White Like Me: Reflections on Race from a Privileged Son by Tim Wise

Reviewed by George Perez

“White Like Me” is written by Tim Wise, a white man, who writes about his experiences and uses some of it to describe the unfairness that black people have in society. The author comes from a background of privileges that he says have been bestowed upon him but have been deliberately withheld from people of color. Being from this type of background, he feels that it is odd for him to speak out against this practice. He explains that it is shocking to see white people talking about race from the perspective of a person of color because it hardly ever happens. Institutionalized white supremacy is kept a secret; it is not something that is discussed openly. Racism is ignored and not acknowledged as a social issue.

The book explores what it means to be white from the author’s perspective. He wrote this book to shine a light on the topic of racial inequality that is occurring in society and why it happens from the white perspective. White privilege is real, according to the author, and is important enough to discuss. The author wants to make clear that he is actually referring to a privilege not based on wealth, since he did not grow up rich. He is referring to the many advantages that he received growing up that were not made available to people of color.

Time Wise splits up the book into three main points. The first discusses that to be white is to be born into belonging. The legitimacy associated with a white person is not questioned as much as it is for a person of color. For example, where one lives and goes to school is not something that a stranger would question as far as if it were a good neighborhood or a good school. The author states that to be born into this exclusive club, is to be born into a system that has been set up to benefit only its own members. The system bestows privileges onto its members because it wants for them to continue to be the dominant group.

The second point that Tim Wise makes is that this dominant white group will not only just receive benefits but will continue to reap the benefits of continuous racial privilege. The benefits don’t stop and a white person can expect to continue to have an edge over people of color. The author states that there are several components to this situation. For example, whites have access to better schools, housing, and job opportunities than people of color. He says that there are also psychological components that affect people of color and do not affect white people, such as having one more thing to worry about (the way that they are perceived in society). Wise makes a very important point about this psychological disadvantage, to be a person of color is to be constantly having to disprove society’s stereotypes.

The third point that Tim Wise makes is that besides having these privileges, however they are attained, to be white is to deny having these privileges and to keep the cycle of unfairness going. The author clarifies that he means to say deny and not ignorance for a reason. To be ignorant is to involuntarily lack the knowledge on a subject. However, the author feels that because whites refuse to discuss racism and discrimination, they are willingly ignorant and therefore they are in denial. The author gives us an example dating back to the 1960s where racism was more openly seen and even legal. He talks about how polls showed that most whites felt that every American had equal opportunities regardless of race.

Tim White offers three more points, which offer a way in which we could resist the ongoing system of white supremacy. His first point states that whites can actually just resist engaging in unfair activities, but to do so would be extremely difficult. The fear of alienating other whites and the lack of role models who they can follow is an obstacle to real change. The author believes that it is critical to learn how to resist, when to resist, and what to do and not do in the face of social injustice. Although it will not be easy, it is vital to real change in society for people to acknowledge that there is inequality and then consciously make decisions to even out the playing field for people of color.

The second point that he makes is that commitment to resisting the inequality can help us make a difference but we may also make mistakes along the way that can further reinforce racial inequality. Tim white states that sometimes we actually collaborate with racism when we are trying to resist it. It is common to make mistakes when we are trying to change the way that the world operates around us and it will not be easy to commit to those changes in the first place.

The third point is that whites actually pay higher costs in order to keep this system going. It is for their own sake to change their ways and this will benefit them in the long-run too. Whites pay high amounts of money to live in certain neighborhoods and send their children to certain schools. They pay this amount to keep their children isolated into this system of supremacy and give them the advantages that they were also given.

Finally, Tim Wise feels that there is a chance that whites can find redemption from racism and injustice by struggling against it. To free oneself of this burden of racism and denial, is to become liberated from the cycle of oppression. The victory itself is only one reason for fighting against racism, but there is redemption in the struggle too. While one is fighting to make their community a fair place for all people, one may obsess over the results and lose track of the purpose for their struggle. Besides, struggling to make society equal for all people is something that may inspire others and make a very big difference in the perception and the lives of the people of color.

I enjoyed reading this book because it offered a perspective that I never heard of before. It made me think about how society may be altered to be more giving to those who are white. It also made me think about how they feel about what is going on. Do whites actually think about the inequality that exists or is it something that is brought up by people of color? And if it is brought up by people of color, are they being listened to? The most memorable quote in the book was: “What about Oprah.” She is a person who whites look at and feel is an exemption. Her incredible success is something that some whites may point to as being proof that people of color have the same opportunities as everyone else. This type of practice is something that helps keep whites in denial and continue the cycle of institutionalized white supremacy. Time Wise wants whites to acknowledge that there is unfairness and to actively oppose the injustice.