Questions for Discussion & Writing
1. Why does Wise suggest that issues like poverty, housing, education, and healthcare are race–
related issues? What other political issues are race–related but rarely debated in that context?
2. Why do you think mainstream media report on individual, interpersonal cases of racism far more
than systematic and institutionalized forms of racial injustice?
3. What are your thoughts on racial profiling? Do you feel it can be an efficient, effective, and fair
way for law enforcement officers to prevent crime? Why or why not?
4. Why do you think American wealth is distributed primarily among people who are white? What
historical periods and specific events may have led to this? Explain.
Assignments
1. Watch a political debate on television or the Internet. It may be either a debate for political office
or a panel discussion on a news network like CNN, Fox, or MSNBC. As you watch, think about
Wise’s analysis of how race shapes public discourse in ways we often don’t even notice, and
record your impressions. Be sure to respond to each of the following: Who is debating? What is
the debate about? Do any of the debaters mention race? If so, what were their arguments? If not,
do you believe race should have been considered during the debate? Why or why not?
2. Review the facts about the American healthcare system presented in Michael Moore’s
documentary Sicko: http://www.mediaed.org/Handouts/Sicko_Facts.pdf
Think about these facts in relation to Tim Wise’s observations about how race often factors into
policy issues, and write a paper exploring whether or not you think race and white privilege are
relevant to debates about healthcare in America. Be sure to look beyond Wise’s lecture and the
Sicko factsheet as you build support for your perspective.
3. Research the history of the War on Drugs, and write a paper examining how race has – or has not
– factored into its execution. Consider these questions as you frame your argument: Do you think
the war on drugs has disproportionately targeted African–Americans and other racial minorities?
Do you think it has disproportionately targeted white people? Or do you think it has been pretty
much color blind? Beyond its execution, do you think the War on Drugs has shaped perceptions
of race in the United States over the years? Be sure to cite Wise’s lecture, in addition to your
own sources, to lend support to your arguments and illustrate your key points.
4. Administer a survey to a sample group on your campus or in your community. Ask questions,
and offer multiple choice answers, similar to those Wise asks during his training sessions with
law enforcement officers. Be prepared to report your findings to the class.
5. Research one of the following U.S. legislative policies: the Indian Removal Action, the
Homestead Act, Jim Crow laws, the Wagner Act, the Social Security Act of 1935, the Housing
and Urban Development Act. Then write a paper about how this policy may have given
advantages to white people. If you think your chosen policy was enacted and enforced without
any racial bias whatsoever, then write a paper explaining how and why – specifically – the
arguments Tim Wise presents are not relevant in any way to this specific policy. Either way,
after analyzing the racial dynamics inherent in these policies, talk about whether you believe
traces of this policy still exist today.
