Preview

Summary Of White Fragility By Diangelo

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
516 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Summary Of White Fragility By Diangelo
I believe the article and the video were very interesting and they both made me realize certain things about racism that have gone unnoticed. In White Fragility, DiAngelo discusses the negative behaviors of whites when there is any racial tension, or any mention of racism. I have never experienced or witnessed any of these behaviors by white people because I have never had a deep conversation with anyone about the topic. I am aware of how whites have more privilege over people of color, but there were some aspects of this material that surprised me. Watching and reading facts of how it is to be white or how society structures racism. This social structure, leads to what is called white fragility.

To me, white fragility means that there is negative behavior portrayed by white people when there is any hint of racism or racial injustice discussed. I believe this issue can most definitely be combated, although I also believe that it will take many years to accomplish. I think it can be combated by teaching children at a young age, no matter their color, how our society functions as different races have privilege or power over others. Since we are conditioned to be a certain way starting at birth, this could potentially condition the younger generations of how society truly is, therefore altering the path of which racism and prejudice lingers. White fragility should clearly be combated
…show more content…
Wise says this to point out how people of white skin color are more privileged because that is how our society works. The issues of race do not just stop at these examples, other issues like employment or even criminal history are race-related as well. The film states, "College-educated African Americans are nearly twice as likely as college-educated whites to be unemployed" (White Like Me). Both the film, and the article had aspects to them that stood out to

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    The video was very insightful with information that pertained to race. Even though the title of the video included the word diversity I was not expecting it to be based solely on race. I did believe that the way they explained race is very important the conversation between the two women weren’t awkward when they spoke about race, which is known to be a delicate topic. I did like that both of the women…

    • 645 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    During this video, I became more and more frustrated. I have briefly understood what white privilege was growing up, but I had never heard it in this detail before. I could not believe that this was how this came about. I was shocked to find out that it started only briefly slavery came about. I thought that once the African Americans came here to the…

    • 889 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Children are the future and in order to prevent the constant racism and talk of privilege, children should be taught the very ideals of equality and treating everyone the same regardless of skin tone. Although white attitudes on racial policies that would create positive change often remain negative, and many students continue to talk about race in schools and practice colorblind racism, not all students remain ignorant of racism. In order for more of this change in attitude to happen, though, there must be an opportunity for interaction with diverse peers. Intergroup dialogues often introduce white participants to concepts of racism and white privilege as well as the life experiences of people of other races. This introduction may serve as the agent of change in whites attitudes on racial systems in the United…

    • 652 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In America, the racial divide between whites and blacks is quickly growing. To fully understand racism, it is necessary to look at how power in the hands of white people has consequently led to oppression and racism towards people of color. Many people, particularly whites, believe that racism stemmed from physical differences between whites and people of color; however, if one truly examines racial differences they will see that these so called “differences” are more social than physical. For centuries, white people have held specific biases and prejudices against people of color, claiming that they were inferior to whites. This notion of subordination began because the white men held the highest form of power one can hold; the power of…

    • 735 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Tim Wise had a different childhood than most, he was raised by the phrase "Race matters." As a pre-schooler he was sent to a mostly black school and learned to respect black authority figures. This resulted in him being more racially aware while growing up. His main argument was that racial inequality still exists today. As he went through college, he became very involved in a group that advocated for better rights for people in Africa. Several weeks later, he was asked what he had done to address racism in his own city, New Orleans. He then realized he hadn't done anything in his own town. He began working for the next twenty years to advocate for racial equality still exists. The argument is made that white people are blind to their advantages and privileges. According to Wise, white privileges is built into our system and has helped us without us knowing. White people in the US have had many more privileges compared to people of color, it's just built into the foundation of our…

    • 1671 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Watching these events unfold visually compelled me in way I never quite had been before from an emotional standpoint- the social implications of these events are so much graver and severe than I had even thought previously. As the documentary noted in the third act, racism is so deeply rooted in American soil that one born here or moving here after the most blatant forms of racism have vanished (segregation) finds themselves unwittingly fitting into racialized society. Without viewing films like these and having the kinds of discussions we do in class about institutionalized racism, it is rather easy to accept it as normal having grown up from a place of privilege.…

    • 875 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    race in america

    • 1284 Words
    • 6 Pages

    At the turn of the last century, WEB Dubois wrote, “The problem of the twentieth century is the problem of the color-line, --the relation of the darker to the lighter races of men in Asia and Africa, in America and the islands of the sea. Every study has come to the same conclusion that biologically, there are no 'races', yet the social construction of race as a category is alive and well today. The classification system, which radicalized different groups - typifying them according to their skin color and/or other defining features has a long history. With the advent of colonialism, racism underpinned the different and negative valuations attached to skin color. The racism of today is much more subtle and is no longer the blatant discrimination based on the color or your skin. It exists within the institutions of our society. It is the combination of government, corporate and media institutional racism that is largely responsible for the inequities of today. Unfortunately, these divisions impact the way in which we live our life and how we advance socially. Race has always been a complicated subject and is inevitable. Although we have made tremendous strides to dismantle the foundations of racism, it is clear and evident that racism still persists within the institutions of our society.…

    • 1284 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Whites, in most cases, are blind to the racism still in the world. Most are more than aware of the old forms of racism (enslavement, legal segregation, lynching, etc.), but are blind to the modern forms (victim-blaming, contact avoidance, denial of cultural differences, etc.) (Blumenfeld, 2015). It seems that, while whites are unknowingly enjoying the privileges given to them at birth, they are also unknowingly learning inherent, hidden racism. Society as a whole is inundated with hidden accusations towards blacks, surreptitiously painting them as violent criminals. White children are sometimes warned to stay away from blacks, and are thus taught from an early age that people of color are not to be associated with and are either dangerous, lesser, or in some cases both. Most whites are sheltered in the fact that they cannot see past their advantages to see the disadvantages of not only blacks, but people of all colored nationalities, all of whom are victim of a society riddled with subliminal…

    • 712 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    In the United States, the inequality of many different types of races and genders is very clear. Many people are treated unjustly whether it's from the police, the judicial system, or society itself. A lot of people are prejudiced towards others because of their appearance, skin tone, or who they are and it's a very serious problem. The media that we have today is arguably being used as a tool to make certain groups of people look inferior to others. Many people feel this way because of events that have happened in the last few years across the country from Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown repeatedly being depicted as thugs in the news to racist advertisements in the 1900s. Black masculinity is being manipulated by the media to fit a certain…

    • 1263 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    For this assignment I chose to reflect on the interview from “The Whiteness Project” by a 17 year-old girl named Leilani whose interview is titled “Stop talking about racism, just stop.” I chose to write about what she said because it really does reflect almost exactly what I feel about the topic of racism and “Whiteness” and everything related to the topic. In her interview, Leilani talks about how she feels that if people would just stop talking about race and making it such a big issue, then it would become less of a big issue and essentially less problems would arise from it. Although I am aware that race issues are real and that in the past they have had some very serious consequences, I have to admit that I agree that we, as a culture in the U.S., may have swung to the other side of the scale to…

    • 1137 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Beverly Daniel Tatum’s Defining Racism was interesting to read because she uses her own experiences with race to define what it is within the United States. She talks about how we are unaware of racism and prejudice and its existence in society and our culture. I did not grow up on being racist or prejudice, as a child I had no idea that there was any short of racial issue going on. By definition my parents were anti- racism, they taught me to treat others the way I would want to be…

    • 885 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    White Privilege Thesis

    • 1345 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Each and every single white person in western society, regardless of class, gender, or sexual orientation, benefits from institutional racism. This unfortunate truth is due to a concept known as white privilege. White privilege is an innately invisible aspect of life that grants white people certain advantages in life that are not given to people of color. Often seemingly innocuous details many would not consider important, white privilege elevates one race above the rest through societal catering to said race. This societal privilege specifically discriminates against people of color, leading to a racial imbalance and unfairness that has been historically present dating back to well before the colonization of the hemisphere.…

    • 1345 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    I learned many new things from this video. I learned that many people died in the black’s non-violent revolution for freedom and rights. I also learned that most African Americans were paid an average of only about $700. African Americans were denied education at all white schools, and were only allowed a less than average education at black schools. Under the Supreme Court ruling in Brown vs. Board of Education, a number of African American Honors students integrated Little Rock Central High School in 1957. Every day they had to endure abuse from a huge angry mob that protested integration and wanted segregation. I feel that I would not have been able to put up with all that abuse. Those nine students that integrated Central High had great determination and never gave up hope. I also learned that it was a very long and hard struggle for all blacks during the Civil Rights Movement. The KKK terrorized blacks and killed them. Many African Americans were killed before they won the rights that they deserve. I was very proud of all the African Americans that participated in things like the Montgomery bus boycott because it showed that they weren’t afraid of standing up for themselves. I felt joyful that they always had the courage to stay non-violent, because if they turned to violence, the situation would not have turned out the same way. Now I will do anything that I can to eliminate discrimination of anyone because it is a very serious and destructive…

    • 263 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    My Caucus Group Analysis

    • 641 Words
    • 3 Pages

    This really stood out to me because I hear many white people say that they are aware of the things that happen to minorities and that they support us. However, just knowing does not encourage change. It takes the next step of teaching others like yourself about the situation, so that there are more knowledgeable people. Something that really stayed with me throughout the conversation was when we talked about minorities helping to teach the majority. This made me feel even more oppressed because I feel like minorities are always held responsible for teaching others about race. It should not be our jobs to teach to people how to treat others. I think this fact was hinted at a little in the article Were not all like that. I feel like white people have the go to phrase of saying that they are not all racist, which is true. However, if the vast majority of a race act a certain way, it is sometimes hard to notice the good over the bad. I think I really connected to the part where the author states, it's not about you, stop making it about you. Many white people say this alot. However, they do not experience the racist systems in America on a daily. This is why it is important to realize the white privilege they hold. I think that the article hints a lot on the issues, but I really want the majority to step the next step to help teach others. I feel like this contributes to how minorities are treated institution wise. Most of the time, it is a white person who make rules and curriculum for all races. That is the problem at hand, it is impossible to make a campus or institution feel inclusive if the person who is making the rules don't truly understand the problem at hand, nor the experiences on an everyday…

    • 641 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Colorblindness

    • 764 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Since power and privilege predominantly lies in the hands of middle to upper class white folks, this ‘white privilege’ will not change if we decide to ignore the issue of race and racism. Since whites typically have the power, their point of view (which may be racism against blacks and other minorities) will continue to hold its place.…

    • 764 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays