Reddit reviews White Like Me: Reflections on Race from a Privileged Son

Here's my story, and I think it paints a pretty good picture.
I grew up as a clean-cut white kid in a "red" town in a "blue" state. (Spokane, Washington.) There were 3 black kids in my high school, perhaps twice that many of any other ethnicity besides "white."
So let's say I didn't have the most comprehensive education on racial privilege.
So later in life I am talking to a friend of mine who is black. We were talking about race, specifically about police mistreatment of minorities. So I tell him about the time I was pulled over for some minor thing; like speeding or something. The cop gets my driver's license, heads back to his car. Me, I am 17 or so, bored, so I am rummaging around in my car, looking for stuff in the back seat, pretty much looking shady as fuck from his point of view. So he comes back, and he has his hand on his gun. It shocked the hell out of me! Cops don't behave that way towards people, right? "So," I told him, proudly, "that's when I realized what it must be like to be mistrusted for no reason."
He kind of chuckled and told me "You know, that would never have happened to me. Because by the time I was 17 I knew that if a cop pulls you over, your hands are at 10 and 2 on the wheel and you don't say anything but "yes sir" and "no sir."
That was my ah-HA moment, because it made me realize not only did I have ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA what real persecution felt like, but I had absolutely no mental framework to understand it. Nothing in my experience had prepared me to understand something that he had dealt with every day of his life. I was privileged enough to be an ignorant white kid who had no reason at all to think that a cop might shoot him for little or no reason.
That's how White privilege works. It isn't so crass and obvious as segregated housing or "whites only" businesses. It's the subtle, negative pressure that our society exerts against anyone who isn't white. We are advantaged because everyone who is not white is disadvantaged.
If you REALLY want you mind changed, read White Like Me by Tim Wise. Absolutely the best perspective on white privilege and racism that I have ever encountered.

I'm willing to believe you that people do conflate politics and phenotype. However, I strongly doubt that, in the case of whiteness, such a conflation is warranted. Moreover, I'd be willing to bet that most of the people who interact with and observe the IOTBW phenomenon know this. This is because the struggle over left-idpol these days appears to be largely an intra-white phenomenon. There has been significant news coverage and discussion of this. Moreover, whites do not vote as a monolithic ethnic bloc.

Now, it's true that battles over the concept of "whiteness" map fairly cleanly onto some political divides (though you'll still see lots of putatively conservative outlets like National Review disclaiming "whiteness" in favor of the idea of the U.S. as a color-blind, propositional nation), but that's a fight over a sociological category, not an actual phenotype. Robin DiAngelo is phenotypically white. David Roediger is phenotypically white. Noel Ignatiev was white. Tim Wise is phenotypically white. Etc., etc. So yeah, IOTBW is an ideological statement as well as a racial one. But IOTBW is not the same as elevating phenotypic preference to within the same ballpark as culture and criminality in choosing neighbors and family. Phenotypic preference places bike-lock professor dude above Daryl Davis, which just seems [Edit: removed an unnecessarily inflammatory word] like an unacceptable result to me.

Some starting points. His stuff is pretty easy to find by googling.

YouTube: 1-hr talk invited by Google employees regarding his book "White Like Me"

Amazon link to book

Facebook page

YouTube: 1-hr talk on white privilege, racism, white denial, and the cost of inequality

Here's my review of Tim Wise's book "White Like Me".

One thing I'd recommend is checking out this (free) workbook that walks you through confronting your relationship with white supremacy https://www.meandwhitesupremacybook.com/

Also, go to the library (or Amazon?) and check out: How to Be Less Stupid About Race and White Like Me: Reflections on Race from a Privileged Son

The first is a really, really great book that will help you understand the basics of the system of racism and how individuals play their part in upholding it. It's an easy read too. The second book is more like a memoir but still worthwhile. Here's a little excerpt from the summary:

>"Using stories from his own life, Tim Wise demonstrates the ways in which racism not only burdens people of color, but also benefits, in relative terms, those who are “white like him.” He discusses how racial privilege can harm whites in the long run and make progressive social change less likely. He explores the ways in which whites can challenge their unjust privileges, and explains in clear and convincing language why it is in the best interest of whites themselves to do so."

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Read this book.

https://www.amazon.com/White-Like-Me-Reflections-Privileged/dp/1593764251

Here's a slightly different article on gender, too.

>do you have any book recommendations

To be honest, I'm not much of a book person. I have far more online resources than print ones, though I'm still pretty bad at remembering to bookmark things after I read them.

Tim Wise generally does a good job describing racial privilege, and he's got a couple speeches available on youtube (for example) and a book out (which I admittedly haven't read, but I'd expect it to be fairly okay based on his speeches that I've seen), but he doesn't specifically tackle intersectionality as far as I know.

This question would probably make a very good selfpost, since it's unlikely that many people will follow this conversation the whole way, and other subscribers will likely have better book lists handy.

ETA: I imagine you couldn't go wrong with something like this, too.

You sound like a reasonable guy. I see your point, and I'm not sure I disagree with it. But the most important point is understanding ones situation of privilege, which you didn't address. This book is walks you through it. Perhaps tediously, but it's important to understand things both objectively and emotionally in many a matter - of which this book explores the latter.

http://www.amazon.com/White-Like-Me-Reflections-Privileged/dp/1593764251

White Like Me

"White people"

Also, #notyourasiansidekick is trending. Im not "up there" with you - nice subconscious mention of who "we" are not "down there" with. And Asian doesnt necessarily mean Chinese. Asian is arab. Asian is indian. Asian is hmong. Asian is pakistani. Asian is mongolian. So read some Suey Park and have some knowledge on wtf it means to be Asian in America buddy. You know NOTHING about the struggle of Asian American people. My cousin's grandparents met in an interment camp in the US. I dont know any Germans who met in an American internment camp. Our American story is not told. Your story is. Dont gimme that crock.