Full Title: White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism Although it’s a short read this book was dense. That’s not to say it was a difficult read; quite the contrary, it was extremely approachable but every single page was so laden with facts each paragraph served as an essay unto itself. White Fragility asks left-leaning progressively minded folks to examine their own attitudes towards race; are we more concerned with being racist or being perceived as racist? Do we only think of racists as “very bad people” the kind who form lynch mobs or march with tiki torches? Or are we able to see how our own race has given us an unfair advantage? Are we able to see how we silently perpetuate racial disparities to suit our own needs? Do we do this in subtle subconscious ways or more overtly by proclaiming that we are “colour blind” and therefore race doesn’t matter?
Not only did White Fragility implicate me in my own racism, it also gave me e pause to reflect other areas in which I have blindspots. Benefiting from the various privileges I have, not just as a consequence of my race but also my gender, sexual identity, appearance etc. What things have I said or done over the years that uphold and reenforce the patriarchy? Am I excluding disabled people in my actions (a very salient question for somebody who designs and builds websites, I reckon this site is not fully WCAG compliant).
Definitely worth a read, likely a second in a few years.