Overall Analysis of the Film

The issue of racism has affected the world for many years now and it is yet to be eliminated. For example, the people of color are less privileged as compared to the Whites in the United States. The challenge was fully highlighted in the documentary by Tim Wise, an activist who fights against racism in the United States. The general view about the film is that it has highlighted the many things that people of color face in the country and the privileges that the whites have just because of their skin color. The documentary is based on the reality of the United States and how white people get privileges that others cannot get. It starts with a personal story about Wise, whereby he explains how he was taken to a school that was predominantly for the African Americans. The experience changed the way he views life and he started fighting against racism when he grew up. He states that have been among the only three white kids in Tennessee College, he realized there was a need to address the challenges of racism.

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His efforts against racism were heightened when he was asked by a female student during a rally what he had done to fight racism in his home town. At that time he was fighting against government and institutions that worked with the apartheid government in South Africa. The documentary has explained the many challenges that black people face and how they can be solved. It also shows the meaning of being white. Many people do not understand the impact of color and they also don't see the advantage or challenge of having a different color from the rest. However, when one takes a moment to think about it, they see the impacts of racism and the damages it causes to the United States. For example, the documentary shows how President Obama was portrayed as an African witch doctor when he introduced Obama Care. Racism has major impacts on health, education and other factors in society (Mio, & Morris, 2019). The political, social and economic impacts of racism can be identified in the world and mostly in the United States. The documentary shows the reality of racism and gives an insight from an anti-racist's view.

Things I Agree and Disagree With

The documentary has several issues that I agree and disagree with. The first agreement I have is that racism is a major challenge and should be viewed not just from the view of the African Americans but also in the view of the Whites. It is important for Whites to ask themselves what it means to be white. The second one is that there are many impacts of racism and the government should do something about it. The documentary states that the rate at which the people of color are incarcerated is high and there many Blacks in the jails and this is related to the perceptions that people have about them. The views explained by Wise are valid as seen in a recent survey done between 1996 and 2011, which shows that the there is a challenge of mass incarceration that affects the wealth and development of the citizens (Sykes, & Maroto, 2016). The situation can be changed if all stakeholders are made aware of the challenges associated with racism. I disagree with the views in the documentary that the Whites struggle the same as the African Americans to get what they want in the economy. The comparison and views in the documentary that places the two races in the same position in terms of struggling in the economy are biased and incorrect. As stated by Jee-Lyn Garcia, and Sharif (2015), the racial differences are major and their impacts have a high magnitude to the African Americans. It is too early to celebrate the success achieved so far in dealing with racism.

The other point that I agree with is that politics are shaped by the racist views of the people. There are many people in the political field who gain their political strength from being racist. Some of them support the ideas that support racism and they use these views to win the votes of their fellow racists. For example, in the documentary, Wise was surprised when David Duke vied for the governor's seat in Louisiana and he earned the majority of the votes from the Whites. Even though he did not win the seat, the fact that they voted for a former KKK leader shows their feelings and views about racism.

Elimination of Racism

The issues raised in the documentary can be eliminated in several ways; one of them is by introducing policies that protect the people of color. In the documentary, people protested against the "stop and frisk" law that has led to the incarceration of many Blacks. The other one is through economic support to the people of color and providing facilities that are the same as the ones in the areas where the whites are predominant. The last solution is to educate people on the need to eliminate racism and to view all people as equals. The government should punish all those who support racism.

Importance of the Documentary to the Justice System

The documentary should be watched by the people in the criminal justice system because it will open their views about racism and how the system has not been favorable to the people of color. The analysis done by Wise shows that the criminal justice system is biased and this has led to a biased rate at which people of different races are arrested and jailed. The documentary will help in changing this condition and advising the system on ways to deal with the vice.

References

Jee-Lyn Garcia, J., & Sharif, M. Z. (2015). Black lives matter: a commentary on racism and public health. American journal of public health, 105(8), e27-e30.

Mio, J. S., & Morris, D. R. (2019). Documentation of the cost of racism.

Sykes, B. L., & Maroto, M. (2016). A wealth of inequalities: Mass incarceration, employment, and racial disparities in US household wealth, 1996 to 2011. RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences, 2(6), 129-152.