On White Fragility

Finally I am reading White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo, a white woman who essentially wrote an open letter in the form of a book to her fellow white folks. It's been out for a minute and I have heard much about it but I am just getting to reading it. It is worth my time.

Having grown up with, schooled with and competed with white folks, the book affirms that which I know. Notions of white supremacy are quite humorous to me and seemingly, given life, time and experience, incredible to this white female writer who spills the[ir] tea. I applaud her. She forces the reader to delve into unsupported myths or perceptions, be they of superiority or inferiority. Either way, Don't believe the hype!

As I read this book in the midst of trump's current madness, I ask myself, just how far will [some] white Americans go to uphold or protect the fallacy of white male superiority specifically. What else can this chapter of American history be about? trump has violated [or exposed the hypocrisy of] every ideology that America claims to hold near and dear, he stole an election with help from a foreign agent known to be hostile to the US, he has reduced America to an international laughing stock, he has jeopardized our national and international security, delivered the civil unrest the republican party has baited for decades and now he is portraying behavior unbecoming of even the least skilled mafioso from shake down extortion of a foreign leader to intimidating witnesses with suggestions that whoever the "snitch" is should be killed [he hopes one of his lesser educated and/or deranged followers hears his whistle] and STILL he is in office. INCREDIBLE! Except that he is white and male.

NO other, not even a white female could have gotten away with a fraction of the sins he has committed. That is telling. That he is a white male, he is white America's son, husband, father, brother, dear ole' grandpa, etc. He is the face, the foundation, the sperm donor that supports the false narrative of supremacy that makes their whiteness matter, that which makes them "superior" in their mind to even the most successful and/or intelligent Black or person of color. To paraphrase Toni Morrison, what else does white America have?

Just as President Obama shattered on the world stage, America's promotion that Black Americans are inferior, shiftless, lazy, ineducable, uncivilized, unscrupulous, incapable, unfaithful and so on, similarly donald trump has unveiled for the world to see the fantasy of white supremacy. Again, just how far, how long will America allow this political tragedy to play out on the world stage? How long? While finally I am proud that the Democrats have taken a step to restore what order we once had and show some muscle for defending the nation and the sanctity of government as a legislative and authoritative body to be respected, I am cautiously optimistic that America is ready yet to properly deal with her fragility nor the presence and truth of trump no matter how despicable they find him now as they found him in 2016... Time will tell.

In the meantime, read this book and host an interracial and inter-generational conversation about the book and race in your community; professional and otherwise...