Speak Out with Tim Wise Podcast

An informative and entertaining podcast aimed at promoting multiracial democracy and justice in dangerous times. The show features the biting, factual, and humorous commentary of its host, alongside dialogue with some of the nation's leading scholars, artists and activists, as well as grassroots community leaders whose voices are often ignored in the dominant media.

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Episode 52 is out now: Palestine/Israel, the Firing of Marc Lamont Hill, and the Limits of Open Inquiry

On this episode, Tim discusses CNN’s firing of contributor Marc Lamont Hill (a former guest on the show), for comments he made in favor of full equality and justice for the Palestinian people. Hill’s words, misinterpreted as a call for violence against Israeli Jews, have demonstrated not only the intellectual dishonesty of some of Israel’s most militant defenders, but also the limits of open inquiry and dialogue around the pressing issue of Middle East peace.

In this reflection on Hill’s firing, Wise examines the way his own critique of Zionism has resulted in professional pushback and attacks over the years, and explores the way in which the conflation of anti-Zionist thought with anti-Semitism is not only rooted in ignorance but actually results in greater danger for Jews around the world. Unless and until we can separate Zionism as a political movement from Judaism as an ethnic/cultural and religious community, not only will Jews be unwilling to sufficiently criticize Israel, but anti-Semites will conflate the two in a way that ultimately, and ironically, makes Jews less safe. In short, the silencing of pro-Palestinian narratives is not only bad for Palestinians themselves, but when done so as to “protect” the interests of Jews, actually makes everyone including Jews, worse off.

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You May Not Be Racist, But Your Political Ideology Is

A friendly, only mildly snarky letter to a white conservative

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Episode 51: Analyzing the Midterms: What Do They Mean for Progressives, the Democratic Party and the Fight Against Trumpism?

You can listen here. Or on Google Play, iTunes, Otto Radio, Patreon, and Podknife.

Well the midterm elections are over and the Democrats have retaken the House of Representatives, though losing ground in the Senate. What do the outcomes of key races mean for the Democratic Party, the battle against Trumpism and the future of the country? In this episode, Tim breaks down the good, the bad and the ugly of the midterms, and discusses what progressive forces need to do (and not do) in the wake of the election.

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Who’s the Snowflake Now? – Tim Wise – Medium

Holding up a Mirror to White Pathology (and Fragility)

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No, Farrakhan is Not the Problem – Tim Wise – Medium

Confronting the White face of American Anti-Semitism

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When the Terrorists Smile and Even Say They Love You

Christianity, Anti-Semitism, and Growing up Jewish in the Bible Belt

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Nazis Make Lousy Researchers – Tim Wise – Medium

Debunking the Myth of American Jewish Power

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Breaking Inequity: What the Right Gets Wrong About Equal Opportunity

The subject line of the e-mail made clear that my expectations for what would follow need not be particularly high.

My latest essay on Medium...check it out and pass it around: a defense of true equal opportunity and a critique of the right wing version of the concept...

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Episode 50 of Speak Out with Tim Wise is out: Donald Trump, the Myth of Meritocracy and Building Solidarity Through Radical Humility

The recent New York Times expose on the Trump family—and how Donald’s father passed along hundreds of millions of dollars to his son—has once again exposed the way great wealth is often the result not of hard work and talent, but inheritance and intergenerational handouts. Although the focus of the story was on the Trumps, its value goes well beyond piercing the veil of self-dealing and occasional graft at the heart of one family’s empire. The narrative of “rugged individualism” and the myth of meritocracy—the idea that people “make it” or don’t based on talent and hard work—is firmly ingrained in the American psyche. Exposing the falsity of the notion as it regards the Trumps can allow us to examine the broader concept as it regards the rest of us and the society we share.

In this extended commentary, I explore the reasons why the notion of meritocracy is so compelling, psychologically, even for folks who are struggling. I also examine the evidence suggesting the notion is more mythical than real, and then delve into why the mythology is actually dangerous for most Americans, both individually and in terms of the kind of society people beholden to the concept end up creating.

Finally, I offer a method for progressives to push back against the notion of meritocracy and individualism, which can begin to chip away at this key stumbling block to solidarity: namely, a radical and transparent humility about our own stories. By acknowledging our own path—the unearned advantages we had, perhaps because of economic status or racial privilege, or even the luck and serendipity over which we had little control—we can forge an honesty that makes it harder to judge those below us and less likely that we’ll undeservedly praise those above. And by sharing our stories with others, we can build sustainable movements rooted in humility and a sense of collective purpose, both of which are critical to the creation of a more just society.

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Episode 49 is out! "Talking About Race in a Time of Turmoil: Dr. David Campt on the White Ally Toolkit for Constructive Dialogue"

On this episode, Tim speaks with Dr. David Campt, racial dialogue facilitator, educator, and creator of the new White Ally Toolkit Workbook, which aims to provide white folks with the rhetorical and practical tools they need to engage other whites around issues of racial equity. At a time of increasing political and racial division, the importance of white progressives and so-called “woke” folks knowing how to speak to (and with) those whose awareness of race issues is limited—or who steadfastly repel from the idea that racism is really an issue of importance at all—has never been greater.

In their conversation, David and Tim explore why it’s so hard for some white progressives to speak to conservatives about these issues, why it's important to figure out a way to do so, and what rhetorical and narrative tools are most effective for the purpose of ratcheting down partisan and ideological hostility, while possibly building bridges across philosophical divides. So whether you’re interested in facilitating large scale group dialogues at your school, your place of worship or in your community, or just looking for practical advice about how to speak to that difficult family member at Thanksgiving, this is an episode you don’t want to miss.

You can purchase the toolkit at: www.whiteallytoolkit.com and David is offering a special discount code for our listeners, which is ACTWISE20 and is good through October 15th.

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Episode 48 is “Educational Inequity is a Feature not a Glitch: Racism and Schooling in America.”

On this episode — the last before returning to the regular interview format of the program — please enjoy Tim Wise's presentation to the teachers, staff and administrators of the Cahokia Illinois School district on August 31 of this year. In this presentation, he discusses the ways that racial and economic inequities in education, far from indicating failures in the system, actually suggest that inequality is a desired and deliberate outcome of schooling, and has been for many years. Herein, he explores the role teachers can play in challenging that system of inequity, the importance of adopting a paradigm of schooling that focuses on collective liberation rather than individual accomplishment, and discusses the problems with colorblindness as a method for educating children of color.

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Episode 47 of Speak Out with Tim Wise is: The Psychological Effects of Police Violence, Racism and Inequality in America - Plenary from the 2018 APA Convention.

This week's episode features Tim’s plenary presentation at the 2018 American Psychological Association’s National Conference in San Francisco, this August. In this speech, Wise addresses the way that inequities in the justice system — especially police violence, racial profiling and disproportionate incarceration—impact the psychological health of peoples of color in America, and what those impacts mean for professionals seeking to offer trauma-informed care.

He also examines the way that racial disparities in the justice system and elsewhere affect the psychological well-being of whites. From internalized notions of superiority to a mentality of entitlement and unrealistic expectations, racial inequity can generate unhealthy states of mind even for those who typically benefit from a system of inequity. When entitlement and expectations are then frustrated (as with a global economy or as a result of changing demographics) whites then either lash out at others in ways that fail to make their own lives better, or internalize shame for their failures, contributing to things like the current opioid epidemic.

Bottom line: solidarity across racial lines and a society of greater equity are necessary to a psychologically healthy nation.

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Tim Wise - AM Joy - MSNBC - 08-25-2018

My appearance with Rick Wilson and Dr. Jason Johnson on #AMJOY with Joy Reid on MSNBC today discussing backlash to Trump's tweet this week referencing a racial myth about land seizures and "large scale killings of farmers" in South Africa.

(includes a shout-out to Jody David Armour's work. If you missed my interview with him on Speak Out with Tim Wise, "Examining and Confronting ‘Negrophobia' in White America and the Legal System," listen here.

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Episode 46 is out: Facts Matter (No They Don’t!)…Well, Actually They Do (But It’s Complicated)

On this episode, I explore what it means for progressive political movements that so much recent research suggests “facts don’t matter” when it comes to persuading people on various social issues. Does this mean we ought to ignore research, analysis and data in favor of more emotional and narrative forms of political appeals? Is the research even accurate when it says “facts don’t matter?” How do we know, and what do the answers suggest for organizing strategy or the way we engage others around politics?

With stories from my own experience, I’ll make note of the way facts seem not to matter, but also one very important way in which they do. Also, I’ll discuss the importance of progressives learning to illustrate facts with stories and narratives in a way that can compete with the right-wing’s talent at doing the same. And finally, I’ll note the way that facts, used badly, can harm progressive movements, leading to the inescapable conclusion that when we mobilize on the basis of them we need to make sure we’re doing so accurately and logically.

A helpful primer on the way to make the case for a politics of social justice and equity...and the way not to.

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Episode 45 of Speak Out with Tim Wise is out: “First Amendment Follies: What the Right Gets Wrong About Free Speech and the College Campus.”

As I wind down my summer hiatus from interviewing guests, enjoy this extended commentary on the issue of free speech, and what it means—and doesn’t mean—on campuses and in the nation at large.

Lately, amid the decision of various social media companies to ban conspiracy theorist Alex Jones or neo-Nazis from their platforms—and amid pushback against right-wing speakers invited to college campuses—many folks (conservative and liberal) have insisted that these moves amount to violations of the free speech rights of those affected. But this is neither legally nor logically accurate. Free speech does not entitle anyone to another person’s platform, online, in a newspaper, on the radio, or in a lecture hall at a University.

In this commentary I explore the fallacies surrounding the notion of free speech and the requirements of the first amendment, the legal standards currently in place on these matters and what colleges can do (and should be able to do) to uphold their missions and values, and to fulfill their core function: the dispensation of scholarship. To think that schools are obligated to provide platforms to particular outside speakers as part of the "search for truth" or as part of the “marketplace of ideas” is philosophically ridiculous, for reasons I explain in detail on this week’s show.

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Episode 44 - Why Identity Politics is Necessary (But Whiteness is a Fraud): Race & Class Inequity in America

While I take a break from guest interviews for the summer, enjoy these three commentaries: one new and two previously available in my 2017 Patreon archives.

In the first (and new) piece, I respond to common critiques of “identity politics,” and explain why those criticisms are wrongheaded on multiple levels. First, they are selective: only condemning a political focus on marginalized groups while ignoring the way that a focus on the “white working class,” or bringing back manufacturing jobs mostly for men, are also about prioritizing certain identities. Second, since most of us have not only dominant identities from which we benefit, but also identities that confer disadvantages—for instance, white folks who are poor—a politics that examines how identity impacts us is of benefit to all.

In the second piece, I examine the difference between a critique of whiteness (as a social force) and white people as individuals. Too often a critique of the first is seen as an attack on the second. But whiteness was created as a way to sucker most so-called white people into casting our lot with the wealthy, rather than recognizing the interests we share with working class people of color. To the extent whiteness has served as a trick to divide and conquer working folks, criticizing whiteness is not only something we should do for the sake of people of color, but also something we should do for the benefit of most so-called whites.

In the third and final piece, I explore how our tendency to venerate the wealthy—and give them credit for all good things that flow to the rest of us, like jobs—not only rests on a faulty understanding of economics, but also relies upon two important American forces. The first of these is the myth of meritocracy, which leads even those who are struggling to believe they’ll be rich someday if they just work hard enough, and the second is the role of white supremacy, and what W.E.B. DuBois called the “psychological wage of whiteness.” By providing relative advantage for white workers over people of color, America’s racialized version of capitalism keeps many working class whites in line, loyal to the wealthy, even as they would be better off joining with people of color to fight for a more just system.

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Episode 43 of Speak Out with Tim Wise is out: It’s Not About Bigotry: Institutional Racism, Gentrification and the Perpetuation of Inequality

While Tim Wise takes a break from guest interviews for the summer, enjoy this compilation of two previous (but still highly relevant) commentaries from the SOWTW 2017 Patreon archives. In the first, he explores the way that racism operates institutionally, even in the absence of deliberate racist and bigoted intent. When we presume that racism requires overt prejudice we often overlook the subtle but destructive ways in which racial inequity is perpetuated in labor markets, education and the justice system, simply by way of the normal, seemingly race-neutral operation of those systems. In so doing, we miss some of the most persistent and destructive manifestations of racial injustice.

In the second piece, he explores the issue of gentrification and the way that “economic revitalization” often serves to displace and further marginalize already marginalized persons of color, and the poor (of all colors), while disproportionately benefiting affluent whites. Although perhaps preferable to white flight and the abandonment of urban areas, the question remains: why do lawmakers only commit to economic development when certain people move back to an area? Why don’t urban planners and elected officials have the same interest in creating opportunities for working class folks of color as they do for upper income white hipsters, tech-bros and “creative class” artists? And how might cities balance the need for economic development with the need for affordable housing, cultural preservation and respect, and opportunities for all?