Tim Wise Interview

Racism has been a burden that mankind has been cursed with since the beginning of the exploration. The object is to build a foundation base on color and ethnicity to demand respect and obedience to the “superior” race. After hundreds of years of struggle, the people of color and the minorities have gained equal rights in society, legally that is. Today, many people of color live in extreme poverty. Opportunities are hard to come by due to the lack of proper support and education. Even though we live in a democratic world, sometimes we can’t help but express some social preferences that might be considered racist.
With the election of Barack Obama, racism has been dug a deeper hole to hide in. Chances are, in any community, racism is still there whether it is realized or not. According to Tim Wise, "...there is probably a human tendency..."(6, wise). It is not our fault we're like this to begin with as we are all wired to act/feel this way but it is our fault we have not strived harder to change it. In an age where the press are stating that "Racism has ended." or "The End of Racism has come." shouldn't that mean it really should be ended for them to be able to say that? We use the comfort of social equality to shelter us from the possibility that something is wrong with America today. We subconsciously make these comments because we believe that the jokes are harmless. Those who heard the joke do not take it so lightly, however.
In high school, I had a variety of friends, who I believed were very good people and varied culturally. Sometimes though, when we joke together some hurtful things are said. I would never confront my friends about it though, because I don’t want to create a rift between us. I think that it’s wrong to not confront each other when it is offensive or even “racist” because it promotes social demoralization. When we don’t talk about it though, we would never know if certain things hurt or not. How can we avoid racism if we don’t even know what is considered to be?
On paper three, most of the food communities are created from specific beliefs and cultures that prospered through ethnic pride and normalities. We think that racism does not occur today, but in truth, it is everywhere.

Works Cited
Wise, Tim. "By the Color of their Skin: Tim Wise on the Myth of a Postracial America." Interview by David Cook. The Sun July 2009: 4-12. PDF file