Racism has been the downfall of American society. Tim Wise defines it as an ideology that separates people, labeling them as either inferior or superior based on the color of their skin (5). What gives anyone the right to label people? The answer is that no one has that right. Wise is not completely correct in his view of racism, however. He says that "Racism is a system as well as an ideology. It's a way of organizing society" (5). By saying this, he implies that Americans put people into categories based on the color of their skin. Wise is correct in his overall definition of racism, but has a skewed perspective when it comes to how racism is present in modern culture.
A focus of Wise during his essay is on "white privilege". He says that whites have an advantage over people of color, based solely on the fact that they are white. "We…know that job applicants with "white sounding" names are fifty percent more likely to get called back than those with "black sounding" names, even if both have the same qualifications" (6). This proves the fact that racism is still prevalent in America, and it still controls the American system. People still choose their employees based on the sound of their name, and this is completely unacceptable. This contributes to the many reasons that racism is so fervently a part of American culture. Furthermore, many whites deny that it doesn't exist. "White denial isn't new. It has always existed" (6). Everyday white people try to deny that racism is not a factor in modern culture, when in reality it is all around them, and white privilege makes them blind to it in their own society.
While racism may be prevalent in American culture, it is not a system. Instead, it is strictly an ideology. In modern times, people don't act on their racism consciously. Instead their racism is inactive prejudice, meaning that they unconsciously act on their racist feelings. Sometimes, the inactive prejudice is even reversed. For example, colleges are more likely to accept a minority since they require a certain amount of diversity among their students. Also, in the National Football League, when teams are attempting to hire a new head coach they are required to interview a minority candidate before making their final hiring decision. Clearly, racism is not a system in American society. As much as racism swings against minorities, there are plenty of examples of it going the other way as well.
Clearly, although racism is present in modern America, it is not a system. History may make people assume that racism is all targeted at minorities, but this is not completely true. Instead, there are many examples of racism against all different types of people. It is true that white privilege exists in America, and this contributes to many people's views of American racism. However, the other types of racism, mainly those not against blacks, largely get overlooked when racism is studied.
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
