Analysis Of Tim Wise Speech

The most important point Tim Wise made in his speech was how the whole creation of the white race was a trick to essentially hide class. Both black and white people became victims of the elite. Before the mid 1600’s there was no significance placed on those who were white. It was not till around the 1660’s and 1670’s that the indentured servitude of Africans began to rise. Both the black and white people had realized they had a lot in common as indentured servants such as “getting their clocked cleaned by the elite” like Wise had stated. Since they came to this realization the black and white people started to get together and forming a rebellion against the power elite. When the elite became aware of this threat they had to find a way to keep white servants away from black servants and in doing this white superiority and the system it shaped were both created.

White servants were given certain privileges that black servants were not given, such as land and the ability to testify in court. In giving them this slight taste of power their divide and conquer strategy effectively worked. Centuries later during the Civil War an incident similar to the previous one occurred where poor white people were convinced their skin color was more important than their economic interest. This type of mentality is still continuing today. I feel this is the most important point in Tim Wise’s speech because time and time again we are seeing events that are occurring that resemble and contain the same elements of this phenomenon. There is a reason that this is reoccurring and the issue of white superiority has not been put to rest by America yet. People have come to fear that and individual who is not like themselves will be privileged. Until this issue can be viewed and understood from both sides equally, white superiority will continue which Wise illustrates throughout his whole