S/O Race - White Fragility

[estrellita]

Just got some time to read this. Thank you for posting it. The unfriending and "get off my head" parts really stood out to me. I've unfriended a few FB friends for their racist/homophobic/etc posts but that probably wasn't the right response. I have been avoiding being political on my FB feed but thinking about it, that really shows my privilege. That I can choose to avoid it. Something to think about!

[preppy]

I had watched the video but just read the article as well. I'm glad I did.

[bethaboo]

This was a really eye opening article. Thank you for posting!

All of these conversations make me examine the conversations I will have with students this year. And the work that I need to put in to really be informed before I talk to them.

[Deleted]

Sept 1, 2016 8:25:51 GMT -5 underwaterrhymes said:

It's really important to understand that even if you are not intentionally racist, you - as a white person - benefit from being white and from institutionalized racism every single day and likely commit microagressions all the time.

So many people get defensive about this because we were erroneously taught that racism means using the n-word. And we were taught that the goal is to be colorblind. But racism is so much more than that and striving to be colorblind has only contributed to it.

This is so true and I really didn't get it until recently.

Also "get off my fucking head" is my favorite in that piece.

[lifetaketwo]

Sept 1, 2016 8:07:30 GMT -5 bearbaby said:

This was a great read, thank you for posting. I was especially struck by:

RD: For white people, their identities rest on the idea of racism as about good or bad people, about moral or immoral singular acts, and if we’re good, moral people we can’t be racist – we don’t engage in those acts. This is one of the most effective adaptations of racism over time—that we can think of racism as only something that individuals either are or are not “doing.”

as a key passage in general, and in particular regarding recent threads with appropriate call-outs on racist remarks and the ensuing defensiveness and/or obtuseness of those called out for their comments.

This really spoke to me as well.

[KaraOrNot]

Thank you for posting.

[tacom]

Sept 1, 2016 8:25:51 GMT -5 underwaterrhymes said:

It's really important to understand that even if you are not intentionally racist, you - as a white person - benefit from being white and from institutionalized racism every single day and likely commit microagressions all the time.

So many people get defensive about this because we were erroneously taught that racism means using the n-word. And we were taught that the goal is to be colorblind. But racism is so much more than that and striving to be colorblind has only contributed to it.

100%

[momin2013]

Thank you for posting and also for bumping. This makes me aware that even though I've always thought I'm doing well in this regard, I can definitely do better, and I'm committed to doing that 100%.

[lizlemon19]

Thank you for sharing. This was thought-provoking. We share articles for discussion at my staff meeting and I may bring this.