One is racist unless one consciously does the hard work to not be

I finished the book White Fragility, Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo. The author is a white woman who does training in race relations, so the book is an extension of her work. This is some of what is discussed in the book. American society (well, European colonial societies and all the culture they export to the world) is steeped in white supremacy. The idea that whites are supposed to be placed above every other people comes through clearly in thousands of messages a day. Yes, some are quite subtle. The idea is so suffused through our culture that everyone learns it. We learn it so thoroughly that we think all those messages are normal, the way things are supposed to be. Along with that is the idea that racism not to be talked about. And if anyone tries to talk about it there are plenty of ways to shut down the conversation. We learn those too. Only white people can be racist because only white people have the laws and culture to enforce it. White people have political, economic, legal, and social rights a privileges denied to people who are not white. An example is education. Were you raised in a segregated school? Nearly all Americans are. How many of your teachers were a different race than you? What grade were you in when your teacher was of a different race? What do you think of when hear the term a “bad” school? If you went to an integrated school who was bused in and out and who lived locally? From my own life, all the way through elementary, middle school, high school, college, and graduate school none of my teachers were non white. That is a message right there, though I didn’t recognize it at the time. Claiming that you see the person and not the color of the skin is a way to claim you aren’t racist. Does the non white person hearing that greet it with joy? The claim means you aren’t dealing with all the racist assumptions you’ve been taught all your life. White people are very good at calling racism by many other names. A neighborhood isn’t “black,” it is “bad” or “urban.” Our workplace is all white because black people don’t apply, not because the hiring process is racist. The concept of white privilege has a lot more dimensions than I had thought. For example, a white person can go almost anywhere and feel they belong there. Most novels, movies, and TV shows are about white people. White people can go into stores and they will find products for them. Other white people will support their supremacy. When reading history white people will read mostly about white people. White people don’t have to deal with race and racism. When white people are arrested for crimes it is seen to be a problem of the individual and not of their race. White people believe that they can’t be racist because racists are “bad” people (insert a heap of stereotypes) and they’re “good” people. They can do this because of the belief that racism is made up of conscious and isolated acts, and not systemic of the society and culture. But it is a false dichotomy. In a culture so steeped in racism and where everyone has a white frame of reference, one is racist unless one consciously goes through the hard work to not be. There are also plenty of ways people claim they can’t be racist. Some examples: I was taught to not be racist. I grew up poor, so I can’t be racist. Focusing on race divides us. I lived in a diverse neighborhood. I lived in Japan, so I know what it’s like to be a minority. Instead of focusing on whether those statements are true, focus on what they do to the conversation. They almost always stop the discussion, which protects racism. Back to that statement, “Focusing on race divides us.” It usually appears when someone actually names white supremacy. It isn’t the racism, it’s the naming of racism. That is seen as the problem because it breaks the pretense white people hold that there is no racism. The author discussed the movie The Blind Side in which a young black man was rescued by a white family and went on to become a player in the NFL. It was hugely popular and Sandra Bullock won an Oscar for her role. White people loved it. However, the author lists all the racist black stereotypes in the film with the biggest being that a black man needs a white savior. On to “white fragility.” Since being white is seen as normal, yet is so full of privilege, white people expect to feel comfortable everywhere in their world. When they are challenged in their racism they become uncomfortable and that’s supposed to be not allowed. When they are uncomfortable they strike back at what caused that feeling. That conveniently turns the conversation from the racism the non white person is experiencing to the distress the white person is feeling. And white superiority is maintained. In the author’s work of diversity and racism training she has seen that many times. As long as she’s talking generalities white people are fine. As soon as she says something like: that little thing you did or said is actually racist, white people claim they’ve been attacked. The one receiving the correction and all the other white people there usually leave, not to continue with the training. So what can one do? Simply be open to correction and feedback from a non white person. Then act on it. That is difficult for a couple reasons. First, the white person has to overcome a lifetime of messages that claim they’re superior. Second, non white people are so used to the attacks that come from white fragility they won’t offer that feedback unless they know they can trust the white person to receive it. The author wrote racism is so pervasive she expects she’ll need that feedback the rest of her life. I highly recommend this book. It does an excellent job of explaining white superiority and racism. So get it and read it – and act on it.