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

[Ptarmigan]

More White Liberal Guilt at DU. 
http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=6971560

Zenlitened (9,453 posts)

White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard to Talk to White People About Racism [View all]

Last edited Tue Jul 14, 2015, 02:37 PM - Edit history (1)
 (Note: The author of the article excerpted below originated the term "white frailty."* She is white, as am I.

What prompted me to post this? The inevitable -- and exasperating -- defensive reaction from some replies to KamaAina's OP on Serena Williams and white tears,
http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=6969528 

Also: The title of the article says "racism." I'd argue it might be better to say "race," period. Because way too many of us just can't handle it AT ALL when the topic comes up. It's ridiculous.)

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

APRIL 9, 2015 BY DR. ROBIN DIANGELO

...Our socialization renders us racially illiterate. When you add a lack of humility to that illiteracy (because we don’t know what we don’t know), you get the break-down we so often see when trying to engage white people in meaningful conversations about race...

...Most whites have a very limited understanding of racism because we have not been trained to think in complex ways about it and because it benefits white dominance not to do so. Yet, we have no compunction about debating the knowledge of people who have thought complexly about race. Whites generally feel free to dismiss these informed perspectives rather than have the humility to acknowledge that they are unfamiliar, reflect on them further, or seek more information...

...The antidote to white fragility is on-going and life-long, and includes sustained engagement, humility, and education.


I say give it a try. Costs us nothing, really. And it's actually pretty painless, only stings for a little while.

Link:
http://goodmenproject.com/featured-content/white-fragility-why-its-so-hard-to-talk-to-white-people-about-racism-twlm/

*Edit: I don't know why I typed "frailty" there, meant "fragility" as Dr. Diangelo said. Sorry.

jtuck004 (11,934 posts)
19. "people in this world who are more interested in stirring up racial animosity" < Mostly white ones.

 

Interesting, that.

Perhaps the next generation will be better, though.

How about Al Sharpton?

Spitfire of ATJ (23,778 posts)
17. Some whites act like you're projecting onto them the entire history of racism and get angry....

Others act like they're doing everyone a favor by not being racist.

Others act like discussing it is DANGEROUS because it "stirs them up".

Some will get in my face over this post.

taught_me_patience (4,533 posts)
123. Blatant denial of institutional racism right here on DU

Hard to solve problems with people deny that it even exists.

DU is the most racist place. 

[DLR Pyro]

You gotta be kidding me. Almost every conversation a liberal has about racism is on the premise of white privilege and how whites are racist by nature and then they go and accuse whites of being fragile on the subject. Liberal logic at its worse

[Mr Mannn]

Spitfire of ATJ (23,778 posts)
17. Some whites act like you're projecting onto them the entire history of racism and get angry....

Others act like they're doing everyone a favor by not being racist.

If they are not being racist...whats your problem.
and yes, we ARE doing every one a favor by not being racist.

...The antidote to white fragility is on-going and life-long, and includes sustained engagement, humility, and education.

so enlightenment is a never ending guilt trip shoved down our throats.
Sorry, Its much easier to embrace my white privilege.

[thundley4]

As long as liberals continue to believe that only whites can be racists, then there can never be an open discussion on racism.

As long as liberals continue to blame whites for all the problems that blacks face, there can never be and open discussion on racism.

As long as liberals are unwilling to hold their own policies responsible for many of the problems facing blacks, there can never be an open discussion about race.

As long as liberals and blacks are unwilling to hold black culture accountable for anything, there can never be an open discussion about race.

Um, we're never gonna be able to have an open and honest discussion about race.

[Maverick1987]

There will NEVER be a meaningful conversation regarding race on DU.  Ever. Most of the (supposed) "AfAm" members posting are only there to game the white-guilt-addled primitives and anyone who doesn't show complete deference.  It's just sport.

[txradioguy]

I'll tell you one reason from personal experience...because the black community has been indoctrinated so completely with revisionist history on what really went down during the 60's...who the true racists were and continue to be that they just shut down and refuse to hear anything when you try to debate the facts of the issue.

They just revert to "la la la la I'm a victim I can't hear you".

[SVPete]

You gotta be kidding me. Almost every conversation a liberal has about racism is on the premise of white privilege and how whites are racist by nature and then they go and accuse whites of being fragile on the subject. Liberal logic at its worse

H-5 earned and given! Well and concisely said!

Spitfire of ATJ (23,778 posts)
17. Some whites act like you're projecting onto them the entire history of racism and get angry....

Others act like they're doing everyone a favor by not being racist.

As Pyro stated, the former is exactly what Libs, Progs, and other miscellaneous race-baiters have been doing for decades. Only their stridency has changed, increasing gradually over those decades.

As to the latter statement, I'll sort of agree with its premise: not being a racist is not a particularly high standard. Just as not being a murderer, thief, rapist, kidnapper, fraud artist, etc. is not a particularly high standard. But guess what? I've never seen not being racist as a favor to anyone, and wouldn't think of acting that way. I just want to be an increasingly decent guy, without (self-hating?) racist fools like SoATJ projecting their fantasy view of "white" Americans on me and my family!

[SVPete]

As long as liberals continue to believe that only whites can be racists, then there can never be an open discussion on racism.

As long as liberals continue to blame whites for all the problems that blacks face, there can never be and open discussion on racism.

As long as liberals are unwilling to hold their own policies responsible for many of the problems facing blacks, there can never be an open discussion about race.

As long as liberals and blacks are unwilling to hold black culture accountable for anything, there can never be an open discussion about race.

Um, we're never gonna be able to have an open and honest discussion about race.

H-5 earned and given! Well said.

Blaming others for one's own faults is as old as humanity:

Adam: That woman You gave me made me do it!

Eve: That snake of Yours made me do it!

[JohnnyReb]

Watched a bit on PBS last night about the great black out of New York years ago. They explained the cause and difficulty of getting the power back on. I'm sure they didn't mean for me to ...uh...read between the lines, so to speak. They showed white people in bars drinking and singing by emergency lighting while the blacks were in the street robbing, looting, burning.

If whites have white privilege, why don't the whites get first choice of the goods when the looting starts?

[DLR Pyro]

Watched a bit on PBS last night about the great black out of New York years ago. They explained the cause and difficulty of getting the power back on. I'm sure they didn't mean for me to ...uh...read between the lines, so to speak. They showed white people in bars drinking and singing by emergency lighting while the blacks were in the street robbing, looting, burning.

If whites have white privilege, why don't the whites get first choice of the goods when the looting starts?

I'm feeling very fragile about your use of the term "black out" to describe a power outage.  Can you please use a term that makes me feel less vulnerable?

[Big Dog]

Watched a bit on PBS last night about the great black out of New York years ago. They explained the cause and difficulty of getting the power back on. I'm sure they didn't mean for me to ...uh...read between the lines, so to speak. They showed white people in bars drinking and singing by emergency lighting while the blacks were in the street robbing, looting, burning.

If whites have white privilege, why don't the whites get first choice of the goods when the looting starts?

The answer is obvious, Johnny. We eeeeevil honkies do our 'looting' from 9-5, so the blackout (RACIST!!!!!!) Is breaktime.

[JohnnyReb]

I'm feeling very fragile about your use of the term "black out" to describe a power outage.  Can you please use a term that makes me feel less vulnerable?

Was that more micro/macro aggression by my white self?

[USA4ME]

When I do have a conversation about race, I do it with people of all races that I know or have met, and I do it face-to-face where we can have meaningful dialogue. Having it with a bunch of militant kooks on Skin's island is a waste of time because their only reason to want to discuss it would be to try and twist your words and have you banned. It's a game with them.

.

[Movie buff- The Sequel]

" Yet, we have no compunction about debating the knowledge of people who have thought complexly about race."
"Complexly" here means "Obsessively," and also "In a way in which all white people are directly blamed for all of society's ills.'

[Wineslob]

Ok my "white privilege" allowed me to get a job, after having the old one vanish, for $3/hr less than I was making and now I'm stuck on Graveyard shift................indefinitely.

Ok, got it, you ****ing tools.

KMA   

[landofconfusion80]

We must atone for our white skin. We must apologize for slaves we never owned. We must ignore black crime. There is no black racism.

[98ZJUSMC]

As long as liberals continue to believe that only whites can be racists, then there can never be an open discussion on racism.

As long as liberals continue to blame whites for all the problems that blacks face, there can never be and open discussion on racism.

As long as liberals are unwilling to hold their own policies responsible for many of the problems facing blacks, there can never be an open discussion about race.

As long as liberals and blacks are unwilling to hold black culture accountable for anything, there can never be an open discussion about race.

Um, we're never gonna be able to have an open and honest discussion about race.

 

[SVPete]

[Satiric Truth]

Some tips for Libs/Progs when "Talking to White People About Racism":

* Learn something about the other person(s), don't assume they are racists;

* Don't belabor people for something they aren't and don't do;

* A lecture isn't a discussion; listen as much as you speak

[/Satiric Truth]

All that used to be common sense, but I suppose that nowadays it's "racism" and "white privilege" (as if "common sense" is something blacks have never had!).

[BlueStateSaint]

[Satiric Truth]

Some tips for Libs/Progs when "Talking to White People About Racism":

* Learn something about the other person(s), don't assume they are racists;

* Don't belabor people for something they aren't and don't do;

* A lecture isn't a discussion; listen as much as you speak

[/Satiric Truth]

All that used to be common sense, but I suppose that nowadays it's "racism" and "white privilege" (as if "common sense" is something blacks have never had!).

Pete, "common sense" is the least common commodity on the Earth.

[SVPete]

Pete, "common sense" is the least common commodity on the Earth.

It may be a minor quibble, but I'd say that common sense has become the least common commodity on Earth. I suppose, though, that recognizing how it became uncommon could point to a path to where common sense could once again become common.