1. What is class privilege? How is it different from racial privilege? How is it similar? List as many examples of privilege as you can, and compare and contrast each to what you know about white privilege.
2. Why do you think white students are perceived as simply underperforming when they receive bad grades in school? If you are white, has this ever happened to you? If you are not white, have you ever witnessed it happen? Explain.
3. Why do you think the terrorist attacks on 9/11 led to increased hatred for Arabs and Muslims when the Oklahoma City bombing didn’t lead to increased hatred for white people or Christians? Explain.
4. Do you believe the economic system of capitalism encourages American citizens to take advantage of their privileges? Is this necessarily a bad thing? How do we square this mentality with other American values, like equality and fairness and justice?
Assignments
1. Take some time to analyze your own upbringing. Write a personal account of all the ways privilege may have played a role in how you grew up.
2. Within one month of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the popular television series The West Wing offered its reaction to the attacks in an episode called “Isaac and Ishmael.” Download this short clip: http://mefwordpress.s3.amazonaws.com/WestWing911.zip and write a reaction paper relating the clip to Wise’s lecture.
3. Research capitalism, from its early forms up to its modern day incarnation in the United States. Write a paper exploring how a free market economy can contribute to racism and class bias. Be specific, and don’t forget to analyze the role of privilege in this economic system