Talking Points #6

A Particularly Cheap White Whine: Racism, Scholarships and

 the Manufacturing of White Victimhood By Tim Wise


1. "Then, white students at four entirely different colleges dress up in blackface or throw "ghetto" parties, at which they mock low-income African Americans: next, a group of Muslim clerics are thrown off a plane because passengers get nervous after seeing them engaged in evening prayers prior to boarding their flight..."

I hate all of these things and I hate it even more that I know it's true. Especially Muslims who enter plans. Unfortunatly it has become a racial stereotype that every Muslim who boards a plane is a terrorist. I can't believe that one event such as September 11th have changed the oppinions of many and who knows if this will ever end. People, not even consiously judge Muslims. 

2. "In response to this most horrible of racist practices, the campus GOP has announced its plans to offer a "Caucasian Achievement and Recognition Scholarship" for deserving white students.
According to the head of the group, the scholarship is not being offered to help whites, per se, but rather, to point out the unfairness and immorality of "racial preferences" in American society.
Merit, rather than race, should determine scholarships, they insist. "

This is something that I often think about. I understand that scholarships are being given out to different cultures who are less privilaged, but at the same time I feel like it should be somewhat based on Merit. I think that if there was ever a scholarship just given to white people that there would be an uproar. People would say that was racist, and yet other races can have their own scholarships. The fact that we give out scholarships to different groups, in my oppinion, reminds us that there are different groups and people are not just people. It says hey you are different then these people over here. Doesn't that promote racism. I don't know maybe I'm completely wrong, but it doesn't make sense to me.

3. Because race has been the basis for oppression, and continues to play such a large role in one's life chances, it is perfectly legitimate to then offer scholarships on the basis of that category which has triggered the
oppression.

The world is very fair and unjust. I'm not sure that it will ever end or can be fixed. How do you change how people judge other people. I mean just think of when it come to gettting jobs. Who is the big boss going to hire, someone named Jane Smith or someone named Shaniqua Robertos. I'm not saying that I feel this way but it is a proven fact that people are like this. Check out the book Freakonomics. I read it in high school and it is all about these topics.

I enjoyed this reading and I found it interesting the different aspects about giving scholarships to races. I can see the pros and I can see the cons. It really is difficult to say. I feel as though I change my oppinion on the matter ever five minutes.