Perhaps Roediger would have benefited by providing his audience with story telling or other tools the reader could use to actively engage in the activities provided throughout the book.
As one continues reading they soon realize Roediger provides his own interpretation and synthesis of psychoanalysis from himself and others, acknowledging the Marxist thoughts and psychoanalytical processes that led to racism during the early part of American history, where working class racism was most likely to occur.
What Roediger does attempt successfully is to distinguish the term "whiteness" as a separate entity, a fact many philosophers and educators agree on. Duggan (1997) notes much chaos arose following publication of the book, in part because some suggest the book helped create movements whose purpose was to eliminate members of our culture and race that were "white" instead of minorities. This idea according to Duggan is perpetuated before the reader even begins reading the book, in full view of the book cover depicting according to Duggan, two very large and "Amazonian" type back females attempting to choke two white men one might describe as "sporty." This use of visual imagery on behalf of Roediger suggests the author was committed to spreading the principle or idealism that it is possible to relinquish the white race. Despite this fact, many including Duggan decide it is virtually impossible for whites to completely wipe out blacks, or for blacks to wipe out whites.
I think Duggan makes a good point suggesting Roediger does provide a thesis and argument, but then fails to tell people how to go about their chores and successful oversee this business. Roediger is often noted as someone that formally believes white people should shed their skins or deny their heritage by taking on a new one, perhaps that of an African-American. To do this however, one must ask of Roediger's book, as does Duggan, what the real meaning of "being white" means to citizens at large and to individuals within a company or organization.
There is no doubt left in the mind of the reader that subjects of whiteness and discrimination continue within the United States, as hundreds of researchers have contemplated and postulated ideas on matters as this (Bonnet, 1996; Frankenberg, 1997;...
While not all researchers agree on the legitimacy or purpose of such terms, all suggest the concept of the white American majority is declining in light of new initiatives and the efforts of African-Americans and other minorities seeking justice within the system.
References
Bernstein, I. (1992, Dec). The Wages of Whiteness: Race and the making of the American working class, the Journal of American History, 79(3): 1120-1121.
Bonnett, a. (1996), White studies: The problems and projects of a new research agenda,
Theory, Culture & Society, 13(2): 150.
Duggan, T. (1997, Jul). Honkey Blues, Salon. Retrieved October 29, 2007:
http://www.salon.com/july97/white2970702.html
Frankenberg, R. (1997). Displacing whiteness: Essays in social and cultural criticism,
Garvey, J., & Ignatiev, N. (1997). Toward a new abolitionism: A race traitor manifesto,
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Ed.), Whiteness: A critical reader (346). New York: New York University Press.
Kelley, R.D. (1994). Race rebels: Culture, politics and the black working class, New York: Free Press.
Lang, P., Rodriguez, N.M., & Villaverde, L.E. (2000), Dismantling white privilege:
Pedagogy, politics, politics and whiteness. New York: Verso.
Olson, J. (2006). After Whiteness: Unmaking an American majority. CLIO, 35(3): 454.
Roediger, D.R. (2007, Jul). The wages of Whiteness: Race and the making of the American Working Class, 3rd Edition, London: Verso Publishing.
Verso, (1999), the wages of Whiteness: Race and the making of the American working
Class, Verso Books. Accessed 29, October 2007:
http://www.versobooks.com/books/nopqrs/r-titles/roediger_wages_whiteness.shtml
Walter, B. (2000). Outsiders inside: Whiteness, place and Irish women. London: Verso
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Winant, H. (1997). Behind blue eyes: Whiteness and contemporary U.S. racial politics,
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Wages Whiteness
