4 In this sense, habitus is created and reproduced “without any deliberate pursuit of coherence . . . without any conscious concentration.”5 In the rare situation in which the white position is challenged, disequilibrium results. Thus, white fragility is a state in which even a minimum amount of racial stress in the habitus becomes intolerable, triggering a range of defensive moves. These moves include the outward display of emotions such as anger, fear, and guilt and behaviors such as argumentation, silence, and leaving the stress-inducing situation. These behaviors, in turn, reinstate white
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