Blog Post 7: White Fragility

White fragility refers to the idea that white people are protected in society. This means that they are sheltered from race related stressors, as stated in DiAngelo's article. White people have a low tolerance for race related stress, and as shown in the text, may even be infuriated by simple ideas and unable to even acknowledge that white people are truly privileged. They are protected essentially everywhere by society. It is not often that white people are mandated to partake in cultural competency training. Very minimal racial stressors will trigger white people into a state of severe discomfort. 

I wrote a paper last semester on Get Out, the film by Jordan Peele. The film was nominated for a Grammy in the comedy genre. Peele posted that "Get Out is not a comedy, it is a documentary." I agree with Peele, but most people are hesitant to see things this way. When attempting to engage with white people about the symbolism in the film, they will often deny that there are any realistic themes in the film. I believe this to be a symptom of white fragility. The idea that Get Out has symbolic and realistic elements is a repulsive claim to many white people, even though that is what Peele wanted them to see. Peele was attempting to depict how white people will speak politically correct, even date black people/have black friends, but still they are capable of being racist. There is a conversation that must be had about racism that comes from white liberals as well, it is not just conservatives. This is shown throughout the film through microaggressions, for example. Due to varying levels of white fragility, however, the conversation is not often had about things like this film. 

By Robin DiAngelo. robindiangelo.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/White-Fragility-Published.-1.pdf.