Introspective As Well As Thought Provoking

books:


	• White Male Privilege: A Study of Racism in America 40 Years After the Voting Rights Act Mark Rosenkranz Law Dog Books, 2007 - 108 pages average customer review:based on 4 reviews view larger image
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His heart's in the right place

Well, I really wish I could give this book five stars. I DO support his premise and indeed there are some thought-provoking passages.

Unfortunately, I really expected more. This is a nicely-bound (former) e-book which is quite thin and double-spaced. (And there are a few typos that shouldn't have gotten past the editor but oh well...)

The author's arguments are thought-provoking, but they are not compelling in that there is not really any research presented that would "win over" readers that don't share his position. The one story with the most detail is a localized event from quite some time ago and which speaks more to racism than to white male privilege. I feel the author really misses a chance to educate us about the *institutionalization* of this phenomenon and how it affects most Americans much of the time. Also it would have been nice to illustrate how this affects women as well. Lastly, the interviews are presented almost more as survey results than interviews. The depth and substance that we'd expect are lacking.

But again overall -- much lauding to the author for taking on a topic that is almost taboo these days.

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Introspective As Well As Thought Provoking

What strikes me about this book is the fact that the author seems to genuinely care about the responses he gets from his interviewees. I know I'm doing some reading between the lines, but I believe it's because the author himself has spent a good amount of time reflecting on his own predjudices and experiences, and I commend him for doing so. I hope those who read his book will be inspired to do the same.

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Reflection

A unique insight into the "whys" of racism. This book is an easy read that will have the reader reflecting on how he/she affects and is affected by racism and quite possibly can cause a change in behaviors through that reflection. The interviews say a lot about how racism affects the interviewees both in what was said and what was not.

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White Male Privilege gets two thumbs up.

The author Mark Rosenkranz has written a prolific prospective on the subject of racism. His unique way of presenting the information enables the reader to help understand one's own biases which is the first step in recognizing racism. He focuses on discrimination from an introspective point of view. The author interviewed eight different people from various backgrounds. One of which is Brian Swann, who experienced racism with his renowned brother pro football hall of fame and Gubernatorial candidate Lynn Swann. The Swann brothers filed a civil lawsuit against the San Francisco Police Department for discrimination and won their case. I believe the average reader will find his work insightful and captivating. I would highly recommend this book to anyone whether or not they have experienced racism in their lives.

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Discrimination and racism has existed in America since the very early days of colonization. In the Declaration of Independence, our founding fathers declared "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal." and yet, it would be another 189 years before Americans would be equal by law. It has been suggested that with the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, America had finally overcame its ugly past of racism and discrimination. As we entered into the new millennium, the author wondered if America had really set aside its biases and discriminatory practices. The author interviewed eight people as he developed the foundations for this book. One of the people he was honored to interview was Brian Swann, the brother of famous footballer Lynn Swann. Brian shared his story of a racial motivated encounter that he and his brother's had experienced in the 1970's in San Francisco, California, at the hands of the San Francisco Police Department. Each of the eight people interviewed for this book brought with them a different experience and viewpoint as it relates to discrimination and racism in America, and more specifically, white male privilege in America. The author brought these eight individual viewpoints together, and told their story as they relate to American history, from the early days of colonization through the present day.

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