Premise- This article is about:
- race
- affirmative action
- families
- racial preference
- values
- money
- minorities
- privilege
- incomes
- society
Author's Argument: Wise argues that racial preference; such as affirmative action as a privilege for whites, has impacted America's laws in a bias manner, affected our public policy, and lastly is responsible for the blatant inequalities that are still present in today's society.
Evidence:
1) "In other words, it is hardly an exaggeration to say that white America is the biggest collective recipient of racial preference in the history of the cosmos" (1). Wise states that whites are privileged in that they have benifited the most from racial preference, and history confirms this belief.
2) "We strike the pose of self-sufficiency while ignoring the advantages we have been afforded in every realm of activity: housing, education, employment, criminal justice, politics, banking, and business" (2). Wise is saying that the people who are on the receiving end of racial preference do not fully appreciate the privilege they are getting.
3) "White preferences, the result of the normal workings of a racist society, can remain out of sight and out of mind, while the power of the state is turned against the paltry preferences meant to offset them" (3) Wise believes that racism is a factor of white preference and democracy disagrees with the preferences whose duty is to equalize them.
Questions/Comments/Points to Share: This article was enjoyable for me to read because it was not repetitive and it was easy for me to find the author's argument. He uses metaphors like asking fish what water is to portray examples of racial preference, in addition to examples throughout the text. I agree that many white people in America do take the privileges they have for granted and do not appreciate them enough, but I do not believe it is intentional. I believe we take it for granted just as we take breathing or eating for granted.
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