The Negative Perception of People of Color from the Eyes of the White Person
The United States has the advantage of being a melting pot but still faces the issue of racism. Tim Wise in The Pathology of Privilege Racism, White Denial & the Costs of Inequality addresses the concern of stereotyping, racism, and privilege. His claims are presented according to the Toulmin argument model which requires a claim, qualifier, and evidence, as well as through the use of humor and appeal to logos and ethos, making his argument effective by capturing the audience’s attention through an understanding of negative beliefs.
Wise describes how a person of color is more likely to face pain due to their race and all the negative stereotypes created towards it. He states that “in a study released in 2004, black and Latino males are three times more likely than white males to have their cars stopped and searched for drugs – even though white males are four and half times more likely to actually have drugs on us on the occasion when [they] are stopped.” White people do not actively have racial stereotypes against them, while people of color are constantly worried about triggering a chain of negative labels and wondering if they will ever overcome them. While conveying this message to his audience, Wise presents his warrant about stereotyping and the drawbacks included with it. With seriousness developed in his voice due to the existence of logos the audience is forced to believe him as facts and serious tones make an individual more prone to certainty.
The existence of racial inequality allows white people to avoid being defined by social class. As Pyle and others cite Wilden to make their claim, “Metaphorical thinking occurs in every communication system whatsoever and not just in human language games. The ways humans make sense of experience are shaped by the metaphors used to categorize, classify, and name circumstances”, meaning racial inequality allows colored people to become affiliated with low socioeconomic rank, and therefore looked down upon in society. The allowance of discrimination helped stop the continual conversation about a white person’s place in society, looked at non-whites negatively, and made them feel less important. Over here Wise presents satire, provides a deep background regarding Europeans, displays historical evidence, and then makes a critical point about this scheme all on purpose so that he can have a strong argument in order to educate the audience in a flexible manner.
The anti-racism activist later appeals to the audience by mentioning that he is caucasian and explains that many people who belong to the white majority in the United States are classified as superior and associated to privilege. He asserts, “not once have any of those candidates tried to directly connect the role that racism, the role that racial discrimination, the role that institutional racial oppression and white privilege play in regard to health care, in regard to housing, in regard to schooling. It is as if those issues exist in a vacuum and have no relationship to color, have no relationship to race, have no relationship to a history of racial subordination” (Wise). Taking a look at normal day activities, such as renting a house in an expensive neighborhood, we see racism in action, as a person of color who is able to afford it will still have their race considered, and many unnecessary questions will be asked. Shopping at the mall causes people to discriminate against non-whites who are often accused of aiming to rob and not shop. Privilege is not assigned. It is automatically given based on race.
Many Americans due to their economic status may not view themselves as privileged but being part of the majority racial group is beneficial and privilege has a huge part to play in the actuality of racism. “Racism is America’s original sin, further arguing that racism has been with this country before it was a nation, and that its effects are so pervasive and entrenched that even “race neutral” or “color-blind” policies can only serve to preserve the grievous fault” (Wetherbee). Throughout this argument Wise gives background information regarding the country’s history, and claims as the Toulmin model indicates (Lunsford). As well as appeals to ethos by stating his concern about grades in school. All of these tools are utilized to recognize that the word underprivileged would never show up in a dictionary. Privilege was assigned to white people and there is absolutely no such thing as working towards it and it is a way of distinguishing whites from non-whites. He is able to support his claim with the display of net worths of whites and non whites and is able to prove that this sort of judgement has been present in this country indirectly for quite a while.
Wise asks, “Do you believe that folks of color had equal opportunity and were treated equally in 1963, or whether or not black children were treated equally in schools and had equally educational opportunity in 1962, ……What do you think those white folks said when those very questions were put to them in 1963, and in 1962, in a time where the apartheid system was very much in effect? It was before the Civil Rights act, ………. And 80% of white folks said yes”. The constant Q and A the use of the toulmin argument (Lunsford) affects the audience by having it stay alert. Persistent use of logos helps his argument by making the audience believe that flaws in this system exist and discrimination has never been fully extinguished and the civil rights act is just a trap for the people to think that the USA is a happy country.
Even though United States has a strong history about slavery and racism but today each individual is blessed with amenities. Students are often made aware about inequality and discrimination during February, a month in which the whole nation brings light to black history. Diversity is an official stamp of the United States of America the road to shared opinions, equity, and combined honor has been stable among every ethnic group. Such as each person of every ethnic group is given a chance to get a higher education and multiple ethnicities are provided jobs in every job sector.
On the contrary, the American nation infers that the ancestors suffered all the pain and agony in the hope of leaving a perfect state for their descendents. For instance, “Mountain Top’s student population is 100% Caucasian with 44% students receiving free or reduced lunch. It is a Title I school. There is one African-American teacher on an otherwise exclusively White staff, and she is the first and only African-American teacher in the entire county. What follows is an excerpt from an interview that I conducted with Mrs. Carver, the one African-American teacher. In rereading it, I am struck by my indirect language and how I initially talk around race instead of bringing it up directly. I call this strategy dancing. Dancing sustains White privilege through colorblind logic by raising issues associated with race without directly naming race. This creates the impression that race is subsumed by other things and becomes unmentionable” (Gordon). By providing facilities to only non color people and hiring only one colored person, the American locals are given the perception that everyone is given rights because of the mindset they have of open mindness and that degrading was something of the past.
Tim Wise, Pyle, Heath, Wetherbee, and Gordon come together to address the matter regarding white privilege. According to a fair amount of people everyone has the advantage of unlimited resources no matter what the ethnicity. That sensation is a misconception and it should be acknowledged that limitation of righteousness in the American system is currently occurring and is being dismissed. As a nation white privilege should be taken into view and effective methods of ending it should be introduced.
