By Joe Mungo | Observer Reporter
Nationally well known speaker Tim Wise spoke to a full auditorium about the controversial topic of racisim recently.
The audience included students faculty and staff as well as students from Massachusetts high schools and colleges.
I was not very impressed by Tim Wise, so called National Lecturer on Racism and author of the book White Like Me: Reflections on Race from a Privileged Son. As a matter of fact, I was quite offended when his wagon came through town February 17, and he wowed the audience with the oratory skill reminiscent of the snake oil salesman of the old west.
I take offense to Mr. Wise’s assertion that being born white equates to being born privileged in America. I guess being white and poor or white and disadvantaged for a plethora of other reasons is a contradiction in terms in the world of Mr. Wise. I had no idea that being born white and disadvantaged at the same time was so rare and uncommon that for some people this condition is virtually non-existent. After attending the lecture by Mr. Wise, I certainly must be a minority. I always wondered why I had to work so hard, all those odd and extra hours, all those crappy low paying jobs. I never realized that all I had to do was flaunt my white skin and collect my privilege.
Being white and having to work your way out of poverty is obviously not a predicament or condition Mr. Wise is even remotely familiar with, because after all, being white to Mr. Wise only means being advantaged. As he indicated in his amusing banter, if it were not for his advantageous whiteness, he would never have been able to attain the loan for the prestigious college that began the succession of advantages that brought him to the financial success and position he holds today.
I find it very interesting, although somewhat disturbing, that Mr. Wise was able to perpetrate the privilege stereotype based on skin color and be cheered on by the same crowd who denounce and fiercely condemn any other stereotype based on skin color.
I recall an individual who became famous when he said “people should not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”
Why is it that Mr. Wise, being born with obvious advantages and privileges, can only be attributed to his skin color? Is it even remotely possible it could be something else? Did Mr. Wise also mention that he was born Jewish? Using the same racist logic that Mr. Wise uses so expressively, could you imagine the outrage and offensiveness if his book was titled: “Jew Like Me: Reflections on Race from a Privileged Son”!! How quickly and certain will I now be labeled Anti-Semitic, White Supremacy, Nazi Racist Bigot, for even the most fleeting notion of this idea!
Mr. Wise’s assertion of his whiteness being the reason for his “privilege” is as racist, offensive, and unacceptable as the assertion of Mr. Wise’s Jewishness being the reason for his “privilege.” But why is one so acceptable and the other so repulsive?
Whites condemned to the stereotype of privilege because of their skin color are no better off than blacks condemned to the stereotype of hopeless disadvantaged victims because of their skin color. Stereotypes based on skin color are always offensive and always destructive. Both of those groups contain a collection of individuals who expect and deserve to be treated and respected as individuals and should not allow themselves to be placed into compartmentalized groups for the benefit of anyone.
To stand there and condemn a young generation of people to the responsibility of righting the wrongs of the past because they happen to be born with white skin is not only a ridiculously simplistic and unattainable suggestion; it’s an incitement and a stimulus for more resentment.
To stand there and send the message to a young generation of people who happen to be born with dark skin that for them, merit and hard work has little value because their skin color condemns them right out of the gate and will always limit their hard earned achievements is not only a travesty of truth, honesty, and decent intentions, but a very irresponsible and depraved message with dangerous implications especially to the young non-white students that were in the audience from local high schools.
To categorize a group of people based on skin color for the benefit of another group is not the solution to the persistent tensions and disparities between the races. I believe it is the root cause.
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