"White Fragility" by Robin Diangelo talks about why white people find it hard to talk about racism. The book goes into detail about the societal, historical, and psychological reasons why white people find it hard to talk about racism. Diangelo goes over how we all have unconscious bias about everything--that it is impossible to be human and not be judgemental about the world around us making statements like "I see no differences in the races" meaningless.
Amazingly, DiAngelo claims that it is the white progressives/liberals who are the most likely white people to experience 'White Fragility'. White liberals claim they are not 'racist', therefore, white progressives see no more need to discuss race cutting off any chance of discussion of social justice or discussions about racial equity since they themselves are 'color-blind' already.
White Fragility is defined as the "disbelieving defensiveness white people exhibit when their ideas about race are challenged--particularly when white people feel implicated in white supremacy." White Fragility explains the paper thin skin white people have and how defensive, angry, withdrawn, silent when white people are confronted with the topic of racism.
White Fragility talks about how white people lack the racial stamina to engage in conversations about race because white people feel guilty about their past treatment of black people. To avoid feeling discomfort about white guilt, white people come together in white solidarity to prevent the topic of racism from being discussed, or make racist jokes, reinforce racial stereotypes, to keep racism in place making genuine white allyship elusive.
When white people refuse to talk about racism, and when white people stand outside race, then white people negate the racial claims of minorities making it the black person's responsibility to bear the burden of talking about race.
"White Fragility" covers such topics as Unconscious/Implicit bias, Anti-Black Racism, Social Justice, Identity and Socialization, Dominant and Subordinate Group Dynamics, Diversity and Inclusion.This book could be a great supplement to a Multicultural class, Cultural Diversity, or a Diversity and Inclusion Equity class, and a Introduction To Ethnic Studies class.
I found the book to be spot-on about how some white people talk about race. Some of the reasons given by white people to insist they are not racist are listed in the book. My jaw dropped at how accurate Diangelo was in her characterization of how and why white people try so hard to insist they are not racist.
Some of the cliches listed are, "I have friends of color."; "I marched in the 60's.", "I don't think race matters because I was raised to think of everyone to be the same."; "I believe in a "colorblind" society"; "My parents raised me to judge everyone the same, and not think about race."; "I was a minority in another country, so I know how it feels to be a minorithy;" "I speak many languages.", "I have traveled to many countries."; "I grew up in a multiethnic neighborhood." and "I attend anti-racism protests."
It never occurred to me how some white people rationalize themselves as individuals uniquely different from everyone else from their group. Some white people visualize a racist as those white racists they so in those old history reels of the 60's during the Civil Rights movement who were violent against Martin Luther King black protesters. Some white people visualize a 'racist' as those old, uneducated, Southern whites from the 60's. These southern racists are then seen as 'the bad guy' while the good guys are seen as 'Northern', 'Progressive', 'educated' and colorblind like the whites of today.
This is why Diangelo says, whites get defensive when you say they are racist. They do not see themselves as those old southern racists of the 60's. The whites of today believe that they have progressed and a good guy white person would not be racially intolerant. Whites are still uncomfortable talking about race for many reasons: guilt what whites have done to blacks; seeing blacks as the enemy/evil; associating whiteness with purity and blackness with evil; and seeing any label of 'racist' as an attack on that person's moral character or integrity hence making that white person feel defensive.
Diangelo gives counterarguments as to why comments like "I have friends of color" are meaningless and only absolves the white person of any white guilt about race and ends the conversation about improving race relations for the future.
After reading this book, I had a much better understanding of how white people, particularly white males view race. If you are white/ or a white male, you really need to read this book and as a person of color, I already know how it feels to be judged on my behavior/identity by my group. I wish I had the luxury like white people just to be judged by who I am as a person, not by my ethnic group of being Chinese. White people do not realize the privilege and luxury they have to be judged solely as an individual and not by your group. Buy White Fragility today! Great book!
For people of color, it is eye opening to see how and why white people think the way they do, and for white people, it is eye opening to see why it is so hard for you to think about, talk about race or racism. For only when you can talk about racism and feel comfortable talking about racism can there be true racial justice.
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