White Like Me is a 2013 film written by Tim Wise based on his 2007 book, White Like Me: Reflections on Race from a Privileged Son. The book and the documentary were about Wise's view on racism in America. Wise explains white privilege and the damage that it does not only to people of color but also to white people.
As a country making huge strides towards racial equality, it seems like America is becoming more hopeful and ahead of racism, but that is not true, according to Wise. Wise talks about his experiences growing up in New Orleans, seeing his privilege. He was getting better treatment from teachers in school things such as that. By watching the documentary, I think the takeaway is Wise wants people to think about how race and skin color can change the way you go through life. There are far too many new stories with the race being the headline, so I know that America must acknowledge race being at the forefront of everyone's mind.
Growing up, I have heard people say to me, "I don't see color." I take that as not accepting all the hardships African Americans and other minorities face. Rather "colorblindness" being seen as "post-racial harmony" and people thinking that race problems are mainly behind us is not a fair statement. Yes, we are far from slavery, the Civil War, and elected a black president; racial inequality still exists today. Those terrible events and life-changing times shaped America and its citizens' mindsets today. Racial biases still affect how we act today and judge people by what we see.
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