WHITES SWIM IN RACIAL PREFERENCE - TIM WISE

PREMISE

• preference
• discrimination
• white
• black
• brown
• affirmative action
• ignorance
  

ARGUMENT
Wise argues that whites are oblivious to the privilege in which they swim.

EVIDENCE
"privilege to us is like water to the fish: we simply cannot imagine life without it" (2)

"note that such preferences -- though disproportionately awarded to whites -- remain uncriticized, while preferences for people of color become the target for reactionary anger." (2)

"As if we have worked harder than the folks who were forced to pick cotton and build levies for free; harder than the Latino immigrants who spend 10 hours a day in fields picking strawberries or tomatoes; harder than the (mostly) women of color who clean our hotel rooms or change bedpans in hospitals, or the (mostly) men of color who collect our garbage." (2)

COMMENTS
I will probably be talking a lot in class on Tuesday about this article. But i think that it should be noted that Wise makes a lot of good points. Even if his general (and possibly subliminal) intentions seem to be to lead reader to make multiple false assumptions and overgeneralizations. Like those who at the University of Michigan instated a point system to decide who was accepted or rejected, Wise takes a point of inequality and brings it too far to the other side of the spectrum missing the point the whole way along.
1.The reason why less blacks go to college than whites is because the college industry has turned into just that, an industry. A bunch of "companies" looking to make a profit on people who most often feel that they are helpless in this situation: students. Students all around the country are paying for overpriced institutions. Going into tens if not hundreds of thousands of dollars into debt for something that they are told will "pay off in the end" Between tution, fees, books, and other hidden expenses, Colleges everywhere are trying to dig deeper into the pockets of students and their parents with false promises of automatic success and assumed material gain. Colleges are becoming like credit card companies, and casinos getting people to give them the money that they don't really have. And it is taking its toll on our already crumbling economy.
2.The University of Michigan should not give ANY points to those of low income background. It should not give ANY points to those in the upper peninsula. It should not give ANY points to those who attended top notch high schools. It should not give ANY points to "underrepresented" (whatever that means: and no, they do not answer my question with what they have written in parenthesis) minorities. They should however give points to those who have COMPLETED especially demanding AP and honors curriculum. Why? Because it is the only thing that Wise listed that actually applies to ones performance in a school, which should be the criteria by which people are judged to see if they applicant will perform in their school; because it shows that the applicant has the drive necessary to keep up with a demanding course-load, much like they will have if accepted into the college. Everything else misses the point.