Questions About White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism

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Answered Questions (32)

So basically "white" skinned people are not allowed to have emotions like anger or even annoyance without those feelings stemming from "fear and guilt"? The premise of this book is beyond shallow and racist. Are you not guilty yourself of racism? I guess now is when you start calling me schoolyard names...

Shelli Well, that pretty much sums up why we need books like this.

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Why is the term 'White Fragility' is not equally as offensive and unjust as a coloured person being accused of 'playing the race card' or 'victim card?' The defensive moves include: 'anger, fear, guilt, argumentation and silence (The whimsical contradiction of the last two is staggering) What is your average, non-racist white person to do when they are accused of being racist? I'm not white nor am I black.

Abi Inman If you read the book, she answers this question! Here's an edited explanation from another question:

One of the first things DiAngelo addresses in the …moreIf you read the book, she answers this question! Here's an edited explanation from another question:

One of the first things DiAngelo addresses in the book is that she's using the term "racist" the way the scholarly community around race issues uses it, not the way it's used colloquially. Being racist is not the same as making an assumption about someone based on race. Racism is only racism when it has institutional power behind it. When pointing out the defense systems of white people, DiAngelo a) is not having any effect on their safety or success and b) is not coming at them from an uneven place of institutional power. Therefore she is not being racist. You could say she's making an assumption about you based on your race, and that's certainly true! But the assumption she's making about your socialized habits could not be more different from the centuries of entrenched degradation, violence, and exploitation of people of color.

You should try giving the book a read! I can't explain this nearly as articulately as DiAngelo does, but I really think it would clear up this question for you.(less)

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I've seen the 6-min clip of hers going viral on FB, but before purchasing the book, I want to know does it simply keep reiterating that *all* white people *are* unconsciously racist, or does she actually give concrete examples of our racism, and more importantly, *solutions* in the book?

craige Yes, she gives a lot of examples, including ones from her own life as someone who has worked for years in the field of racial justice and who is still…moreYes, she gives a lot of examples, including ones from her own life as someone who has worked for years in the field of racial justice and who is still learning. It was eye-opening to me to learn from her about all the ways that I as a white person have ingrained views about people of color. It's impossible to not have such views because of the way that POC are portrayed in movies, the way we off-handedly refer to neighborhoods with more POC as "urban" or worse, "sketchy," etc.

The solution, if it can be called that, since I think it can't be tied up neatly in a bow, is that we as white people work on being open to receiving feedback from POC and trying to do better next time. Unfortunately, the author reports that many POC have told her that they have been burned too many times with trying to give whites feedback and so have stopped doing it. (less)

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It's always the white man's fault isn't it?

delanda morris This question is the exact reason DiAngelo wrote this book. Defensiveness coming from a person of social power is mute. You are not hurt, threatened, …moreThis question is the exact reason DiAngelo wrote this book. Defensiveness coming from a person of social power is mute. You are not hurt, threatened, or compromised by the current social structure; it serves you. What DiAngelo is saying is because of the social power attached to being white (especially a white male), you have a responsibility in the cultural quest toward true equality and tolerance. As she says (sans verbatim), "White people hold all the keys, stand at every doorway and guard every entrance... it's not that women got the right to vote or blacks earned their space in baseball, its white men let women vote and allowed blacks to play baseball." Defensiveness removes responsibility, maintains the status quo, and stifles progress.(less)

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Has anyone heard feedback from People of Color, particularly the Black and Latinx community, about this book? Just interested in hearing their perspective. Did a few scans through the reviews, and at first glance it seems many of the positive reviews are from white people. Not saying that these aren't relevant, just wondering what POCs think as well. It would help put this book into a broader perspective.

Shacoria Just want to say, having read the book, it's more so directed at and addressed to white people than non-white people. Like, once you read the book, it…moreJust want to say, having read the book, it's more so directed at and addressed to white people than non-white people. Like, once you read the book, it's very clear that it was written with white readers in mind. It's not a bad thing, as I think the whole point of the book is to help them understand and make better choices, but I think that might be why you don't see many reviews from non-white people. I liked the book myself. A lot of the things she describes as far as the white response to being called out is very accurate and something that most non-white people have seen first hand. (less)

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