While white people may not be able to detect racism all the time, some encounter it and still do not act. Bell hooks recalls an interaction in her book, Killing Rage, when her friend is forced to move her seat after the plane had overbooked the flight. The white man who took her seat apologizes and claims that it was not his fault (hooks). While this may be true, hooks says in response that it was an occasion for [him] to intervene in the harassment of a black woman and [he] chose [his] own comfortΒ (hooks 9). White people could use their privilege to correct a situation that is wrong, however, many do not and allow the cycle of racism to continue. This may not seem like an overtly racist act on the flight attendants part; however, they automatically gave the seat to the white man instead of looking into it a bit more. The only solution in that moment for the flight attendants was that the man could get the seat. This happens very often, and for most white people, the excuse is that they did not see it. It is common for racism to escape the eyes of white people because they arent conditioned to see it. It also could be
that white people dont feel the need to look for it because they do not think it is an issue. It is very important for people to see racism, but it is pointless for white people to condition themselves to see it if they do nothing to correct it when they encounter it. Wise offers a story of his own when he called out a white man for telling a racist joke in front of a group of white people. After this man told his joke, Wise asked him why he thought a group of strangers, who only have the color of their skin in common that they know of, would enjoy that joke. From there, Wise explains that he was able to have a self-reflective conversation with this man for a more productive result. This is an example of white people using their privilege to call out racist behavior when they see it. Wise explains that Β [imposing] enough self-awareness and doubt into the mind of those who engage in racist behavior, we make it harder for such persons to blindly at on it (Wise 97). If white people are regularly calling out those who have racist views, then those people will realize the errors they are making and the hurt they are causing.