Does White Privilege Exist in America?
Chris Rock, one of the most successful comedians in America, suggests in his routine that no white person would ever trade places with him. “None of you would change places with me and I’m rich! That’s how good it is to be white!” he says. Tim Wise lectures at schools, universities, and other organizations about the problem of white privilege. “Whiteness allows those of us who have it, and the privileges that come from it, of not knowing black and brown truth,” he says. “It’s having one less thing to sweat when you go in for that job interview.” His lectures are in big demand; he has more than 80 speaking engagements a year. He recently wrote about white privilege in his book “White Like Me.” He says discrimination has held black Americans back, and this has privileged whites. “If certain folks historically have been elevated above others, their children, their grandchildren are going to be starting out, one, two, five, ten steps ahead,” he says. “Meritocracy … is as close to a lie as
