White Like Me

I read the chapter “Privilege” from the novel White Like Me. I agree with Wise’s belief that people are affected because of the color of their skin. I agree that black people are burdened because of racism, and white people benefit from it. Even if a person is not racist, the racism of others will treat them higher than the black population. For example, in the school system, Wise claims that there is racism. He states that he has stats proving this, even though he does not actually include them in the chapter. He claims that white teachers are easier on their white students and are willing to make more exceptions for them as well. Teachers may admit white students into a test late and not allow any black students to arrive late. Wise says that studies show that teachers do not think that poor black kids are equal in their ability to learn as white kids. The curriculum itself is centered on the accomplishments of whites. Sure, a black person may be mentioned but there is no in depth study of their achievements.  On another note, Wise states that there is also racism involving the law. He says that he has broken plenty of laws, but he was never punished because he was white. The parties in white neighborhoods with drugs and alcohol even violence were never broken up. At the most, an officer would come up and ask them to turn it down. In the black neighborhoods these parties were never even allowed to start, with or without drugs. I think that there is some truth to what Wise has said, but I do have some doubts about it. I would be a much stronger believer if Wise had included the stats, which he supposedly used, to support his claims. In my experience, I have not experienced very much racism because the area I live in is almost completely white. However, I have heard plenty of racist comments and even witnessed a few incidents involving racism. I cannot validate the claims Wise has claimed because I do not have the opportunity to experience the things that Wise speaks about because of my location.

If I Were a Poor Black Kid

I think that this article is completely wrong. I feel that the author wrote what he would do as a middle-aged white man pretending to be a poor black child. He says he would do all the things that middle class white kids do. He says he will do everything in his power to succeed. His ideas are in accurate. I’m sure that poor black kids want to succeed and move on to do great things, but it just isn’t possible. The writer assumes that he would be the best of all the kids. He assumes that he will have the knowledge he has now. What if he wasn’t? Poor children of any color face issues every day, sometimes they are a matter of life and death. I think that if the writer really was a poor black kid he would have a lot more on his mind than just doing well in school. For example, he may have to worry about getting to and from school safely, or when his next meal will be. I think that the writer forgot that being a poor black child doesn’t mean that you have the intelligence of an adult, and that life does not allow you to only focus on school.  I agree with the responses to this article, at least the ones I read. They all said that the article was inaccurate and extremely unlikely. They noted that he assumes he will magically know everything about how to apply for financial aid and things of that nature. One response even accused the author of writing this article in order to receive a pay check. Personally, I do not find this accusation to be farfetched. I feel like there was very little thought put into it. I think the title could have been “If I was a Middle Class White Kid” because there is little insight into the author actually being a different color or limiting himself to the resources that poverty stricken families are stuck with.