In his latest article titled "Terrorism and Privilege: Understanding the Power of Whiteness," Tim Wise, a renowned anti-racism activist, talked about understanding the power of whiteness as it relates to terrorism and privilege in the context of the Boston Marathon bombing.

Here is an excerpt from Wise's essay:

White privilege is knowing that even if the Boston Marathon bomber turns out to be white, his or her identity will not result in white folks generally being singled out for suspicion by law enforcement, or the TSA, or the FBI.
White privilege is knowing that even if the bomber turns out to be white, no one will call for whites to be profiled as terrorists as a result, subjected to special screening, or threatened with deportation.

White privilege is knowing that if the bomber turns out to be white, he or she will be viewed as an exception to an otherwise non-white rule, an aberration, an anomaly, and that he or she will be able to join the ranks of Tim McVeigh and Terry Nichols and Ted Kaczynski and Eric Rudolph and Joe Stackand George Metesky and Byron De La Beckwith and Bobby Frank Cherry and Thomas Blanton and Herman Frank Cash and Robert Chambliss and James von Brunn and Robert Mathews and David Laneand Michael F. Griffin and Paul Hill and John Salvi and James Kopp and Luke Helder and James David Adkisson and Scott Roeder and Shelley Shannon and Dennis Mahon and Wade Michael Page andByron Williams and Kevin Harpham and William Krar and Judith Bruey and Edward Feltus andRaymond Kirk Dillard and Adam Lynn Cunningham and Bonnell Hughes and Randall Garrett Cole and James Ray McElroy and Michael Gorbey and Daniel Cowart and Paul Schlesselman and Frederick Thomas and Paul Ross Evans and Matt Goldsby and Jimmy Simmons and Kathy Simmons and Kaye Wiggins and Patricia Hughes and Jeremy Dunahoe and David McMenemy and Bobby Joe Rogers and Francis Grady and Demetrius Van Crocker and Floyd Raymond Looker, among the pantheon of white people who engage in (or have plotted) politically motivated violence meant to terrorize and kill, but whose actions result in the assumption of absolutely nothing about white people generally, or white Christians in particular.

And white privilege is being able to know nothing about the crimes committed by most of the terrorists listed above — indeed, never to have so much as heard most of their names — let alone to make assumptions about the role that their racial or ethnic identity may have played in their crimes.

White privilege is knowing that if the Boston bomber turns out to be white, we will not be asked to denounce him or her, so as to prove our own loyalties to the common national good. It is knowing that the next time a cop sees one of us standing on the sidewalk cheering on runners in a marathon, that cop will say exactly nothing to us as a result.

White privilege is knowing that if you are a white student from Nebraska — as opposed to, say, a student from Saudi Arabia — that no one, and I mean no one would think it important to detain and question you in the wake of a bombing such as the one at the Boston Marathon.

And white privilege is knowing that if this bomber turns out to be white, the United States government will not bomb whatever corn field or mountain town or stale suburb from which said bomber came, just to ensure that others like him or her don’t get any ideas. And if he turns out to be a member of the Irish Republican Army we won’t bomb Belfast. And if he’s an Italian American Catholic we won’t bomb the Vatican.

My thoughts:

The article raises awareness to the reality of home grown terrorism and fact that many of us are oblivious to the fact that the face of terror has no color. We are quick to profile (sometimes subconsciously) other races while giving a white person (or people) a pass.

On the other hand, Tim didn't address why the society act in this manner. I believe if most acts of terror were committed by Europeans (for example), the attention turns on anybody with an European accent. Its just our natural instinct. Its like being robbed several times by someone in an orange shirt. Naturally one becomes suspicious around anybody wearing an orange shirt. The series of major terrorist events that has taken place over the years has been attributed a particular group of people and it is only natural to be cautious around anyone with the same mannerism as people that belong to this group.

Share your thoughts...

www.infonubia.com

infonubia: In his latest article titled "Terrorism and Privilege: Understanding the Power of Whiteness," Tim Wise, a renowned anti-racism activist, talked about understanding the power of whiteness as it relates to terrorism and privilege in the context of the Boston Marathon bombing.

Here is an excerpt from Wise's essay:



My thoughts:

The article raises awareness to the reality of home grown terrorism and fact that many of us are oblivious to the fact that the face of terror has no color. We are quick to profile (sometimes subconsciously) other races while giving a white person (or people) a pass.

On the other hand, Tim didn't address why the society act in this manner. I believe if most acts of terror were committed by Europeans (for example), the attention turns on anybody with an European accent. Its just our natural instinct. Its like being robbed several times by someone in an orange shirt. Naturally one becomes suspicious around anybody wearing an orange shirt. The series of major terrorist events that has taken place over the years has been attributed a particular group of people and it is only natural to be cautious around anyone with the same mannerism as people that belong to this group.

Share your thoughts...

www.infonubia.com

Your final sentence contradicts what Tim Wise is saying in this article - he is saying that being white excludes you from suspicion from other whites even if whites are known to commit a particular type of crime.

Therefore if it is only natural that people are cautious of anyone who fits the racial profile of people who commit a certain type of crime how come white people do not view other white men as potential serial killers, paedophiles and domestic terrorists since these are crimes that white men tend to commit much more than any other race of men?

cap28:

Your final sentence contradicts what Tim Wise is saying in this article - he is saying that being white excludes you from suspicion from other whites even if whites are known to commit a particular type of crime.

Therefore if it is only natural that people are cautious of anyone who fits the racial profile of people who commit a certain type of crime how come white people do not view other white men as potential serial killers, paedophiles and domestic terrorists since these are crimes that white men tend to commit much more than any other race of men?

cap28, when you say white people do not view other white men as potential serial killers and all sorts, are you stating the facts or just generalizing? Because, where I live, anyone who exhibits such traits is suspected and possibly reported regardless of the person's race.

i don't think there is any white.privilige when it comes to being accused of racism or being a nazy if you are a german. this tim wise guy likes to pick on white people.

this kind of thinking makes evryone think that there' re victims of powerful whitey, it's the other side of the white supremist coin.e