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

A. Definition:

White Fragility is simply defined as the feeling of discomfort or racial stress when a white

person is questioned about racism.

White people consider racism meaningless and hence makes it difficult to have a conversation

that entails racism. Racism has always been present in the United States beginning from

colonialism where the people of color were treated as less human. Racism is not likely to reduce

since the white people are not willing learn how racism can be prevented. We should be against

racism and be aware of how racist acts are committed

Social scientist refer racism as a system that distribute resources unequally among racial group.

White highly benefit from these resources and the people of color are disadvantaged. Some white

may not be racist but they still get these benefits provided by them by their group. Do you think

these kind of treatments is right? We should make a change because these are unfair treatment to

people of color.

The white are protected and isolated from race-based stress. This is one of the reason that makes

the white unaware of what is really meant by racism. They should be exposed to the racist

environment so that they can be aware of the nature and acts of committing racism.

The white people should develop racial stamina through having direct relationships with people

of color and engaging in conversations about race. These will help the white people in managing

their racial stressors rather than ignoring them. These engagement can be significant in breaking

the pattern of fragile behavior and acts related to race.

There are challenges that triggers racial stress;

 When a person of color claims that a white person’s views are racist

 When people of color talk about their experiences and perspectives on race

 When a person of color does not protect the white person’s feelings regarding racism

 When two white person not agree with one another on perspectives of racism

 When a white person is presented to a person of color in a position of leadership;

challenges their authority

Mostly when the white people are encounter these challenges they become emotionally

disturbed. They either cry, get angry, ignore, defend or argue.

B. Reason that makes it harder for the white to understand racism which leads to

white fragility;

Segregation

The white are isolated from racial environment. They live and grow in a neighborhood that is

populated with white people. The neighbors are white and the school they go, the highest

population is white. They lack the inherent value of people of color which makes them unaware

of racism. In the future, they will not understand racism due to the identity and worldviews they

were shaped when growing up.

The good/bad/binary

There is a concept that we believe that those who practice racism are bad people and those that

do not commit are good people. We focus on those individuals who have committed racist and
we forget that, these individuals are part of the larger system. The larger system should be

challenged so that there are no more individuals practicing racism.

Individualism

The whites are taught to present themselves individually but not as a specific racial group. This

act is hypocritical since disconnects them from the history and actions of their group. Hence,

they are emotionally triggered when questioned or accused of racism. They think they are

different from the rest of the whites and should be treated individually but not as a group.

Entitled to racial comfort

The white lives in a social environment which is protected and free from race-based stress which

makes them racially comfortable. When their comfort is challenged they feel as if they are

threated. This makes them to be angered, exclude themselves to those who have challenges them;

the people of color. Hence white fragility.

Racial Belonging

The whites have been considered as superiors than people of color. In the United States the

whites have a sense of racial belonging and when the racial belonging is interrupted the whites

are frightened and their emotions are triggered.

Psychic freedom

The whites feel that they do not have to carry the burden of racism since it is not affecting them

in any way. The people of color should handle their problem by themselves. This is one of the

reason the white dislike being questioned on race. This perspective prevents race to be addressed
in the right way. People need to work together to end racism. Let race be a personal problem to

every individual either white or people of color.

C. Ways of reducing white fragility

 Accept the feeling of discomfort when comforted on issues based on racism, this will

have a great impact since the white will have the knowledge of racism and they will

develop ways of reducing racism.

 Challenging the white racial reality and making corrections where necessary and

understanding other racial perspectives

 Trying to understand the racial perspective of people of color through interacting with

people of color and get a better understanding of racism.

 Challenging the larger system through addressing our own racism and that of others,

which happens in institutions, neighborhoods and community at large.

D. My Thoughts

The whites should humble themselves and reduce the white fragility since it offers a white

supremacist society that they have been building brick by brick. It is the highest time for the

white people to willingly take steps in their own lives to end the white supremacy and racist

structures that persist. If racism was to dismantle, many lives would be saved and equality would

be served among all racial groups. People must learn that every life matters. It’s our

responsibility to fix racism and make our society a better place for every individual.