White Fragility - DiAngelo - Blog Post #8

In each of this weeks readings, there were so many interesting ideas, viewpoints, and concepts discussed it was difficult to choose what to write about.  But, in the Robin DiAngelo reading there was a lot of information I found to be really compelling.  This reading is focused around the concept of White Fragility which DiAngelo describes as being "a state in which even a minimum amount of racial stress becomes intolerable, triggering a range of defensive moves," (DiAngelo 57).  There are multiple factors mentioned in relation to White Fragility which include segregation, universalism and individualism, entitlement to racial comfort, racial arrogance, racial belonging, and psychic freedom.  

In the section of psychic freedom, the idea that whites do not bear the same social burden of race as a result of different factors is brought up.  This stood out to me because I feel like the example given in the statement "I grew up in an all-white neighborhood so I didn't learn anything about racism," (DiAngelo 62) is something that we hear so many people say or use as an excuse.  Many white people will speak statements similar to the one given when the topic of racism is brought up.  I have even heard many of my own friends speak this way and it has always bothered me a little bit.  Just because an individual may have grown up in a predominately white area does not mean that they had an excuse to not discuss racism or not to learn about it.  It is an interesting dynamic to look at because on the other hand, when white people bring up the topic of race, it is often deemed unacceptable or that they would have been better off ignoring it.  This dynamic is interesting to look at because there is such a delicate balance when speaking about race and racism between speaking your thoughts, using (or not using) your own experience to make statements, and the viewpoint of who can or cannot speak about race.

There was another section of this reading at the beginning that mentioned the requirement for many students in college to take a single multicultural education course.  The U of M has similar requirements and the smaller colleges within the school have them as well.  I personally have really learned a lot through taking and participating in these courses, one in particular being my diversity in the workplace course I took last semester.  I think it is incredibly important for students to learn and fully engage in these courses because we are the ones who can use what we learn and try to make a change.  The singular requirement oftentimes is not enough to give you proper information, we as students can take it upon ourselves to continue the discussion through the multitude of courses offered. 

Sources:

DiAngelo, Robin. “White Fragility .” International Journal of Critical Pedagogy, vol. 3, no. 3, 2011, pp. 54–70.