Publisher's Synopsis
Does talking about racism make your uncomfortable?
NOTE TO READERS: This is a fan-based summary and analysis of White Fragility: Why it's so Hard for White People To Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo. This is meant to enhance your original reading experience, not supplement it. We strongly encourage you to purchase DiAngelo's original text here: https: //amzn.to/2Qi42TA
Get ready to take a long, hard look in the mirror.
Robin DiAngelo wrote this book to deconstruct the notion of racism in America today. She proposes that racism is not isolated incidences of violence perpetrated by white nationalist racists, but rather an entrenched societal condition in America used to oppress people of color to this day.
White Fragility is the term she uses to explain why white Americans have such a hard time admitting that we hold pre-programmed racial biases. Just the suggestion that we participate in systems of discrimination is enough to make us defensive, reactive, and angry. DiAngelo argues that we need to confront and work through this discomfort to exact any real, lasting change in our society.
At its core, DiAngelo's statement is this:
As white people born into white households in America, we begin our socialization in racial matters on day 1. Regardless of words talked at us about racial tolerance, we absorb instead the lessons we see through actions, school, the media, etc. We absorb the values we see reflected in the world around us. The world around us, fifty years after the Civil Rights Movement, is still one in which white people experience institutionalized privilege and people of color are systematically victimized, disregarded, and feared.
DiAngelo dismantles all your defensive white arguments. She says it is just not possible to be free from prejudice. It is by denying prejudice, discrimination, and societal racism that we permit that racism to be perpetuated. We have to sit with our white fragility, work through the discomfort, and try to make progress in the discourse of race. DiAngelo challenges that if you are not actively engaged in the racial discourse, you are a part of the problem. Refusal to shine a light on the experience of people of color in our country is what perpetuates the dark places we don't want to acknowledge.
In this detailed summary and analysis, you'll enjoy informative sections like:
A thorough explanation of the key points in White Fragility.
- A chapter-by-chapter analysis of DiAngelo's work.
- Interesting information about the author himself.
- Discussion Questions to induce critical thinking.
