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White Fragility
White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism | Robin DiAngelo
Groundbreaking book exploring the counterproductive reactions white people have when discussing racism that serve to protect their positions and maintain racial inequality In this groundbreaking and timely book, antiracist educator Robin DiAngelo deftly illuminates the phenomenon of white fragility. Referring to the defensive moves that white people make when challenged racially, white fragility is characterized by emotions such as anger, fear, and guilt, and by behaviors including argumentation and silence. These behaviors, in turn, function to reinstate white racial equilibrium and prevent any meaningful cross-racial dialogue. In this in-depth exploration, DiAngelo explores how white fragility develops, how it protects racial inequality, and what we can do to engage more constructively.
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deeannloso
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Bailedbailed

I had to bail on this one. It seems like a really good book, but I‘ll have to read the physical book. This book is so dense that with the audiobook, the words go in one ear and out the other.

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deeannloso
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“DiAngelo illuminates the phenomenon of white fragility and “allows us to understand racism as a practice not restricted to ‘bad people‘. Referring to defensive moves white people make when challenged racially, white fragility is characterized by emotions such as anger, fear, and guilt, and argumentation and silence. These behaviors then function to reinstate white racial equilibrium and prevent any meaningful cross-racial dialogue.”

34 likes1 stack add
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Chelseabillups30

Yes, it‘s uncomfortable to be confronted with an aspect of ourselves that we don‘t like, but we can‘t change what we refuse to see.

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Chelseabillups30

Not naming the groups that face barriers only serves those who already have access; the assumption is that the access enjoyed by the controlling group is universal.

19 likes1 stack add
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Creadnorthey
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Pickpick

As a white person who considers themselves pretty “open minded” this book offers moments of deep reflection. It is still to understand that, even with awareness, even with friends who are people of color, and even feeling “woke”, there is real business needed to be done within and without.

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BookDee
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Pickpick

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ racism and discrimination awareness book explained and shared by a non-black person. I felt like a fly on a wall

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abbyreadz
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Pickpick

This was extremely eye opening. I went into reading this thinking this would be a “review” of all these concepts. I was completely wrong and ended up learning a lot about myself and the white supremacy structures around me.

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jesuisdeanna
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Re: racism: "It is not fluid and does not change direction simply because a few individuals of color manage to excel." - Robin DiAngelo

I've always been bothered by the term "reverse racism" but always failed to fully understand why. DiAngelo puts it perfectly and succinctly.

Wesleypaker @jesuisdeanna Hello there 2y
4 likes1 comment
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Cosmos_Moon_River
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Pickpick

I enjoyed how this book made me uncomfortable & made the point to say white people need to be uncomfortable. We don‘t deserve to be comfortable when so many injustices have been done by people who look like me. I hope to be an ally, speak up & strive for anti racist actions when needed. I hope others confront me if I express racist words or actions so I can correct my behavior. It is not about my intent, but about the impact it has on others.

violabrain You should read Me and White Supremacy by Layla Saad next and do all of the writing prompts. Fantastic book that will make you think and really engage with your internalized, unconscious racism even more than this one. 3y
Cosmos_Moon_River @violabrain thank you. I think that one is on my TBR. I‘ll check it out soon. 3y
38 likes2 comments
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DieAReader
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Pickpick

#20in4 #EDIT: I got lucky with an #ebook pick on the first round - not an audiobook🤦🏻‍♀️. I‘ll use this in spot #1 (audiobook) for #BookSpinBingo So sry for all the confusion. I think my lack of sleep is starting to become more apparent🤣🤷🏻‍♀️

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

TheAromaofBooks Great progress!!! 3y
Andrew65 Great 👏👏👏 3y
43 likes3 comments
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DieAReader
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#BookSpin #DoubleSpin #Audiobook #20in4 #BookNookBuddies2022

Been listening to on the 🏷 #audiobook all day & only realized a few minutes ago that it‘s perfect for this!

LapReader Let me know what you think about The Bat. I have been considering reading that author for a while now. 3y
DieAReader @LapReader Will do👍🏻😏 3y
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 3y
Andrew65 Great 👏👏👏 3y
31 likes1 stack add4 comments
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SarahBookInterrupted
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White Fragility was our first fan book pick. Squiggy was the fan that joined the podcast. During the 6 week book cycle he came gave us his advice of just stumble forward and it stuck with all of us. We just launched our swag shop and thought this would be the best place to start. To find out more go to this blog post: https://www.bookinterrupted.com/post/white-fragility-artwork?fbclid=IwAR3EnGWW_f...

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bill4earth
Pickpick

Great reading on understanding the issues within the discussion on systemic racism.

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Smartypants
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Mehso-so

Perhaps it‘s because the concepts are not foreign to me, but I wasn‘t as impressed with this as I thought I would be. I find the work of Ta-Nehisi Coates to be much more impactful.

16 likes1 stack add
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SarahBookInterrupted
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Pickpick

This book was a fan pick on Book Interrupted and I am grateful that Squiggy suggested it. I would recommend this book for any white person looking to starting the journey of being an anti-racist. Like we discuss on our podcast, this is a good starter book because she ease you into anti-racism and your White Fragility is less triggered. She also calls you out on your behaviours/thoughts as you read the book. It‘s an excellent place to start.

17 likes1 stack add
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ManyWordsLater
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Let‘s go learn.

Scochrane26 White Fragility is a good starter book. I haven‘t read Color of Law. 4y
Megabooks Both are great books! 4y
56 likes2 comments
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keithmalek

"With White Fragility, maybe it could stop a table from wobbling. That's the only possible use for this book."
--John McWhorter

mandarchy His opinion about white fragility is a relevant as if the topic were about menopause. I think the book White Fragility is the training wheels of antiracist reading and it takes a lot of flack. Books about antiracism need to meet people where they are at and in this case it's at the point of, "wah wah, but I don't want to to do the work!" 4y
keithmalek @mandarchy John McWhorter is black. By the way, if you need to read a book to teach you how to not be racist...then you're probably a racist. 4y
mandarchy @keithmalek I know he's black. The topic of white fragility is the white response to racism and can't be black-splained. And we do need books about how not to be racist. Sadly, we do. 4y
keithmalek @mandarchy The premise of White Fragility is that if you're white you're automatically racist, and if you deny it, then that just confirms that you're racist. Many leading black intellectuals (and anyone else with a modicum of decency and common sense) finds this absurd. But there's no virtue signaling in disagreeing with this premise, so white people read this book in droves. 4y
mandarchy @keithmalek yes. And when we do something racist we need to acknowledge it and move on, not dwell on it or ignore it completely. The point I got from it was to stop dwelling on the term Racist as the R word. Not to be fragile when we discover our bias or our participation in a system that supports our privilege. Personally, I think it's a great book for calling people to the work of antiracism. It's for a narrow audience though. 4y
11 likes5 comments
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Susanita
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Maybe a little obvious choice for #blackandwhite cover? #curiouscovers

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sprainedbrain
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Pickpick

DiAngelo points out that white people raised in western society are conditioned into a white supremacist world view because it is the bedrock of our society and institutions. It‘s freeing to understand, that, so that you can work on stopping racist patterns instead of wasting time trying to deny racism exists.

No new or groundbreaking information here, but I do wish there was a way to get this info in to the brains of all white people.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

mandarchy I thought this book could be broken down into something like a 12 step program: out of racism into antiracism. The word racist is such a trigger for people. We need to get to work and change that. 4y
92 likes1 comment
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JennyM
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Pickpick

An immensely powerful book. Perhaps the most important book I‘ll read this year.

#AntiRacismBook #Booked2021

68 likes3 stack adds
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Cazxxx
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Pickpick

An important book that we can all learn from, I know I did. Very easy to understand what‘s being said and fairly short and concise
Definitely recommend this one

19 likes2 stack adds
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eflubliner
Pickpick

Makes cultural studies accessible to the general public.

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JessicaThunstromNelson
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Struggling to concentrate on fiction. think I need a little nonfiction right now.

13 likes2 stack adds
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LittlebearReads
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Pickpick

The ideas presented here are so important, and I think most white people would definitely benefit from reading DiAngelo‘s book. It is also refreshing that she does not consider herself innocent of white fragility, and isn‘t afraid to use her own mistakes as teachable moments for the reader.

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Monyca
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Pickpick

Absolutely a must read for all white people, wherever you fall (or think you fall) on the spectrum of racist to ant-rasict.

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Erin.Elizabeth10
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Pickpick

I am so glad I read this book. I learned so much! I had thought to myself before, “Oh, I don‘t need to read that, I already know about that.” It turns out that‘s exactly the kind of thought someone with white fragility would have. I need to keep working and learning, and this is just the start.

19 likes1 stack add
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BMWtheAuthor
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Pickpick

A challenging but eye-opening book and required reading for all white people. For the full review, please visit http://benjamin-m-weilert.com/index.php/2021/01/13/book-white-fragility-2018/

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janeycanuck
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Pickpick

I read this before the holidays but yesterday‘s riots in the US give a whole new meaning to white fragility and white privilege.

This is critical reading. I would like to see more examples, especially of the author‘s own mistakes, and how to respond & reflect with more detail. But overall, this is an incredibly important book for white people to read.

(Photo in the background of newspapers is from Daniel Pink‘s LinkedIn)

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rjsthumbelina
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Pickpick

I thought that this book did a good job of explaining white privilege in a way that white people are less likely to be offended by. I have mixed feelings about having to present info on white fragility in a way that, to an extent, protects the feelings of white people. But I think the information contained in the book is valid nonetheless and I will say that this discussion on race expanded my awareness

rjsthumbelina Finished this one early in the week, but it still counts toward several readathons! #readyourway #crushtherush #clearyourshit #wintergames #wintergames2020 #teamreadnosedreindeer @StayCurious 16 points 4y
TheSpineView 👍📖📚 4y
29 likes1 stack add2 comments
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CogsOfEncouragement
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Pickpick

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Informative and helpful. I am grateful for the points she explains. I appreciate DiAngelo giving examples of how she continues to learn and grow.

22 likes1 stack add
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BlazinHoney
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“we can‘t change what we refuse to see”

12 likes1 stack add
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Eggbeater
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Pickpick

I recognized myself in this book. It spoke to me in a pround way, especially the part about white women's tears. It's worth it to push through any discomfort I might have if I want to stop causing harm. I feel more aware of, and more prepared to confront and correct my own racism without getting defensive. It's an important book and can be used as an effective anti-racism tool for white people.

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Mdonald
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Pickpick
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Ladygodiva7
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Seizing the opportunity to make things better.

18 likes3 stack adds
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Rissreads
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Pickpick

What a powerful read. I remain committed to listening and learning. 🧡

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Awk_Word_Smith
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Pickpick

See Goodreads review above.

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JenniferEgnor
Pickpick

This is such a great book, and I‘m so glad I read it. Anti-racism is a lifelong process—this is a book to be read again and again. It really makes you see everything in a different light.

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JenniferEgnor
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Functions of White Fragility: maintain white solidarity•close off self-reflection•trivialize the reality of racism•silence the discussion•make white people the victims•hijack the conversation•protect a limited worldview•take race off the table•protect white privilege•focus on the messenger, not the message•rally more resources to white people

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JenniferEgnor
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An honest assessment of America‘s relationship to the black family reveals the country to be not its nurturer but its destroyer. And this destruction did not end with slavery. (2 of 2)

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JenniferEgnor
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The early American economy was built on slave labor. The Capital and the White House were built by slaves. President James K. Polk traded slaves from the Oval Office. The laments about “black pathology,” the criticism of black family structures by pundits and intellectuals, ring hollow in a country whose existence was predicated on the torture of black fathers, on the rape of black mothers, on the sale of black children. (1 of 2)

CaffeineAndCandy ❤❤❤ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴡᴏʀᴅɪɴɢ ɪs ɪɴᴄʀᴇᴅɪʙʟᴇ 4y
13 likes1 comment
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Awk_Word_Smith
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As a white male, I felt like DiAngelo was letting us, progressive whites, off the hook a bit at the beginning. By the end of Chapter 6, that is not the case. This has been eye-opening in my own problematic white behaviors. This has been an incredible guide to exploring and challenging my own racial prejudices. #vote #whitefragility

18 likes1 stack add
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ncsufoxes
Pickpick

This book is a good introduction book for people who want to learn more about racism and the hold that it continues to have on our society. These are hard topics but so vital to expand our understanding and knowledge. Unfortunately the people that need to read books like this are the people that want to bury their head in the sand and ignore racism. I‘m committed to learn as much as I can because education and knowledge never end.

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ncsufoxes
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Pickpick

This book is a good introduction book for people who want to learn more about racism and the hold that it continues to have on our society. These are hard topics but so vital to expand our understanding and knowledge. Unfortunately the people that need to read books like this are the people that want to bury their head in the sand and ignore racism. I‘m committed to learn as much as I can because education and knowledge never end.

7 likes1 comment
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Awk_Word_Smith
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In line for 3 hours, 20 minutes, and plenty of time to listen to this incredible book. #vote

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Awk_Word_Smith
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If you consider yourself a white progressive, you should still read/listen to this book.

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JenniferEgnor
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The idea of racial inferiority was created to justify unequal treatment...race is the child of racism, not the father. First we exploited people for their resources, not according to how they looked. Exploitation came first, and then the ideology of unequal races to justify the exploitation followed.

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JenniferEgnor
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Freedom and equality—regardless of religion or class status—were radical new ideas when the United States was formed. At the same time, the US economy was based on the abduction and enslavement of African people, the displacement and genocide of Indigenous people, and the annexation of Mexican lands. Colonizers who came weren‘t free of their own cultural conditioning; they brought deeply internalized patterns of domination and submission.

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JenniferEgnor
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These ceremonials in honor of white supremacy, performed from babyhood, slip from the conscious mind down deep into muscles...and become difficult to tear out.

—Lillian Smith, Killers of the Dream (1949)