"To the degree that white progressives think we have arrived...

[Kind of Blue]

we will put our energy into making sure that others see us as having arrived.”

Excerpt from Robin DiAngelo's new book "White Fragility."

"The book is more diagnostic than solutions-oriented, and the guidelines it offers toward the end—listen, don’t center yourself, get educated, think about your responses and what role they play—won’t shock any nervous systems. The value in White Fragility lies in its methodical, irrefutable exposure of racism in thought and action, and its call for humility and vigilance. Combating one’s inner voices of racial prejudice, sneaky and, at times, irresistibly persuasive, is a life’s work. For all the paranoid American theories of being red-pilled, of awakening into a many-tentacled liberal/feminist/Jewish conspiracy, the most corrosive force, the ectoplasm infusing itself invisibly through media and culture and politics, is white supremacy.

That’s from a white progressive perspective, of course. The conspiracy of racism is hardly invisible to people of color, many of whom, I suspect, could have written this book in their sleep." https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/a-sociologist-examines-the-white-fragility-that-prevents-white-americans-from-confronting-racism

[brer cat]

1. That review worked:

I have already ordered the book.

It should be useful in understanding some of the reactions we see from white people (I am one) during discussions of racism.

In a new book, “White Fragility,” DiAngelo attempts to explicate the phenomenon of white people’s paper-thin skin. She argues that our largely segregated society is set up to insulate whites from racial discomfort, so that they fall to pieces at the first application of stress—such as, for instance, when someone suggests that “flesh-toned” may not be an appropriate name for a beige crayon. Unused to unpleasantness (more than unused to it—racial hierarchies tell white people that they are entitled to peace and deference), they lack the “racial stamina” to engage in difficult conversations. This leads them to respond to “racial triggers”—the show “Dear White People,” the term “wypipo”—with “emotions such as anger, fear and guilt,” DiAngelo writes, “and behaviors such as argumentation, silence, and withdrawal from the stress-inducing situation.”

[Kind of Blue]

2. Thanks, brer cat. I can't tell you how much

your persistent work means to me.

Though the reviewer of the book says that it is not solutions-oriented, I think that it is because a good chunk of the solution is the collection of evidence, such as lacking racial stamina to engage, and the evidence-based conclusions reached in the book.

Or as my dad used to say, "The solution for just about any problem lies within the problem itself"

[brer cat]

3. I'm 71 but I haven't stopped growing.

I'm sure I will learn much from her work. I look forward to reading it. Thank you for bringing it to our attention.

[Kind of Blue]

4. Awww! I'm rapidly approaching 60 and hope to be as blessed as you

to reach my 70's, with mind still intact to learn. Bless you

[heaven05]

5. "in our sleep"

true

[Kind of Blue]

6. LOLOL! I know, right?

That line gave me a mighty sad chuckle.