Part 1: “Racism in the United States: By the Numbers”
The following is a brief video by the VlogBrothers (self-described as “raising nerdy to the power of awesome”), in which one of the brothers explores current data on racism in the United States. This is informative and short, though it moves pretty fast and you may have to pause periodically to catch up (at least I had to).
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQdMgtncpoE
(Right-click on the link and open in new tab/window. If the link does not open, please copy and paste it into your browser. If that doesn’t work, search “Racism in the United States by the numbers Vlogbrothers” on YouTube.)
Your task: Watch the video, and briefly discuss at least two pieces of data mentioned that you were unaware of, that raised questions for you, or you would like to learn more about.
Part 2: Tim Wise on White Privilege
Tim Wise is a prominent anti-racist writer, educator, and speaker. This is a clip of him at Austin-Peay State University (TN) from 2011.
(Right-click on the link and open in new tab/window. If the link does not open, please copy and paste it into your browser. If that doesn’t work, search “tim wise speaks at austin peay” on YouTube.)
Your task: Watch the video (about 35 minutes), and discuss two (2) of the following five (5) references or questions. You can do more than two if you are so moved, but you won’t score extra points :)
Your answers must be substantive; meaning, related to the questions below, and demonstrating your comprehension of the points raised in the video. You may include your own personal ideas about racism, oppression, etc., but your post must indicate you watched and understood the video.
Please also note any points in the Wise video that paralleled or reflected the data discussed in the VlogBrothers video.
1. There is a danger inherent in white privilege, Wise says, not just for people of color, but also for middle and working class white folks. What examples does he give? Explain why, or why not, his examples are persuasive.
2. Wise discusses job discrimination based on “ethnic-sounding” names. What does he mean by “you can’t have a down without an up”?
3. Beyond material benefits, what are the psychological aspects of privilege?
4. What does Wise mean when he discusses “group flaws” or “group defects”?
5. Review our discussion of “normative” from Chapter 3. Wise discusses white privilege as normative: “as members of the dominant group, we don’t have to think about how our narrative has been normalized…our narrative is dominant even though it’s not universal.” Explain his point.
6. Explain the difference between individual achievement and institutional structures (examples of Obama and Oprah Winfrey).
