Ephphatha Poetry: "Imagine if the Tea Party Was Black" - Tim Wise

Ephphatha Poetry: "Imagine if the Tea Party Was Black" - Tim Wise

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This blog post by Tim Wise is SO powerful! Not only does he help us to think more clearly about the Tea Party movements, but it also helps us to think about the reality of "white privilege" in a way that is undeniable.

I remember reading Peggy McIntosh's classic article, "White Privilege and Male Privilege: A Personal Account of Coming to See Correspondences through Work in Women’s Studies," in college and being completely blown away by the experience of having been changed forever by a new way of seeing things. Using what Kenneth Burke called "perspective by incongruity," this new way of seeing was perhaps one of the most powerful motivators for me to study and understand and champion diversity and communication in my doctorate and career.

I wonder if Mr. Wise's post will do the same for a new generation of students . . . if nothing else, he has provided a powerful way to think about and talk about what's happening in this country today. It will be interesting to see what comes of this in the weeks ahead.

And this, my friends, is what white privilege is all about. The ability to threaten others, to engage in violent and incendiary rhetoric without consequence, to be viewed as patriotic and normal no matter what you do, and never to be feared and despised as people of color would be, if they tried to get away with half the shit we do, on a daily basis.

Game Over.