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

by Robin DiAngelo

White people are the saviors of black people. • Some black children may be innocent, but black adults are morally and criminally corrupt. • Whites who are willing to save or otherwise help black people, at seemingly great personal cost, are noble, courageous, and morally superior to other whites. • Individual black people can overcome their circumstances, but usually only with the help of white people. • Black neighborhoods are inherently dangerous and criminal. • Virtually all blacks are poor, incompetent, and unqualified for their jobs; they belong to gangs, are addicted to drugs, and are bad parents. • The most dependable route for black males to escape the “inner city” is through sports. • White people are willing to deal with individual “deserving” black people, but whites do not become a part of the black community in any meaningful way (beyond charity work).