Abi Inman answers “Why is the term 'White Fragility' is not...”

A Goodreads user asked this question about White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism:

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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