Racial Preference Essay

In this article, Whites Swim in Racial Preference, Tim Wise discusses the racial inequality in our society. As a whole, we want to believe that our culture is fair and just in racial terms. We would like to believe racial preference is a thing of the past, however, it is very much current. Discrimination has existed for decades but I believe that African-Americans got the bitter end of the stick. In the 1960’s, black people got treated like they weren’t even human beings. â€Å"A full time black male worker in 2003 makes less in real dollar terms than similar white men were earning in 1967.† (Wise, 2003) Obviously, the racial preference has not faded so much as society would like to believe. African-Americans struggled when it came to trying to take care of their family and becoming a citizen. The inequality seemed as if it was becoming norm in the 60’s. Blacks weren’t even given the chance to prove themselves, simply because their complexion was a little darker than whites. As stated in the article, whites have much more of an advantage when it comes to today’s culture. Whites are given more opportunities in life, which in return leads them to be more successful. Tim Wise used the example of University of Michigan providing 20 additional points to students with low-income families regardless of race. Seems fair, right? It seems fair until you total it all up and in the end whites are the ones with more points. It isn’t even given a second thought because whites were raised to believe that their accomplishments are because of their actions and not because they grew up in a system that was set up for them to achieve in. Yes, Affirmative Action happened, but in the end it still benefitted whites more than any other race. Races such as Arabs and Muslims get looked down upon ever since 9/11 and that lessens their success in society. Blacks get perceived as dangerous and reckless. Whites still have the upper leg in many things in society such as politics and jobs.