Reading the chapter, "The Wages of Privilege" I was originally struck by the opening paragraphs. In class we discussed the white man's ways of rationalizing the slavery of African Americans. One of those was religious reasons, white men claimed that they were saving the souls of those who did not know of the European God. In this chapter, the author hints at this in relation to whites supporting blacks in the call for their rights. After decades of slavery, why is it that whites were suddenly cheering for African American's rights? It goes back to white religion. What was the right thing to do, the Godly thing? On the surface there was support, but in reality it was simply for show. The reality was that most did not even bother to tolerate blacks in their community. Two conflicting ideas. Digging deeper into the causes of these two realities one might find themes that are consistently reoccurring throughout history. Where did the sense of superiority in whites come from? Where is it still coming from? This reflects a theme that is found throughout literature and history. The rescue of  savages and giving them a better life. Something that plays a major role in society still today is a difficulty in understanding cultures different from ones own. The misconception that an entire population of people is beneath another simply because they are different, is one of many reasons that slavery was able to happen and become such a source of issues within the United States. This is still happening today, a lack of understanding, toleration of other cultures. Minorities are consistently looked down upon and kept in a constant state of "other." In the history of slavery white slave owners were able to keep control and justify it through religion and the riches they received. Today, the white man's sense of superiority is fed by our societal norms. Today minorities are still tolerated and treated differently. It is a cycle that continues in African American lives today as well as other minority groups.