Why It's So Hard to Talk to White People About Racism by Jinx Payne

What the Post is About

zoetpayne2_ — 2024-03-07 01:42:32 UTC

This post talks about Robin DiAngelo's take on why White people "implode" when the discussion of race comes up. There are many things like:

Suggesting a white person's view comes from a racialized frame of reference (challenge to objectivity)

People of color not willing to share stories about their racial experiences (challenging the expectation that POC will serve.

Receiving feedback that one's behavior had a racist impact (Challenge to white racial impact)

There are many other ways listed in this article that confirm white fragility. He also speaks about the many ways that this type of thinking and living is enforced. However, he also offers a few ideas about ways to work against white fragility.

My Thoughts

zoetpayne2_ — 2024-03-07 05:08:49 UTC

This article really surprised me. While I could never personally identify all the expectations of white people, all of the examples he listed made sense, mostly because I myself had been part of the problem. Mostly in middle school, I denied having discussions about race due to them being too uncomfortable. In high school, I was surprised when I was met with resistance when asking about racial stories. My intent was to better understand but in reality, I was asking a POC to educate me, which is not their job. I have made these mistakes, but I think its important that I learn from them.

What I Learned

zoetpayne2_ — 2024-03-07 05:23:42 UTC

I learned a lot of terms in this article. DiAngelo speaks a lot about how white fragility and the idea of superiority were put into place and reinforced. Things like the Good/Bad Binary (If we are not aware of our racism then we simply aren't racist), Individualism (White people seeing themselves as individuals and "different" from the white group), and Psychic Freedom (Whites don't bear the social burdens of race). I don't think I was ever aware of these things. It makes me remember how important education is on these types of topics. We cannot change ourselves and other's mindsets without education. It makes me wonder if people who want to stop education on these topics do so to keep white superiority. Whether Racism is conscious or unconscious, there is still work to be done.

Wrap up

zoetpayne2_ — 2024-03-07 05:29:54 UTC

This article gave me a lot to think about. It challenged a lot of racial beliefs I personally held. It was like a cold glass of water to the face. I do think DiAngelo is right. He has named everything about white fragility. I do think I will be considering this article for a long time.

Citation

zoetpayne2_ — 2024-03-07 05:35:58 UTC

DiAngelo, R. (2017, December 7). Why it’s so hard to talk to white people about racism. HuffPost. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/why-its-so-hard-to-talk-to-white-people-about-racism_b_7183710

Description

zoetpayne2_ — 2024-03-07 05:41:50 UTC

I read Robin DiAngelo's post on "Why It's So Hard to Talk to White People About Racism". I read the article a few times before writing anything. I considered how it made me feel, what I learned, and what I agreed on. This post is very much related to our discussions in class on race.