1. Zirin article

· Zirins main argument in the article he wrote about Ben Roethlisburger was that if he were anybody other than himself this case would be treated totally different. He makes the point that if he wasn’t white and a rich pro football player the circumstances would be much different. He compares his case to that of Michael Vick and makes a good point by saying that Vick was in trouble for mistreating dogs and got suspended and had to go through a lot to make up for it. Zirin says that we’ll see how important the NFL thinks of mistreating women by the punishment Ben gets. The case against him was very strong and if he wasn’t a famous football player there would most likely be no question about what would happen to him at trial but instead the case won’t even go that far. This relates to “Unpacking the Knapsack” because Peggy talks about the privileges whites get and many of them are applying the Ben in this case. He has the privilege to not get in trouble and have it be based on his race. He also has the privilege to have legal help if needed and not have his race work against him. If under any other circumstances it is clear things would be much different. This case is also another example of patriarchy. The man over powering the women and getting away with it. He has more power than her and in the case she wouldn’t have been portrayed in a good way, which is part of the reason why she decided against it. The whole situation is totally unfair and promotes the hegemonic ideology.

2. Wise article

· In Tim Wises article about white privilege he makes his point and main argument very clear. He basically says that to be white you can get away with so many things compared to if you did the same things but were of another race. I like how every paragraph is a really good example to prove his point. Every example starts off with what if a black person did this when really a white person did it. It’s easy to see how people would have reacted if someone black did do that but most don’t consider it a big deal that whites are actually doing or saying those things. One good example was about President Obamas wife. He says what if a black person was saying insulting things about a white presidents daughter because a white person actually did that about Malia Obama. It’s really sad that these things are accepted and not thought of as offensively as they would have been if it was turned around. This relates to Peggys article where she says “I can criticize our government and talk about how much I fear its policies and behavior without being seen as a cultural outsider.” This article totally shows the idea of white supremacy. It gives many examples where white people are thought of as superior to other races. It’s really a sad truth to face.

3. Coakley Chapter

· Coakley talks about the idea that many black men have through their lives that they are destined to be athletes. They believe their bodies are superior and made for this reason. Many believe that there are few other ways they can gain as much respect other than in sport. Many black people feel as if there aren’t many opportunities for them in other fields compared to the opportunity they have in sport. They strive to be better than everyone when it comes to athletics. These ideas actually help some black men to succeed in sport. It doesn’t give the opportunity to all though. Many don’t succeed and end up feeling like there are no other options. It’s a common belief among them that in a white world sport is made for blacks. This also causes problems for black men that don’t want to compete in sports. Many people try and say that a lot of achievements blacks have in sport is based on their genetic abilities like being able to run fast and jump high. When white people succeed in things people don’t think of it like that. With whites it based on social and cultural things to help them win but with blacks it’s thought of as biological and genetic. People don’t feel the need to question whites on their abilities but when it comes to blacks they feel a need to research and have an explanation. Experts criticize these ideas and say that ability like jumping can’t be linked to one specific gene.