear touched him, Wise argues the feelings that dawn the whites that they can never feel out of place at their motherland. (Wise 47) Again a general conscience almost never been applied to the whites but is quite frequent for colored people. As an example rash driving or drunken driving has been characterised with the blacks for long. Again after the catastrophe that struck USA on 9th September 2001, a common feeling of hatred had developed surrounding many peaceful Arabs leaving in USA and perhaps shared equal patriotic feeling as any other white people living around themselves. (Wise 49) The present era might be called as an era of media and whites have been very successful to draw its positive attention and make it work in their favor. Violence that are initiated by the whites are often gets overlooked or carefully screened out by the media and that does not flee out of Wise’s attention. He refers to the evil deeds of David Duke when he cheered with a group of supporters the terrorist attack on USA but that remained out side the realm of television or any other media. Ironically, when the same event gets cheered by the Palestinians, gets media bites. No doubt Duke’s act was as condemnable as of those Palestinians. (Wise 50) Wise has expressed his concern that the projectile that the whites are following to live within a world of their own is at the end costing them much beyond their imagination. It is actually creating a twisted mindset deep into the heart of the white people, which might eventually bring the downfall of them. (Wise 58) According to Wise owing to our ill fate this feeling of racism now has made inroad into our blood and leading to a subconscious or conscious collaboration among the whites to keep it survived (Wise 102). The narratives used by Wise in explaining the existence of structural racism and the fragmented efforts to eradicate it are equally effective. The instances of his grandfather selling liquor to blacks (Wise 104) and of a young mother who is apprehensive of a black student who is eventually her daughters classmate and friend falling prey to racism within the school itself; (Wise 106) provides strong examples of structural racism. However it also leaves a question unanswered; how to throw it over. Wise extends collaboration, cooperation and interaction among whites and non-whites as a possible step towards equity and equality in terms of rights that will lead to a nation wide programme eventually paving the way for the solution. (Wise 64,67) However he also admits that this is only the beginning. Parental involvement is necessary as often these privileges are considered or taken as a hereditary right. In this regards Wise memorises the role of his parents in his voice against racism (Wise 68, 73, 77-79) Wise ends with a clarion call to break the long standing silence that resulted in prolonged collaboration with this evil practise and practitioner. (Wise 81-83) Calling racism nothing short of a disease, Wise encourages challenging racism at every step of our daily life from shops to schools. (Wise 87) And that only will “raise the cost to other whites who might be engaging in those actions. We put them on notice that they may not get away with it and, at the very least, that not all whites will collaborate with them” (Wise 93). After all according to Wise this is not to save the blacks but to save the skin of the whites like himself in the long run. Work Cited Wise, Tim. White Like Me: Reflections on Race from a Privileged Son, Brooklyn, NY: Soft Skull, 2004. Read More