{"id":17445,"date":"2020-11-12T13:52:00","date_gmt":"2020-11-12T17:52:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=17445"},"modified":"2020-11-16T12:57:10","modified_gmt":"2020-11-16T16:57:10","slug":"examples-of-white-fragility","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/examples-of-white-fragility\/","title":{"rendered":"Examples of White Fragility: What Does It Look Like?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What are some examples of white fragility? How do these examples show the extent of the issue of racism?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Examples of white fragility are best understood in the context of where the issue comes from. White people use their own lack of overt racism<\/a> to excuse their role in systemic racism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read on for some examples of white fragility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Examples of White Fragility<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Because white people misunderstand racism and its beneficial impact on their lives, they are unable or unwilling to grapple with their own <\/em>role in sustaining it when it\u2019s pointed out to them. Thinking about racism as a question of individual morality naturally triggers defensiveness and denial in white people. The logic goes something like, \u201cRacism is something bad done by bad people. I\u2019m not a bad person. Therefore, I can\u2019t be racist.\u201d White fragility is a natural by-product of the universal human desire to think of oneself as good and morally upstanding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Examples of white fragility also stem from white people\u2019s denial of their own <\/em>racial identity. <\/strong>Many white people inherently view \u201crace\u201d as a characteristic held solely by non-white people. They are unable to accept the idea that whiteness itself is a powerful form of identity, one that profoundly shapes one\u2019s attitudes, assumptions, and actions. Pointing this out to white people results in denial, because they perceive it as an attack on their objectivity and individuality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They see their thoughts and behavior as stemming from their \u201cneutral\u201d observations about the world, rather than from biases built into the society in which they were raised. For many white people, therefore, \u201cidentity politics\u201d (the label they tend to use to deride and dismiss demands by people of color for racial equity) is something that is by definition<\/em> practiced solely by non-white people\u2014because, to them, \u201cwhiteness\u201d is not an identity at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Mechanism of Control<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

But we should not make the mistake of characterizing white fragility as merely a defensive mechanism. Rather, examples of white fragility are powerful means of reinforcing white supremacy<\/a> and shutting down any challenges to it by people of color.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By casting the white <\/em>person in the discussion as the victim, white fragility enables white people to command social resources of time and attention. For example, a white woman brought to tears after being forced to confront her complicity in systemic racism might compel other people (even people of color) to comfort and reassure her that she isn\u2019t racist. The white <\/em>woman and her <\/em>shame and anxieties become the center of attention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Or, a white man who reacts angrily and defensively in the same situation will similarly refocus the attention on his angry and bombastic reaction. These tactics draw attention<\/a> away from the discussion of systemic racism, shut down potential challenges to it, and make white <\/em>concerns and white <\/em>anxieties the focus.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

White Fragility Examples: “Colorblindness”<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Colorblindness enabled white Americans to delude themselves into believing that they could avoid problems of race by simply pretending that they didn\u2019t exist<\/strong>. Examples of white fragility in this context can be seen in statements like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n