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STUDY GUIDE

Tim Wise on White Privilege

Racism, White Denial & the Costs of Inequality

Study Guide by Jason Young

CONTENTS
Note to Educators

Program Overview

Pre-viewing Questions

Introduction
Key Points
Question for Discussion & Writing
Assignment

5
5
5
5

The Erasure of Politics & Culture

Key Points
Questions for Discussion & Writing
Assignments

6
6
7
7

White Denial
Key Points
Questions for Discussion & Writing
Assignments

8
8
9
9

Unburdened by Race
Key Points
Questions for Discussion & Writing
Assignments

10
10
11
11

The Creation of Whiteness

Key Points
Questions for Discussion & Writing
Assignments

12
12
13
13

Privilege & Pathology

Key Points
Questions for Discussion & Writing
Assignments

14
14
15
15

Guilt & Responsibility

Key Points
Question for Discussion & Writing
Assignment

16
16
16
16

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NOTE TO EDUCATORS
This study guide is designed to help you and your students engage and manage the information
presented in this video. Given that it can be difficult to teach visual content and difficult for students to
recall detailed information from videos after viewing them the intention here is to give you a tool to
help your students slow down and deepen their thinking about the specific issues this video addresses.
With this in mind, weve structured the guide so that you have the option of focusing in depth on one
section of the video at a time. Weve also set it up to help you stay close to the videos main line of
argument as it unfolds. The structure of the guide therefore mirrors the structure of the video, moving
through each of the videos sections with a series of key summary points, discussion questions, and
assignments specific to that section.
Key Points provide a concise and comprehensive summary of each section of the video. They are
designed to make it easier for you and your students to recall the details of the video during class
discussions, and as a reference point for students as they work on assignments.
Questions for Discussion & Writing encourage students to reflect critically on the video during class
discussions, and guide their written reactions before and after these discussions. These questions can
therefore be used in different ways: as guideposts for class discussion, as a framework for smaller group
discussion and presentations, or as self-standing, in-class writing assignments (i.e. as prompts for freewriting or in-class reaction papers in which students are asked to write spontaneously and informally
while the video is fresh in their mind).
Assignments encourage students to engage the video in more depth by conducting research, working
on individual and group projects, putting together presentations, and composing formal essays. These
assignments are designed to challenge students to show command of the material presented in the video,
to think critically and independently about this material from a number of different perspectives, and to
develop and defend their own point of view on the issues at stake.

PROGRAM OVERVIEW
In this lecture, Tim Wise, the author of White Like Me: Reflections on Race from a Privileged Son,
offers a deeply personal take on whiteness, white privilege, and racism in America. Wise explains how
white privilege damages not only people of color, but white people as well, in the process providing an
accessible, and powerful, introduction to the social construction of racial identities.

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PRE-VIEWING QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION & WRITING

1) What is race? What were the messages you heard growing up about your race? Other races? Do
you think these messages about race are based on physical characteristics and differences
assigned at birth or are filtered through cultural beliefs and learned? Explain.
2) Do you believe the United States is a racist society? Why or why not? How would you define
racism, anyway? Is it a societal and institutional phenomenon, or a personal, individual mindset?
Perhaps both?
3) What is privilege? How can it be applied to race in the U.S.? Who has it? Who does not? How
can people with privilege affect society in ways people without privilege cannot?
4) Name some examples where white people receive certain advantages either unconsciously or
consciously that people of color do not receive. Are these examples of white privilege
institutional or interpersonal?
5) What are some of the costs of racism for white people? Why should white people work to
address white privilege? And most importantly, how can all people work collectively to address
issues of race and privilege?

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INTRODUCTION
Key Points

Tim Wise doesnt claim to be an expert on race, and credits people of color with much of what
he knows about racism, but he does believe that his white skin gives him an advantage when it
comes to talking about white privilege.

He hopes one day a person of color will be able to give his same lecture and be taken as seriously
as he expects to be taken.

Question for Discussion & Writing

Do you believe a person of color could come to your campus or community and give a lecture on
white privilege? Why or why not?
Assignment
Keep a record of the proclaimed experts you read, see, or hear from this semester whether
its another lecturer on campus, a pundit on a cable news channel, or the author of your textbook,
etc. Research the persons credentials, and then answer the following questions:
o
o
o
o

Who decided I should listen to this person?

What makes this person a proclaimed expert on this topic?
What other perspective(s) should I hear from on this topic?
When it comes to selecting experts, does there seem to be a bias toward academic
credentials?

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THE ERASURE OF RACE IN POLITICS & CULTURE

Key Points

Politicians often talk about issues like poverty, housing, education, and healthcare, but they
rarely connect them to the role that racism plays in the United States.

While the Fair Housing Act was passed in 1968, the highest number of discrimination
complaints based on race was 38 years later, in 2006.

The media often reports individual hate crimes, while systematic and institutionalized injustice is
not typically reported. For example, a 2004 study published by the American Journal of Public
Health found that, between 1991 and 2000, there were almost one million black people in the
U.S. who died because of insufficient healthcare. The study received almost no media attention.

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-a-half times more likely to
actually have drugs on them when they are stopped.

During training sessions with law enforcement officers, Wise asks, Whats the first thing you
think when you see a young black or Latino male driving a nice car in your neighborhood?
Without exception, they respond, Drug dealer. Wise then asks, Whats the first thing you
think when you see a young white male driving the same type of car in the same community?
Again, without exception, they say, Spoiled little rich kid. Daddy probably bought him the car.

The average white family in America has 12 times the accumulated net worth of the average
African American family, and eight times the accumulated net worth of the average Latino
family.

In the middle of the 20th century, loans were all but off limits to people of color, even though
white working class families near the poverty line were routinely given loans.

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Questions for Discussion & Writing

1. Why does Wise suggest that issues like poverty, housing, education, and healthcare are racerelated issues? What other political issues are race-related but rarely debated in that context?
2. Why do you think mainstream media report on individual, interpersonal cases of racism far more
than systematic and institutionalized forms of racial injustice?
3. What are your thoughts on racial profiling? Do you feel it can be an efficient, effective, and fair
way for law enforcement officers to prevent crime? Why or why not?
4. Why do you think American wealth is distributed primarily among people who are white? What
historical periods and specific events may have led to this? Explain.
Assignments
1. Watch a political debate on television or the Internet. It may be either a debate for political office
or a panel discussion on a news network like CNN, Fox, or MSNBC. As you watch, think about
Wises analysis of how race shapes public discourse in ways we often dont even notice, and
record your impressions. Be sure to respond to each of the following: Who is debating? What is
the debate about? Do any of the debaters mention race? If so, what were their arguments? If not,
do you believe race should have been considered during the debate? Why or why not?
2. Review the facts about the American healthcare system presented in Michael Moores
documentary Sicko: http://www.mediaed.org/Handouts/Sicko_Facts.pdf
Think about these facts in relation to Tim Wises observations about how race often factors into
policy issues, and write a paper exploring whether or not you think race and white privilege are
relevant to debates about healthcare in America. Be sure to look beyond Wises lecture and the
Sicko factsheet as you build support for your perspective.
3. Research the history of the War on Drugs, and write a paper examining how race has or has not
factored into its execution. Consider these questions as you frame your argument: Do you think
the war on drugs has disproportionately targeted African-Americans and other racial minorities?
Do you think it has disproportionately targeted white people? Or do you think it has been pretty
much color blind? Beyond its execution, do you think the War on Drugs has shaped perceptions
of race in the United States over the years? Be sure to cite Wises lecture, in addition to your
own sources, to lend support to your arguments and illustrate your key points.
4. Administer a survey to a sample group on your campus or in your community. Ask questions,
and offer multiple choice answers, similar to those Wise asks during his training sessions with
law enforcement officers. Be prepared to report your findings to the class.
5. Research one of the following U.S. legislative policies: the Indian Removal Action, the
Homestead Act, Jim Crow laws, the Wagner Act, the Social Security Act of 1935, the Housing
and Urban Development Act. Then write a paper about how this policy may have given
advantages to white people. If you think your chosen policy was enacted and enforced without
any racial bias whatsoever, then write a paper explaining how and why specifically the
arguments Tim Wise presents are not relevant in any way to this specific policy. Either way,
after analyzing the racial dynamics inherent in these policies, talk about whether you believe
traces of this policy still exist today.
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WHITE DENIAL
Key Points

In every generation, white people have said that racial discrimination is not a significant national
problem. For example:
A recent poll revealed only 6% of white people believe racism is a national problem;
In 1963, 80% of white people believed that black people were treated equally;
In 1962, 90% of white people believed that black children received equal education;
At the time of the March on Washington in the summer of 1963, 2/3 of white people
believed that the civil rights movement was asking for too much too soon;
o More than a hundred years earlier, in 1850, Dr. Samuel Cartwright said he believed that
slaves who ran away from bondage were mentally ill a disease he termed drapetomania.
o
o
o
o

The dominant group is the norm by which all minority groups are compared. According to Wise,
this is why February is recognized each year as Black History Month, while there is no White
History Month. His point is that white privilege is so ingrained, and normalized, that its
basically White History Month every other month of the year.

Racism is perceived as affecting only the underprivileged and not the dominant group. Yet for
every act of racism against the underprivileged, there is an advantage given to the
overprivileged.

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Questions for Discussion & Writing

1. According to Wise, what is white denial? How is it prevalent in our society today?
2. Do you believe racial discrimination is a significant national problem? Why or why not?
3. How are minority groups compared and positioned in relation to the dominant white group?
Be sure to give examples other than those from Wises lecture.
4. What are your thoughts on Black History Month? Should there also be months dedicated to other
minority groups? How about a White History Month? Why or why not?
5. How does racism affect both minority and dominant groups? Do you think that believing racism
only affects the underprivileged is a form of white denial? Explain.
Assignments
1. Tim Wises lecture on white privilege was given in 2007. Research the latest poll data on how
Americans view race and racism. Write a paper comparing your research to the history of white
denial Wise discusses.
2. Research the American physician Samuel Cartwright, and write a paper on his scientific
contributions to society. To watch a satirical commercial for the fictional Cartwright Institute
for Freedom Illnesses, download this clip from the 2004 film CSA: The Confederate States of
America: http://mefwordpress.s3.amazonaws.com/Cartwright_Institute.zip
3. Research the origins of Black History Month. How has it evolved over the years since its
inception? What was the theme of the most recent Black History Month? What is the
significance of that theme?
4. Read Wises book Between Barack and a Hard Place: Racism and White Denial in the Age of
Obama. According to Wise, how did the election of President Barack Obama feed the culture of
white denial?

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10

UNBURDENED BY RACE
Key Points

Tim Wise grew up without class privilege, but he was perceived in school as being more capable
than students of color. When he got bad grades, he was seen simply as underperforming.

White people dont need to worry about their actions being ascribed to their race, whereas people
of color constantly have to worry about their performance triggering negative group stereotypes.

When white people perform terrorist acts -- as when Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols blew
up a federal building in Oklahoma City in 1995, killing 168 people their whiteness is never part
of the news story. However, when people of color perform terrorist acts, like the 19 Arab
Muslims who attacked the World Trade Center, their ethnicity and race dominate media
coverage.

As a capitalist society, the United States encourages its citizens to take advantage of their
advantages and guard their privileges.

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11

Questions for Discussion & Writing

1. What is class privilege? How is it different from racial privilege? How is it similar? List as many
examples of privilege as you can, and compare and contrast each to what you know about white
privilege.
2. Why do you think white students are perceived as simply underperforming when they receive
bad grades in school? If you are white, has this ever happened to you? If you are not white, have
you ever witnessed it happen? Explain.
3. Why do you think the terrorist attacks on 9/11 led to increased hatred for Arabs and Muslims
when the Oklahoma City bombing didnt lead to increased hatred for white people or Christians?
Explain.
4. Do you believe the economic system of capitalism encourages American citizens to take
advantage of their privileges? Is this necessarily a bad thing? How do we square this mentality
with other American values, like equality and fairness and justice?
Assignments
1. Take some time to analyze your own upbringing. Write a personal account of all the ways
privilege may have played a role in how you grew up.
2. Within one month of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the popular television series The West Wing
offered its reaction to the attacks in an episode called Isaac and Ishmael. Download this short
clip: http://mefwordpress.s3.amazonaws.com/WestWing911.zip and write a reaction paper
relating the clip to Wises lecture.
3. Research capitalism, from its early forms up to its modern day incarnation in the United States.
Write a paper exploring how a free market economy can contribute to racism and class bias. Be
specific, and dont forget to analyze the role of privilege in this economic system.

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12

THE CREATION OF WHITENESS

Key Points

Prior to the mid 1600s, in the colonies that would later become the United States, there was no
importance placed on whiteness.

By the 1670s, the indentured servitude of Africans was on the rise. So to keep white European
servants and black African servants from forming a rebellion against the power elite, white
European servants were given certain privileges that black African servants were not, including
land and the ability to testify in court.

A couple centuries later, during the Civil War, rich Southerners persuaded poor white people,
who didnt even own slaves, to fight by convincing them that their skin color was more
important than their interest in a free job market.

This mentality continues today. For example, in 2005, the two communities hit the hardest by
Hurricane Katrina were the Lower Ninth Ward in New Orleans and St. Bernard Parish,
Chalmette which were 94% black and 95% white, respectively. Both have high levels of
poverty. When Wise asked citizens of St. Bernard Parish who was to blame for the areas
economic status, they believed it was people of color.

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13

Questions for Discussion & Writing

1. How was whiteness co-opted by the power elite of colonial America to prevent both white
European and black African servants from forming a rebellion?
2. How did rich Southerners persuade poor white people to fight in the Civil War? Why would
people who didnt even own slaves fight in a war for slavery?
3. What contemporary examples show that the creation of whiteness has continuing
ramifications? In these instances, which members of society are advantaged and which are
disadvantaged? Is it possible for some members to be both advantaged and disadvantaged at the
same time? Explain.
Assignments
1. In the old countries of Europe, before the colonization of America, there were many violent
conflicts among Europeans. Research these conflicts, and write a paper that sheds light on the
social situation leading up to the colonization of America.
2. Research indentured servitude in both Europe and the American colonies before the introduction
of African servants. Write a paper that compares and contrasts early indentured servitude with
American slavery.
3. This section of Wises lecture focuses on the creation of whiteness as a social construct. Take a
step back, and write a research paper on the origins and theories of the appearance of lightskinned people on the earth.

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14

PRIVILEGE & PATHOLOGY

Key Points

White privilege generates anxiety among advantaged white people because they are constantly
afraid of others gaining on them.

In a June 2004 study, the American Medical Association found that the rates of mental disorders
like anxiety, depression, and substance abuse were twice the global average in the United States.

An example of the real world intruding on privilege is high school shootings. Since white males
almost always commit these acts of violence, members of the targeted communities often react
by saying, This wasnt supposed to happen here.

After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, many people of privilege reacted by saying, Why do they hate
us? But many people of color did not react this way. Wise believes its because people of color
tend to be more aware of what others think of them than people of privilege.

Before the War in Iraq, when people of color were asked whether or not to invade Iraq, they said
no. Overwhelmingly, people of privilege said yes. White politicians even said, They are going
to greet us as liberators.

Privilege affects both those who have it and those who do not. For example, it allows our
policymakers to act in our name against our interests.

Wise believes it is every Americans duty to fight the injustice of privilege.

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Questions for Discussion & Writing

15

1. Why do you think the United States has twice the rate of anxiety, depression, and substance
abuse than the global average? What factors could be responsible for this? What role, if any,
might white privilege play in this? Explain.
2. What do you know about school shootings? Where do they happen? Who commits them? Who is
targeted? Why do they happen? What role, if any, do you think white privilege plays in these
tragedies? If you dont think race has had anything to do with these kinds of shootings even
though virtually all the shooters in the highest-profile cases have been white do you think your
opinion would be different if all the shooters had been black? Explain.
3. What were your initial reactions to the 9/11 terrorist attacks? Years later, why do you think we
were attacked?
4. How did Iraqis greet the U.S. during the 2003 invasion of Iraq? Were the Americans greeted, as
many predicted, as liberators? Why or why not? How is this relevant to Wises overall analysis
of how privilege shapes perceptions?
5. According to Tim Wise, how does privilege affect both those who have it and those who do not?
Explain.
Assignments
1. The United States has five times more anxiety, depression, and substance abuse than Nigeria.
Research the current political climate of Nigeria, and write a paper comparing it to the United
States. How and why do you think the most powerful and privileged people on the earth have so
many more mental disorders? Explain.
2. Research the 1999 Columbine High School massacre. Write a paper summarizing the many
discussions, debates, and explanations that filled American newspapers, magazines, and news
programming after the tragedy, then analyze how white privilege factored into these discussions.
First, summarize the range of media commentary and explanations as completely as possible.
Then, consider these questions: Given that the shooters were both white, did any of the media
reporting and analysis you found discuss the race of the shooters? If so, summarize how it was
talked about. If not, try to explain why you think this factor wasnt part of the national
conversation and whether its omission might itself be a sign of how white privilege works.
Start by downloading this clip from Michael Moores documentary Bowling For Columbine:
http://mefwordpress.s3.amazonaws.com/BowlingForColumbine_MarilynManson.zip
3. Research the budget of the United States. Consider these questions as you gather information:
How does the U.S. spend its money? What does the U.S. spend its money on? How does the way
the U.S. spend its money compare with other developed countries? How do the spending
priorities of other wealthy nations compare to priorities in the U.S.? After compiling your
research, and considering these questions, write a paper examining U.S. spending priorities
within the context of Tim Wises overall analysis of privilege specifically, how it works, and
why it matters.

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16

GUILT & RESPONSIBILITY

Key Points

White privilege has nothing to do with guilt.

Americans living today are not responsible for the creation of systems of inequality, of privilege,
of oppression, and of marginalization. Americans simply inherit the legacy of our countrys past.

Since we dont seem to mind living in the past when it glorifies us, we should also accept and
take responsibility for the less glorifying aspects of our past not because we created these
problems, but because we can fix them.

Question for Discussion & Writing

What can you do to challenge white privilege on a personal level? How about on a communal
level? A national level? A global level? Explain your ideas in each instance.
Assignment
Peggy McIntosh, an American feminist and anti-racist activist, wrote the 1988 essay White
Privilege and Male Privilege: A Personal Account of Coming to See Correspondences through
Work in Womens Studies.
Click the following link to download the essay:
http://www.mediaed.org/Handouts/WhitePrivilegeAndMalePrivilege.pdf
Read the entire essay, with special attention to McIntoshs discussion of the 46 effects of white
privilege in her daily life. (This discussion begins on p. 5). Write a paper connecting McIntoshs
essay, Tim Wises lecture, and the personal effects of white privilege in your daily life.

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