Olmstead 1

Ella Olmstead

Jane Glerum

English 101

18 November 2020

Seeing White, a Must Listen

Thesis: Not only is this source presented in the unique form of a podcast, but it is also extremely

reliable and contains quality information about the uncomfortable truth that is “whiteness”.

I. Introduction

II. Presentation

A. Podcast

1. Convenience of Listening Whenever and Wherever

2. Rising Popularity of Podcasts

B. Articles and Other Sources

1. Make Time to Read

2. Not as Popular

III. Reliability

A. Podcast Authors

1. Multiple Contributing Professionals

2. Both Main Authors Have College Degrees That are Specialized in What

They Do

B. Author of Other Article

1. No credentials
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2. Can Not Find Anything That Qualifies as Being a Professional on the

Subject

IV. Information

A. Podcast Seeing White

1. Rich and Full History

2. Gives Why and How of Racism

3. Gives Better Knowledge and Understanding

4. Approaches Uncomfortable Conversations About Whiteness That are

Needed for Change

B. Other Sources

1. Tell About What is Happening Because of Racism

2. Do Not Directly Address Whiteness

V. Conclusion
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Seeing White, a Must Listen

Increased racial unrest and violence has spread across the country in the past year. The

murders of many African Americans like George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery

have angered thousands of people across the country. The Black Lives Matter movement is on

the rise, riots fill the streets, and the American people are more divided than ever. It can be easy

to get lost and confused amongst all the pain and chaos that comes with the issue of racism. That

is why it is important to take a step back and learn as much as possible about the subject. One of

the best information resources about racism in America is the Seeing White podcast hosted by

John Biewen. Not only is this source presented in the unique form of a podcast, but it is also

extremely reliable and contains quality content about the uncomfortable truth that is “whiteness.”

One of the reasons why Seeing White is the best information source is because it is

presented in the form of a podcast. A podcast is a series of engaging audio recordings that

listeners can access over the internet. The beauty of listening to a podcast is that it can be

downloaded onto a computer or mobile device and be listened to whenever it is convenient. This

is so much better compared to having to sit down and take the time to read a newspaper article or

magazine. With the business of the world today, it is easier to ensure that time is dedicated to

learning about racism when it can be done while driving, exercising, or completing other tasks.

That is why the podcast Seeing White is a preferred source to written articles.

Another way that podcasts are superior sources of information is because of the engaging

audio and element of storytelling. In her article “How Podcasts Became So Popular (And Why

That’s a Good Thing)” blogger Shiva Bhaskar researches the idea that people think in stories.

Paul Zak, an expert in neuroeconomics, found that humans were more likely to feel empathy

towards others because of the neurochemical transmitter oxytocin that is released into the brain
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when they listen to stories instead of facts (Bhaskar). This means that people are more likely to

connect to the information in the Seeing White podcast because of the narration of racism and its

history.

When compared to other sources like articles, websites, or magazines the Seeing White

podcast is presented in a more engaging way. One example of an inferior source would be the

article “Race, Racism, and Whiteness” by Alex Mikulich. This article contains similar

information to Seeing White. However, the information is presented in long mind-numbing

paragraphs. Eventually the information is forgotten because the article was unable to keep the

reader’s attention. The article does not even include interesting visuals to support the text. So

instead of reading an article like the one written by Mikulich, people should listen to the Seeing

White podcast. The audio makes the source feel more like a discussion rather than reading from a

textbook. Also, the host presents the information in a way that makes listeners think deeply about

the issues and there is occasionally engaging music that will play in the background. Those

elements are not always included in articles or websites, proving that the podcast Seeing White is

better because of the way it is presented.

In addition to the benefits of listening to a podcast rather than reading an article, the

popularity of podcasts has risen dramatically in the last year. According to an article from The

New York Times, there was a 10 percent increase of podcast listeners between ages 12 to 24 years

old from 2018 to 2019. 40 percent of people in that age group say that they listened to a podcast

last month and 17 percent of people over the age of 55 said they had as well (Peiser). Not only are

podcasts trending in general, but the podcast Seeing White is very popular. Seeing White was

named one of the top nine favorite podcasts of 2017 on National Public Radio (Coleman). This
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proves that because Seeing White is a podcast its presentation of information is superior to other

sources that are presented as articles, websites, or magazines.

Another reason why the podcast Seeing White is an excellent information source about

antiracism is because the information comes from extremely reliable people. This is not the case

for all sources. The article "What is Whiteness? How the Idea of a 'White Race' Came to Exist in

America." is written by Eden A. Gordon. Gordon’s article contains similar ideas to that of the

Seeing White podcast, but Gordon does not appear to be credible as an author. There is no

information about her on the website where her article is published and when searched on the

internet the only credentials that can be found are that she is a blogger who lives in New York

(Gordon, “Eden Arielle Gordon”). This shows that this source is not reliable, proving that the

Seeing White podcast is the better source.

When looking at the credentials of the people who made the podcast Seeing White, they

are found to be reliable. The main host of the podcast is John Biewen. Biewen’s credentials can be

found on the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University website under the article “John

Biewen.” He went to Gustavus Adolphus College to study philosophy and has a professional

career in public radio journalism and documentary making. Over thirty years, Biewen has traveled

to forty different states, Europe, India, and Japan to tell people’s stories. He has done several

other projects about race and is currently the director of the audio program at the Center of

Documentary Studies at Duke University. This shows that Biewen has experience in making

professional works of literature about the topic of race and is qualified to make the Seeing White

podcast.

However, Biewen is not the sole contributor to the podcast. Professor Chenjerai

Kumanyika makes regular appearances during the series. When Kumanyika introduces himself in
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the first episode, “Turning the Lens”, he says that he is “a professor of critical cultural media

studies, cultural industries, and things like that.” He also explained that he taught at Clemson

University, but was going to start teaching at Rutgers School of Communication and Information

in the fall of 2017. Kumanyika’s views are an important addition to the podcast. In “Turning the

Lens”, John Biewen explains why he invited Kumanyika to be a part of the podcast when he says,

“I'm a little concerned about my perspective as a white dude and thinking I might, I maybe could

use some backup, somebody to kind of check me a little bit, and help flesh out the story with

your perspective as a person of color in this world.” This shows that the information that is being

presented represents all people equally and is reliable because more than one perspective is being

considered.

In addition to Chenjerai Kumanyika, many other experts on race add their thoughts and

research to the podcast. For example, in the second episode of the podcast, “How Race Was

Made”, Biewen introduces Nell Irvin Painter. Painter is a historian and Princeton Professor

Emerita. She is also the author of the book The History of White People. Another contributor to

Seeing White is Suzanne Plihcik. Plihcik is associated with the Racial Equity Institute and travels

the country giving anti-racism workshops (“How Race Was Made’’). Both Painter and Plihcik

make appearances in the third episode called “Made in America”, along with Ibram Kendi and

Deena Hayes-Greene. This proves that the information in Seeing White is reliable because it

comes from multiple recognized experts.

The last thing to consider when looking for the best information source about antiracism is

the quality of the content. Most sources tend to focus on people of color and the issues they

encounter in society. For example, Ibram Kendi writes an article called “Who Gets to Be Afraid

in America?” that focuses on the death of Ahmaud Arbery. Kendi illustrates the fear that black
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people feel because of white supremacy through the tragic recollection of Arbery being unjustly

murdered by a man named Gregory McMichael. While this source is excellent at informing

people about the tragedies that have happened because of racism and gaining sympathy from

readers, it does not address why or how racism has come to be such an issue. This means that

when it comes to learning more about the history of racist ideas Seeing White is the better source

because it goes back in time to discuss where the idea of race even came from and how it evolved

over time.

Another reason why the content is best in the podcast Seeing White is because it addresses

the group of people that are often left unnamed in the discussion of racism – white people. An

article written by Andrew Chow explores the literary works of Claudia Rankine. In his article,

Chow quotes Rankine who says, “It's really a moment for us to slow down and understand that a

white-supremacist orientation has determined almost everything in this country . . . For us to

reroute, we have to ask more questions and really be uncomfortable." Seeing White does exactly

what Rankine suggests. It asks the uncomfortable questions that are needed to inspire change. In

the first episode, “Turning the Lens”, Biewen states the mission and purpose of the podcast as

“looking straight at white America – and at the notion of whiteness itself.” The questions that

Biewen asks at the beginning are, “Where did this idea of a white race come from? God? Nature?

Or is it man-made? And if somebody manufactured the idea, why, for what purpose? How has

the meaning of white changed over the centuries, and how does it function now?” Those

questions are thoroughly answered throughout the fourteen-part podcast proving that the content

is superior to other sources, like Ibram Kendi’s article, because it brings a new perspective to the

discussion of racism.
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The final piece of evidence that proves that Seeing White is the best information source

comes from a letter from the editor. In her article, Khara Coleman writes about how excellent the

podcast was. She says she was immediately interested when she first heard Seeing White. She also

said that because she is a lawyer she knows about the laws and history of race, but by listening to

the podcast she was able to gain better perspective on whiteness in America. Coleman claims that

“[t]his is more than American legal history for the layperson. This is the self-help course for

every lawyer or layperson who wants to understand ‘what the big deal is’ when it comes to race

in America.” This proves that when it comes to getting quality information the podcast Seeing

White is the best way for someone to learn about antiracism.

When it comes to source presentation, reliability, and quality of content, the podcast

Seeing White is the best information source about antiracism. Podcasts are growing in popularity

and the hosts of this podcast are extremely reliable professionals. The information in Seeing

White is thought provoking and inspires change proving that people are more informed after they

have listened to it. During all the racial unrest and confusion, listening to the podcast Seeing

White provides clarity.

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Works Cited

Chow, Andrew R. “As America Approaches Raw Truths About Race, Claudia Rankine Is Ready

to Guide Us.” TIME Magazine, vol. 196, no. 11/12, Sept. 2020, pp. 28–29. EBSCOhost,

search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=145662395&site=ehost-live.

Coleman, Khara. "Letter from the Editor: Review of the Podcast Seeing White." Newsletter,

Illinois State Bar Association, Feb. 2018, www.isba.org/committees/minorities/

newsletter/2018/02/letterfromtheeditorreviewofthepodca. Accessed 5 Nov. 2020.

Gordon, Eden A. "Eden Arielle Gordon." Users, Clippings.me,

www.clippings.me/users/edenarielle. Accessed 23 Nov. 2020.

Gordon, Eden A. "What is Whiteness? How the Idea of a 'White Race' Came to Exist in

America." Articles, Magellan TV, 29 July 2020, www.magellantv.com/articles/what-is-

whiteness-how-the-idea-of-a-white-race-came-to-exist-in-america. Accessed 10 Nov.

2020.

“How Race Was Made.” Seeing White from Scene on Radio, Feb. 2017,

https://www.sceneonradio.org/seeing-white/. Accessed 13 Nov. 2020.

"John Biewen." People, Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University, 2020,

documentarystudies.duke.edu/people/john-biewen. Accessed 20 Nov. 2020.

Kendi, Ibram X. "Who Gets to Be Afraid in America?" The Atlantic, 12 May 2020,

www.theatlantic.com/ ideas/archive/2020/05/ahmaud-arbery/611539/. Accessed 13 Nov.

2020.

“Made in America.” Seeing White from Scene on Radio, Feb. 2017,

https://www.sceneonradio.org/seeing-white/. Accessed 13 Nov. 2020.

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Mikulich, Alex. "Race, Racism, and Whiteness." Jesuit Social Research Institute, Loyola

University New Orleans, www.loyno.edu/jsri/race-racism-and-whiteness. Accessed 2

Dec. 2020.

Peiser, Jaclyn. "Podcast Growth is Popping in the U.S., Survey Shows." The New York Times, 6

Mar. 2019, www.nytimes.com/2019/03/06/business/media/podcast-growth.html.

Accessed 10 Nov. 2020.

Seeing White from Scene on Radio, Feb. 2017, https://www.sceneonradio.org/seeing-white/.

Accessed 13 Nov. 2020.

“Turning the Lens.” Seeing White from Scene on Radio, Feb. 2017,

https://www.sceneonradio.org/seeing-white/. Accessed 13 Nov. 2020.