| Title | : | Dear White America: Letter to a New Minority (City Lights Open Media) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0872865215 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780872865211 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 190 |
| Publication | : | First published January 1, 2012 |
This anxiety has helped to create the Tea Party movement, with its call to "take our country back." By means of a racialized nostalgia for a mythological past, the Right is enlisting fearful whites into its campaign for reactionary social and economic policies.
In urgent response, Tim Wise has penned his most pointed and provocative work to date. Employing the form of direct personal address, he points a finger at whites' race-based self-delusion, explaining how such an agenda will only do harm to the nation's people, including most whites. In no uncertain terms, he argues that the hope for survival of American democracy lies in the embrace of our multicultural past, present and future.
Dear White America: Letter to a New Minority (City Lights Open Media) Reviews
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Even though I feel it’s important for Americans to read one of Tim Wise’s books, I’m not sure it matters which one. In White Like Me, for instance, Wise presents many of the same arguments as his more recent Dear White America: Letter to a New Minority. The premise of both books is that issues around race and racial inequality have not been resolved. To me, this seems like a given; however, it’s not always clear how (maybe besides the justice system) this inequality is being perpetuated. You might think that for racial inequality to continue there needs to be overt racism. However, Wise provides an engaging account of the ways and mechanisms by which racism has been sustained. The problem is getting a book like this (or the kind of information in this book) to a wider audience, to those who believe we have overcome race or that those who are now being persecuted are white Americans.
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First, let me say that the contents of this small book represent an unmitigated threat to the status quo. Consequently, anyone who feels menaced by the deterioration of white privilege may think it necessary to attack Tim Wise’s credibility, his methodology, and his statistical sources. Fair enough. Fire away.
However, there are a few derogatory tactics that one should forgo if one wishes to avoid looking like a complete jackass…
One. Read the material. If you intend to criticize Mr. Wise you should really have your proverbial ducks in a row. Saying things like, “I didn’t feel enlightened after skimming the material” puts you on the fast-track to jackassdom.
Two. Calling out Wise as a “white man taking advantage of his white privilege to make money,” or better still “a white man who thinks only white people are to blame for every problem in American society” proves beyond all reasonable doubt that you either didn’t read the material or you are simply too obtuse to comprehend the material [see item One].
Three. Be certain that the tone you project onto the author is not, in fact, your own. Describing the book as, “delivered with too much anger” or that it has a “purely angry tone” is a highly arbitrary assertion to make of printed material, especially when the audiobook, read by Tim Wise himself, conveys no animosity or hostility whatsoever.
And Four. Be sure your negative is actually a negative. Even if the author was indeed pissed off (he’s not), shouldn’t he be? Shouldn’t anyone who looks at centuries of oppression, subversion and injustice be angry? Should not the lies, the overt manipulations, the deceit, spark a little hostility in your tone? And now you’re dismissing the entire presentation because you mistook the author’s zeal and urgency for anger? Seriously bro, stop being such a jackass. -
I am interested in this topic but perhaps I have read too many of this type of book--can anyone read too much of this topic?--e.g., that objections that we're in a post-racial society have exaggerated our successes when speaking of the race issue in America.
Wise writes well and has a long pedigree for working on anti-racism issues. He certainly is able to articulate instances of bone-headedness and lack of careful thought around the arguments presented by those who oppose racial equality. Perhaps it is the articulation of the prejudiced arguments before presenting counter-arguments that bothered me. The arguments almost don't bear rebuttal, they seem so infantile.
The form of this book was also difficult for me: there were simply two large chapters with no place to rest one's argument or take a breather. It seems almost as though the author or editor could have placed individual arguments in their own chapter to make it easier for us to find if we needed to look for them again.
In the end, I preferred
So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo,
Waking Up White: And Finding Myself in the Story of Race by Debby Irving, and
Good White People: The Problem with Middle-Class White Anti-Racism by Shannon Sullivan. It could be that I read these first and learned the most then. -
.Racial disparities in society can’t only be see as merit.
I am pretty familiar with the author as I seen clips of him on CNN. I researched his history, he seems to be on the right side of history and never is afraid to speak out against racism and injustices that are happening in society. I really love how firm the author tone was, he was unapologetic but never demeaning. It is always liberating to hear White people talk about the injustices that people of color because it is so rare.
I enjoyed this book for the most part, white on white crime, personal responsibility, white privillege are just a few things that I would highlight. Usually people would only talk about these themes at a minimum but it will not be eleborated on in risk of offending conservatives or hidden racists. It is not enough for only the Black person to speak on racism but it is the White person as well. It is not only them but it is also the Indians who was basicially stripped from their identity.
I appreciate how concise this was, only four chapters but it is packed with good information and you have a sense of pride reading it. -
This book blew me away. Phenomenal observations here. Tim Wise addresses racism at its worst - or even at it's "well it's better than it used to be so that can't be racist." He dismantles racism, dismantles claims that things aren't racist, dismantles ideas of the Tea Party. He explains things I never knew, expounds on ideas - this book is phenomenal. This should be required reading for every single white American.
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"As for the public assistance, the majority of people of color don't receive any; hence it is hardly legitimate to blame so-called "welfare" for the larger community's condition. Although people of color are more likely than whites to receive some form of income or health care assistance (which only makes sense, considering such groups are two to four more times more likely to be poor) in any given month, fewer than four in one hundred blacks and fewer than three in one hundred Latinos receive cash welfare, between 6 and 12 percent receive some kind of housing assistance, and only 11 to 19 percent receive nutritional assistance (so-called "food stamps"). Considering that these recipients often overlap (particularly for cash and food assistance), the overall numbers of persons of color receiving benefits of these types is at no point greater than perhaps one in seven. Even then, benefits are paltry and and hardly sufficient to encourage laziness or to serve as a serious disincentive to productive labor. Indeed, the median monthly value of cash and food assistance combined comes to only $255 per person=far lower in some states.
Are we really to believe that any substantial number of persons would forgo a job so they could sit back and collect a few hundred dollars per month in benefits, leaving them still desperately impoverished?" -
Another user took the book very personally in his review and I feel that I should share my response to him as a review in itself for the benefit of the community:
"Thou dost Protest Too Much . . .!"
Don't extrapolate too much into what I'm saying but NO WAY did I get that from this book.
You may not feel comfortable with the truths expressed here but it doesn't make it any less factual.
Does it go against your sense that you're self-made and that you've succeeded in the vein of that rugged, American individualism that were all enthralled with, that has become a part of our American lore . . . only to be told you succeeded because of a intergenerational, societal 'hand out' targeted to only your ethnicity?
You don't want to hear that crap . . . right?
You busted your ass . . . right?
This is not a knock against present day Whites per se . . . unless you're a racist.
It is asking whites to get to understand ALL the gears at work within the society they enjoy and that for centuries, you've been oblivious to the real underpinnings that make your existence and 'comfort ability' what it is today.
It is asking to realize that you are the 'majority' not in just numbers but in built-in, multigenerational privilege . . . and there you have it: The reason for the book.
Please read again sir . . . and try to not take the airing of the 'dirty laundry' so personally?
You'll do yourself a world of good.
:-)"
"The Truth folks doesn't care about your personal 'feelings' . . . She struts her stuff unapologetic, flamboyant for all to see . . . that is if you will stop squeezing your eyes shut so hard . . ."-Me
Have a great day everyone! :-) -
I encourage those who agreed with the points about white privilege brought out by Tim Wise and this book to check out this article:
http://changefromwithin.org/2011/09/0...
While I did enjoy the points and some of the analogies Wise made in Dear White America, what the author of the above article points out is also something to note:
"By definition, white privilege is not earned. Wise doesn’t have to do anything to gain access to the benefits assigned to the social construct of racialized whiteness. Even his apparent efforts to expose it have not caused the white establishment to banish him or treat him like a person of color. Given that Wise isn’t saying anything new or revolutionary in regards to how to eradicate racism, what accounts for his popularity and celebrity status and the fact that his calendar is filled with engagements for the next few years? His whiteness! The very thing he speaks against. Might this be the ultimate white privilege?"
I recognize that Wise refers to white people as "us" and "we" in the book, and that he claims the letter to be a "self-reminder." I'm not saying that Wise's intentions aren't good, or that the things he does point out about white privilege are wrong. I would just like to point out what the article calls "a word to the wise: Rather than talk about the white privilege of others, Wise would be wise to simply discuss his own. Not in some general, 'I’m a white guy' way either, but in a way that addresses his particular privileges as a white guy talking about racism such as the ones outlined in this essay." -
It's very unlikely that the people the book actually tries to address will actually read it. This book explains how centuries of white privilege and violence against other ethnic groups have left white people unprepared for the future when whites will no longer be the majority of the nation. The book addresses fears of non-whites lazily draining white workers' income thru government anti-poverty programs, fears of scholarships for different ethnic groups hurting whites' ability to afford college, and fears of America's general slide into decay without whites to run things. This book, while it didn't read as an angry rant to me, probably would to someone in the Tea Party, mostly because the book's central premise is that today's whites are the beneficiaries of a system that privileged their ancestors, enabling them to start life 'ahead' of people born with different skin colors. For those who don't like to think of America's sad treatment of non-whites throughout it's history and today, this book has nothing but unpleasant revelations.
I would recommend it to anyone who found their outlook changed by Stokely Carmichael and Malcolm X. -
I read this short polemic in conjunction with watching Mr. Wise's lecture, The Pathology of Privilege: Racism, White Denial and Costs of Inequality (Wise, et al., 2008) on the recommendation of a respected member of my faculty whom I consider a mentor. I am grateful for the recommendation. Mr. Wise is an activist and scholar who makes us uncomfortable in order to confront the reality of our American society - racism is not dead, but alive and well.
I have read this book and watched his lecture at a time when Ann Coulter, a reprehensible pundit of the Murdock FoxNews dynasty, co-opted the social media activist message, #BringBackOurGirls, supporting the return of 200 kidnapped Nigerian girls by the terrorist group Boko Haram. Coulter posted a "selfie" with the words #BringBackOurCountry. The posting was largely a failure as liberals photoshopped the selfie to mock Coulter and her message, and to punch back at her vicious form of anti-liberal, anti-progressive satire. At this time, I could not have needed Mr. Wise more for his insight into exactly what such conservatives as Coulter want our country to return to.
Mr. Wise states that most who reminisce on what America once was are remembering the time around 1957. This was the time when all the people on television sets were white, families were projected as wholesome, and the American system benefitted hard-working people without large government or heinous taxes. Unfortunately, these individuals have mythologized this era obscuring the fact that taxes at that time were high (91% for incomes over $200,000/year for a single person and $400,000/year for a married couple) and big government entitlements like Social Security, the GI Bill, and VA home loans were heralded, loved, and more importantly, not available to people of color. It was a time remembered and cherished because while taxes were high, white people received the largesse of the benefits.
This system changed with the Civil Rights Movement. When people of color fought for and won access to white benefits there was a backlash. All of a sudden government entitlements had to be earned and people of color were lazy.
Lazy. That is a misused adverb. Wise points out that for centuries whites all over the world have pursued a life of leisure happy to subjugate, enslave, terrorize, misuse, and mistreat others to get them to do the hard work privileged white people staunchly avoid. Yet, with the Civil Rights Movement came the feeling that if a white person could not succeed it was because of the unearned compensations handed out to people of color (listen to:
http://www.npr.org/2014/05/18/3136183...). Since Civil Rights made bigotry unacceptable, the truth must be rewritten and edited. And, rewrite and edit the likes of Coulter indeed do. The Tea Party, the "patriots" so fanatic about their strict Constitutionalism, often omit from their public readings of the sacred document the provisions protecting slavery inserted by our forefathers - those wonderful, white, slave-owning men so highly worshipped in our society wrote the laws as a means to ensure their supremacy. Wise is certain the America Coulter and her like-minded patriots want to return to is one that upholds white supremacy. I concur and the truth hurts.
Wise makes us think and he pulls no punches. In his lecture in which he mentions the March on Washington, he mocks, "..an event that every white liberal alive now claims to have attended..." making us realize that liberals are just as responsible for the climate of racism that is fostered. Whites are happy to go along, sometimes struggling, but always knowing that the image of the "All-American Boy" and the "All-American Girl" looks just like the person staring back at them in the mirror. We are happy to go along knowing that the rules of working hard and getting an education ensure we have a good chance to succeed even while the rules do not apply to hard-working, educated people of color. And when whites are hurt by the economic recession caused by greedy white men, it is only the entitled pain of white people that counts. It does us good to remember the Occupy movement was just as white as the predominantly white Tea Party.
No, racism is not dead in America. Racism is as entrenched as ever. So, what are we going to do about it?
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Reference:
Wise, T. J., Jhally, S., Young, J. T., Rabinovitz, D., & Media Education Foundation. (2008). The pathology of privilege: Racism, white denial & the costs of inequality. Northampton, MA: Media Education Foundation. -
I listened to the author read his book...his words, and it was tough. White America has, for too long, looked the other way, insisting we somehow are more worthy than others..and very soon Caucasian America will be a minority. I absolutely believe that's what the last three presidential elections have been about, with the 2016 election being the last gasp of old white (yes, I know. I are one) men (not one) who so badly fear the changes in their world.
Wise starts the book with an episode where he upends the notion of, "That happened hundreds of years ago. You need to get over it," by saying that to a man celebrating the Fourth of July. I laughed and then cringed.
The exchange with a woman who took him to task over 'taking our country back' let him explain that our government has always been big...we've always had support programs, welfare, as you might say. When he asked her to tell him a time she wanted to return to, she mentioned the middle '50s. When whites could get FHA loans, when whites could use the GI Bill (as my dad did). But when those same supports were not available for non-whites.
He says our cultural identity crisis involves economic issues and cultural ones, and the election of a Black president fed the talking heads who whipped up the fears of those white folks who so fear change.
I want to read more from Wise...and to follow his thinking.
This IS supposed to make us feel uncomfortable, to do some soul-searching. I doubt the people who could learn from his message will read the book. But it was a wake-up call to me to do better. Be better. -
It takes an extremely well-rounded historian to paint the big picture around an issue, and Mr. Wise does this with great authority. The race issue in America permeates everything, and he explains why and how. He relates his revelations with excellent writing, and the points he makes are some of the most important aspects of our society. My fear is that he is writing to an audience that already agrees with him. This is not his fault, because everything has been politicized these days, even Covid vaccination. Just as it is so difficult to talk to someone on the opposite side of the aisle about an issue, it is just as difficult to write a book that crosses the aisle. I want to say that this is a book required for every American, but in reality, I know it will not be read by those who are set in their ways about today's politics. Therefore, as good as this book is, it will be a sermon to the choir. And I hate that.
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"In his latest, he cuts to the core of white fears, using his white authority and white privilege to tell other whites that yes, it's time for you to deal with yourselves and the new American reality you now inhabit."
-Drums in the Global Village
"The foremost white analyst of racism in America never fails to provide fresh takes as he punctures myths and defenses."
-World Wide Work -
I found this book fascinating and revealing. It gave voice to some of the ideas I have had but couldn't articulate. I plan to read more of this author's work.
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Tim Wise pens a classically unrepentant letter to his fellow white Americans on the absurdly obvious fact of white privilege. I'm a Wise fan from his blog; this didn't disappoint.
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4.5 stars
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Tim Wise is THAT dude!
I saw a review on GR that said - the sad thing about this book is that the people who absolutely need to read it, will never read it. I completely agree. I, personally, do not know a lot of white people, who are willing to grapple this closely with the subject matter Tim Wise discusses in this letter.
Tim Wise is incredibly smart and he challenges the reader in a way that feels so personal. I loved his self-implication to the group of backwards ideologies prevalent in the demographic he speaks of and his awakening. He clearly states the ways in which he has failed in the past to really battle with white supremacy on his own but also discusses educating his children about the issues that they're not being exposed to surrounding black and brown populations at school and in the educational system. The keyword here is exposure. He talks about how white people have buried the truths about how they came to experience, enforce and explore their privilege. I didn't feel anything reading this that felt even remotely disingenuous. The fact that he wrote this work and continues to write similar work illustrates his ability to be reflective and self-critical. As a black person reading this book, I was filled with hope and it provided me with a piece of work to point to when/where necessary.
A little more gushing because I enjoyed it so much.
Magnificently written, Tim Wise covers so many topics with detailed and organized notes discussing everything from affirmative action to redlining, the illusion of a post-racial society in the Obama age and the hoarding of white wealth. Sometimes it's almost comical the absurdities that he points out but it's not funny when you realize that the shit is too real and has yet to be grappled with on any major scale. Considering Donald Trump is president and the Canadian prime minister wears blackface when it suits him, we know that North America is going to go through an extreme reckoning especially as the white population continues to dwindle. This book is a very important reference guide on things that are wrong within the landscape that will eventually right themselves. He dives deep into the problems that plague the white community when it comes to striving towards equality.
Lastly, and most importantly, he waxes at length about the fictitious, damaging and illogical arguments white people use to validate their racism or ignorance regarding classically racist practices and historically divisive laws and governance. That's really important work. Some people may call him an apologist, but honestly - the world needs more people like Tim Wise. -
I’m not exaggerating when I suggest that Dear White America: Letter To A New Minority should be required reading for every Caucasian in this country. Without a doubt, I’ve grown tired of white people attempting to talk about race. More often than not, this is never a good conversation. Even when speaking with progressives, white guilt can make you say some crazy things. (Ever said, “I don’t even see color?” Here’s a wakeup call: yes, you do.)
Before entering discussions on race, whites must make an effort to educate themselves on issues of white privilege and institutional oppression. Without learning about these topics, it will make it difficult for you to speak accurately on matters of race short of having lived the minority experience yourself. Our privilege tends to cloud our judgment sometimes.
Tim Wise, one of the most celebrated anti-racist authors and activists of our day, has presented with this book a concise, yet thorough telling of the story that desperately needs to be told to white Americans. He articulately explains how much of the political discourse today is actually dominated by race on a sub-conscious level. (One of my favorites of the many points made in the book is the fact that social programs for the poor were widely supported throughout American history when the beneficiaries were white, and only white.)
For the action-oriented among you, don’t worry! This isn’t just a book of complaints about a broken system. It may seem like our race problem in America is unsolvable, but I think several of Wise’s suggestions could help lead us in the right direction. More white folks should educate themselves on how to become a proper white ally, and in turn educate others on the need to view all Americans as our brothers and sisters if we want this experiment in democracy to succeed. You don’t have to be a politician or sociologist to talk about issues of race. You just need to prepare yourself properly. I think this book is an excellent place to start. -
Tim Wise, a foremost white spokesperson on White Racism writes a letter to white Americans in 2012 at a time when the country is engaged in a low-level race war coded in political language of "less government" , "individual freedom" and "taking America back". Wise admits in the opening pages that whites who most embodies these unconscious and hidden racist values will not read his book. However, for white allies working alongside people of color for justice, this book is extremely valuable in helping us see clearly and get language for addressing the covert racism of our day. For instance his discussion of the racism embedded in the Tea Party positions helped me crystallize my own thoughts on how inherently racist much of the "limited government" rhetoric is. One only needs to see who is most adversely affected by the limited government movement (the poor, the person of color, the immigrant) to see the implicitly and in some cases explicit racism involved in that movement. Wise helps see clearly and gives us boldness to speak clearly --- or at least try to speak as clearly as he does.
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Time Wise is right. This book is meant for a lot more people than who will read it. I have read that he focuses too much, negatively, against the far Right, but that is because he is trying to make a point. He mentions that the Left isn't perfect in regards to racism, but he is trying to make a point to the influences of a certain kind of narrative that the far Right proposes. I think he does a good job in trying to get underneath to the deeper meaning of things that are said. It is time we, white America, take a deeper look into the things we say and do and to not believe that those who are less fortunate than us, which includes people of color, are there by choice. We have put a lot of people there by our choices and the structures made from our choices. This is hard to swallow, but we must if things are going to change.
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I have always admired Tim Wise. I've heard him speak many times and very wisely about racism and OUR role in that evil institution. This book was short but powerful, and it is still relevant even after being released many years ago. It is important to understand our history; Mr. Wise tells it in a frank and honest way.
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This is a must read/listen for those White people who think they are evolved. Let it check you. It takes a bit to sink in. You've got nothing to lose.
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I am currently reading this book in the aftermath of the police brutality protests being held in multiple areas across the country. I mention this because even now, there are those in society clinging to social narratives such as
"none of this would be a problem if they didn't commit so much crime..."
"there is no such thing as 'White Privilege'..."
"I just wish the media would stop trying to stir up division" (as if the discontent wasn't there prior to the "media's efforts")...
"there is no such thing as racism/discrimination in (insert your industry here)..."
These are the honestly held (and most socially acceptable) complaints against which I have had to contend in many discussions.
Though the author dismantles the false narratives (with commendable precision and logic), I cannot say that the ideas or the observations are original. This has been stated quite a number of times, by quite a few other people, with documentation to bolster said points. Even though Mr. Wise acknowledged that those most in need of this information will be the ones least likely to read the book, I think it also likely more people will pay attention simply because the author presenting this information is white. Because of this, he is able to say the things that would cause someone like me to be marginalized, if I were to say them. (This has already been the case in more than one conversation...)
Which is, tragically enough, proving his point...
Having that said, this book pulls no punches, and gives no quarter.
It is an excellent piece of social commentary, set to dismantle the comfortable narrative in which many choose to wrap themselves. Not much more needs to be said, other than I recommend this to everyone wishing to study about our history, and about how baser opinions have been played upon, to continue inflicting quasi-sanctioned misery upon countless millions. -
Good ideas are few and far between in this book by Tim Wise. The thing that is most consistent is his purely angry tone. When it comes to race relations, an upset tone is understandable, but Tim allows his feelings of anger to get in the way of building any solid solutions.
The most constructive solution in this book comes at the end. Tim Wise advocates for teaching about more white abolitionists and how that approach would illustrate unity between races from a current and historical perspective. This is a great starting approach, but it won't reach everyone who needs it.
Interestingly, Tim Wise is eager to dismiss the hardships that Irish, Italian, Jewish, and Asian Americans have faced. Not a single word of Mr. Wise alludes to the disgusting internment Asian Americans faced in the midst of WWII living in the land of the free; this is probably because the interments were ordered under FDR and Tim Wise is more interested in propagating Liberalism than objective truth. Therefore, most of this book on racism and oppression is simply black and white - a tremendous shortcoming. -
This book I read in support of my ongoing effort to understand and to become an effect advocate for and in behalf of what it is like to be a person of color (POL) in today’s United States and to an extent most countries of European descent. The author is an renowned lecturer who concisely from an Anglo’s tongue, has put together a series of arguments against the commonly used conservative arguments against Black Lives Matters (BLM), Critical Race Theory (CRT), etc. This book is a perfect companion to other books that one can read to understand the POC’s plight in today’s US. I’m referring to ‘Dog Whistle Politics’ by Lopez, ‘Caste’ by Wilkerson, ‘The New Jim Crow’ by Alexander, ‘The Fire Next Time’ by Baldwin, ‘Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together In the Cafeteria’ by Tatum, ‘Black Like Me’ by Griffin, ‘The Half Has Never Been Told’ by Baptist, and ‘Stamped From the Beginning’ by Kendi. Together and with many books I’ve left out, it is a great way to empower oneself to be an effective advocate of POC.
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Audiobook Only: This book was written with the rise of the tea party and Donald Trump. It’s fascinating how relevant this book still is. While I am half-Tongan, I appear to be white and have had many privileges because of that. I feel like I am still unlearning how I thought the world works and doing better. This is a quick listen and worth it to expand your worldview.
