White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo: An Analysis Example

“White Fragility” by Robin DiAngelo demonstrates the social environment that protects white people over people of color. The nature of the argument or critique is neutral and nonfiction because it is based on written literature and examples showing the concept of white fragility openly. The author’s central point is white fragility, and she uses different examples to explain what it is. It would be crucial to remind individuals of the definition of white fragility to demonstrate the author’s main ideas effectively. As asserted by the author, white fragility is a state in which even a minimum amount of racial stress becomes intolerable ((DiAngelo. 7). The intolerance state triggers a range of moves that suggest or demonstrate white weakness. The reading or article is of significance as it uses the author’s personal experience to describe racial stress and how whites take it. There are also given examples like segregation that make the understanding of white fragility quite easy. The essay paper analyses a critique of “White Fragility” by summarizing the author’s main ideas and responding to these ideas using reactions based on personal synthesis.

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As mentioned before, the author uses main ideas like a protective environment and factors that inculcate white fragility to bring the main points to the reader’s attention. She alleges that white people are protected by a racial protective environment, which makes them less fragile on matters dealing with racial stress. Robin goes ahead and shares factors that promote white fragility as they are central factors that give whiteness the tendency to be in that position. The author shares some of these factors: segregation, universalism and individualism, entitlement to racial comfort, racial arrogance, racial belonging, and psychic freedom. It would be crucial to note what they are to mention or demonstrate how it promotes white fragility as they are the central points to the reader’s understanding. According to that author’s perspective, white people live in a segregated society that appears on multiple levels, like representational and informational (DiAngelo. 13). Whites live in a white-dominated region or society that offers little information about racism. Such a nature of lifestyle prohibits or fail to prepare them to think critically on matters of racism. And because it fails to make them adequately, whites become fragile. And those white-dominated societies filled with schools, workplaces, and neighborhoods advocate for the interest of whites alone. It communicates that the perspective or value of the people of color is limited because of the dominant society favoring one side.

In a reactive perspective, segregation has been a leading factor that has given whites or has made them fragile. At the representational level, they appear dominant because when you compare people of color to whites, whites have received little authentic information about racism. Such character has been facilitated by a white-dominated society, which does not teach them something about racism. It makes them less prepared to discuss issues because, in a conversation, they respond as if something is wrong – racial distress. Whites have learned to demonstrate or present protective behaviors when they have racist discussions because they cannot take more as it appears destructive. People of color have been left out in schools that are considered good. They believe that good schools are language-coded schools, which demonstrates the level of a segregated society dominated by whites.

The author also uses universalism and individualism to demonstrate white fragility. In the point of universalism, the author notes that whites are taught to consider their perspective as objective and representative of what is real. If this is the case, it means that the whites use their identity as the central point that directs other races because those taught seem to direct others. It is shared here that it presents the position of individualism and universalism because the white or white race is perceived to be the representative of another race. According to the author, these triggers are what build white fragility as they do not prepare them to face the reality of racism. There is also another point that demonstrates or triggers the white vulnerability. She shares entitlement to racial comfort, which makes whites a racial comfort zone. If someone is comfortable in a particular position, they always want to remain so to enjoy the feeling. In that case, whites have developed unchallenged views and expectations that would make them stick to that position because they want to keep enjoying it.

In a reactive perspective or in a personal opinion, whites have not built the nature of a racial tolerance discomfort to counter their argument on racial matters. Why would one say that? Individuals would want to say that they would want to keep off or respond as if something is wrong because of an argument about racism or racial distress. That thing indicates the nature of how whites feel when they are faced with racism discussions. It means that the majority of them are not willing to take up a conversation without feeling offended. If one would take a conversation without feeling angry, they become relaxed and composed. Such character is not the case in whites because they feel offended; they react as if something is wrong.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the author shares a central point that shows or demonstrates what white fragility looks like in society. She uses different ideas like a protective environment, and factors that facilitate white fragility to present her points to the reader’s attention. Some of these factors that have been shared are segregation, universalism and individualism, racial arrogance, and entitlement to racial comfort. The majority of the points that the author shares are crucial because they are real.

Work Cited

DiAngelo, Robin. "White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism Robin Diangelo". Journal of Social Work, vol 20, no. 1, 2019, pp. 123-125. SAGE Publications, doi:10.1177/1468017319868330. Accessed 6 Aug 2020.