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Oct 5, 2020 · In the midst of this racial injustice crisis moment, the term white fragility is consistently coming up. And finally so!As we move forward in the fight again...
- 2 min
- 12.3K
- Ritu Bhasin
Apr 22, 2016 · After first defining "white privilege", this presenter at Portland Community College's "whiteness history month" goes on to define "white fragility" as "A st...
- 4 min
- 3.3K
- LaughingAtLiberals
Apr 15, 2021 · A look at some of the common responses from white people when it comes to conversations about racism.This segment aired as a part of The Handle: Living While...
- 6 min
- 10.3K
- Panhandle PBS
- Overview
- What is white fragility?
- White fragility triggers
- History
- How it differs from racism
- Why is it problematic?
- The sociology and psychology behind it
- Summary
White people in the United States have protection from racial stress. Engaging in conversations about racism may trigger a range of defensive actions, feelings, and behaviors, such as anger, fear, and silence.
Although white fragility is not racism, it may contribute to racism by dismissing white domination and racial conditioning. By developing racial stamina, white people can better address racism and strive to become anti-racist.
White fragility refers to feelings of discomfort a white person experiences when they witness discussions around racial inequality and injustice.
For example, people of color may find it difficult to speak to white people about white privilege and superiority. The white person may become defensive, and the person of color may feel obligated to comfort the white person because we live in a white-dominated environment.
Racial stressors may cause a range of defensive behaviors and emotions. White people may act in certain ways when people of color discuss racism.
Their reactions may include:
•anger
•fear
•guilt
•arguing
White fragility is a term that Dr. Robin DiAngelo invented to describe how white people react to issues of racism.
Dr. DiAngelo has a Ph.D. in multicultural education, and her specialty is whiteness studies and critical discourse analysis.
Some people may define racism as the belief that a particular race is superior to another. However, others may refer to this as racial prejudice.
Sociologists define racism as an unequal distribution of privileges between white people and people of color. Racism occurs when white people benefit from an unequal distribution of privileges and people of color experience deprivation.
For example, one 2019 study examines the various ways in which racism may be impacting healthcare and driving racial inequities in health.
This definition of racism only applies to white people due to white privilege. Historically, white people have not had to experience the same oppression, inequality, and discrimination that people of color have due to white people holding power.
People experiencing white fragility may not be racist, but their actions, behaviors, and feelings may promote racism. Avoiding the topic of race contributes to racism. By disregarding the notions of white superiority and white privilege, racism will continue to hold its place in society.
Since white people rarely experience racism, they often cannot see, feel, or understand it. Many people of color describe having been prepared to live as a minority in a racist society by their parents.
Due to this absence of understanding and experience, white people lack what Dr. DiAngelo calls “racial stamina.” However, white people can develop racial stamina by having direct experiences with people of color and engaging in sometimes difficult conversations with them.
By building racial stamina, white people may be able to manage racial stressors rather than ignoring or silencing them. Conscious and explicit engagement with people of different races can help break the pattern of fragile behaviors and actions related to race.
Dr. DiAngelo’s research suggests that several factors lead to white fragility in the U.S. These include:
•segregation
•universalism and individualism
•entitlement to racial comfort
•racial arrogance
•racial belonging
White fragility refers to feelings and behaviors that occur when white people face racial stressors. They may deny white superiority but live a segregated life without any concerns about the absence of people of color.
Many factors contribute to white fragility, and although it may not be racism, it supports a racist culture. By building racial stamina, however, white people can more openly and critically discuss issues surrounding race.
Boston: Beacon Press, 2018. “In this groundbreaking and timely book, antiracist educator Robin DiAngelo deftly illuminates the phenomenon of white fragility. Referring to the defensive moves that white people make when challenged racially, white fragility is characterized by emotions such as anger, fear, and guilt, and by behaviors including ...
Jun 13, 2022 · White fragility stems, in large part, from an incomplete understanding of racism, according to DiAngelo. Plenty of well-meaning people do consider racism bad and wrong — a word to whisper in a ...
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Jul 15, 2020 · Only Black people can say that. If you are white, you are solely to listen as DiAngelo tars you as morally stained. “Now breathe,” she counsels to keep you relaxed as you undergo this. She ...
