• Latest
  • Trending
  • All
  • News
  • Lifestyle
The Ultimate White Fragility thumbnail

The Ultimate White Fragility

July 21, 2020
Jake Paul among 8 celebrities charged by SEC for ‘illegally touting’ crypto scheme thumbnail

Jake Paul among 8 celebrities charged by SEC for ‘illegally touting’ crypto scheme

March 23, 2023
Boston's new star puts on a Classic show thumbnail

Boston’s new star puts on a Classic show

March 23, 2023
Experts: Republicans’ “punitive” attacks on SNAP could strip food aid from over 10 million people thumbnail

Experts: Republicans’ “punitive” attacks on SNAP could strip food aid from over 10 million people

March 23, 2023
Hospitals re-evaluate masking, PPE as state mandates end thumbnail

Hospitals re-evaluate masking, PPE as state mandates end

March 23, 2023
With possible indictment looming, Trump dominates House Republican retreat thumbnail

With possible indictment looming, Trump dominates House Republican retreat

March 22, 2023
Astronomers sound alarm about light pollution from satellites thumbnail

Astronomers sound alarm about light pollution from satellites

March 22, 2023
Balanced budget takes back seat to paring spending to ‘22 levels at GOP retreat thumbnail

Balanced budget takes back seat to paring spending to ‘22 levels at GOP retreat

March 21, 2023
A potential Trump indictment is a sideshow gift to the Biden family thumbnail

A potential Trump indictment is a sideshow gift to the Biden family

March 21, 2023
Alaska oil drilling protesters disrupt White House climate adviser appearance thumbnail

Alaska oil drilling protesters disrupt White House climate adviser appearance

March 21, 2023
Biden vetoes Republican effort to overturn socially conscious retirement rule thumbnail

Biden vetoes Republican effort to overturn socially conscious retirement rule

March 21, 2023
Here’s How Gasoline Prices Fared Under The Last Four Presidents thumbnail

Here’s How Gasoline Prices Fared Under The Last Four Presidents

March 20, 2023
America used to have its own lion. Where did they go? thumbnail

America used to have its own lion. Where did they go?

March 20, 2023
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact
  • Donate
Thursday, March 23, 2023
66 °f
Wellfleet
58 ° Tue
63 ° Wed
68 ° Thu
61 ° Fri
  • Login
  • Register
FREE Cape Cod News
DONATE
  • FREE Cape Cod News
  • News
    • News
    • Cape Cod News
    • Massachusetts
    • Breaking News
    • Cape Cod Weather
    • Storm Watch
    • Environment
  • Politics
    • democrats
    • republicans
  • Business
    • business
    • cryptocurrency
    • economy
    • money
    • Real Estate
    • Tech
  • World
  • Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
  • Photos
    • Orleans
    • Eastham
    • Wellfleet
    • Truro
    • Provincetown
    • Brewster
    • Chatham
  • Videos
No Result
View All Result
Free Cape Cod News
No Result
View All Result
  • FREE Cape Cod News
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • World
  • Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
  • Photos
  • Videos
Home News Environment

The Ultimate White Fragility

FREE Cape Cod News by FREE Cape Cod News
July 21, 2020
in Environment
Reading Time: 8 mins read
Donate
0
The Ultimate White Fragility thumbnail
636
SHARES
1.4k
VIEWS
Share on TwitterShare on Facebook

Lately, the term “white fragility” has been much in the news. Coined by the scholar Robin DiAngelo, it has garnered her profiles in numerous publications, including the New York Times and the New Yorker, as well as conservative attacks. Her book, White Fragility, is currently the number three best-selling book on Amazon. DiAngelo summarized the meaning of white fragility in a 2011 academic article:

White people in North America live in a social environment that protects and insulates them from race-based stress. This insulated environment of racial protection builds white expectations for racial comfort while at the same time lowering the ability to tolerate racial stress, leading to what I refer to as White Fragility. White Fragility is a state in which even a minimum amount of racial stress becomes intolerable, triggering a range of defensive moves. These moves include the outward display of emotions such as anger, fear, and guilt, and behaviors such as argumentation, silence, and leaving the stress-inducing situation. These behaviors, in turn, function to reinstate white racial equilibrium.

The issue of white fragility has become salient for two reasons. First, white people are obviously hearing more about systemic, violent racism thanks to the wave of protests over recent horrific cases of police brutality against African Americans such as George Floyd—a series of protests that in turn has sparked a white backlash led by President Donald Trump. And the second, related, factor in the recent spike in interest around DiAngelo’s work is the continuing political interest in the white working class, which political pundits decided was the key to Trump’s 2016 victory. (Every election cycle they designate some previously undervalued group such as “soccer moms” or “NASCAR dads” as the key to victory, and they become the object of much thumb-sucking commentary.)

DiAngelo makes her living advising big companies on how they can manage racial interactions among their employees so as to minimize tensions—as well as the potential for lawsuits—and presumably improve working conditions and productivity. Many whites, however, disagree with the implication that they may be guilty of unconscious racism or that they bear some responsibility for the continuing impact of slavery, lynching and other racial crimes that took place long ago. A new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll found that 48 percent of whites attribute racism entirely to the actions of individuals, with only 42 percent blaming institutions or society as a whole. Meanwhile, among black voters, 65 percent said racism is endemic to American society, with just 28 percent attributing it solely to individuals.

An extreme but significant subset of whites even go so far as to argue that they, white people, suffer from racial discrimination that’s as bad or worse than that experienced by African Americans and other racial minorities. Such concerns have been common ever since Richard Nixon instituted “affirmative action” some 50 years ago with the aim of driving a racial wedge through the traditional working-class constituency of the Democratic party.

Before the reader laughs and shrugs off the reverse-racist crowd as marginal extremists, hear me out and look at some of the survey data I have collected.

The Public Religion Research Institute has periodically posed this question: “Today discrimination against whites has become as big a problem as discrimination against blacks and other minorities (do you completely agree, mostly agree, mostly disagree, or completely disagree?).” In the most recent published survey in September 2019, 17 percent agreed completely, 25 percent mostly agreed, 26 percent mostly disagreed, and 32 percent completely disagreed. In their commentary, PRRI researchers said:

Approximately two-thirds of Republicans agree both that discrimination against whites has become as much of a problem as discrimination against blacks (69%) and that immigrants are invading the country and changing American culture (63%). Independents (43% and 31%) and Democrats (21% and 20%) are much less likely to agree with either of these statements.

More than three-quarters of Republicans who rely on Fox News as their primary news source agree that whites face discrimination similar to black racism (77%) and that immigrants are invading the country (78%), compared to smaller majorities of Republicans who do not say Fox News is their primary news source (63% and 52%).

Nearly half of whites (49%), compared to only 23% of black Americans and 30% of Hispanic Americans, think so-called reverse discrimination is a big problem…. A majority of whites without college degrees (57%), compared to just over one-third (36%) of whites with college degrees, agree that discrimination against whites is as big a problem as discrimination against blacks.

Americans ages 65 and older are more likely than younger Americans ages 18-29 to agree that discrimination against whites is as big a problem as discrimination against black Americans and other minorities (46% vs. 34%).

Also in 2019, a HuffPost/YouGov poll asked people: “Just your impression, in the United States today, is there a lot of discrimination against white people, or not?” Overall, 36 percent of respondents said yes with 46 percent saying no. Not surprisingly, 63 percent of Republicans and 63 percent of Trump voters agreed, while 19 percent of Democrats and 13 percent of Clinton voters also agreed. More surprisingly, 20 percent of blacks and 34 percent of Hispanics also said that there is a lot of racial discrimination against whites. (Of course, many Hispanics identify primarily as white.)

A Democracy Fund + UCLA Nationscape poll conducted from late May to early June 2020 found a quarter of Republicans saying that whites are heavily discriminated against. (An analysis of these survey findings is available at FiveThirtyEight.)

A Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll published just this week asked registered voters: “For each of the following groups, please tell me whether you feel that they are receiving too many special advantages, receiving fair treatment or are being discriminated against.” Among white voters, 17 percent said that whites are being discriminated against; six percent of black voters and nine percent of Hispanic voters agreed that whites suffer from discrimination.

Over the last 10 years, the issue of reverse racism and its social and political implications have drawn extensive interest from social scientists. The most well-known study was by Michael I. Norton and Samuel R. Sommers of the Harvard Business School and Tufts University, respectively, in 2011. They found that whites increasingly viewed racial prejudice as a zero-sum game—reduced bias against black citizens automatically led to increased bias against their white counterparts. As the chart from their article shows, perceived discrimination against whites by both whites and blacks rose as discrimination against blacks was perceived to have fallen. (This analysis is available through Tufts University.)

Further studies in 2014, 2015, and 2016 confirmed that many whites do indeed see racial progress as a zero-sum game. However, the latest study, published last year, was more skeptical of this trend. Nevertheless, the idea of zero-sum racial discrimination is very popular in the Republican Party. Then-Senator Jeff Sessions expressed the widely held GOP sentiment in 2009 when he said, “Empathy for one party is always prejudice against another.” Former Republican Rep. Michele Bachman put it this way in a 2016 interview regarding LGBT rights:

So when you’re part of a favored group, then you get special benefits that nobody else gets. That’s the very form of tyranny because when government supposedly gives something — government has nothing to give, they have to take it away from other people. So when they give it to that certain group, that means, by definition, they’re taking it away from you!

The right-wing Daily Mail newspaper in Britain has hyperbolically declared that reverse racism is now killing the careers of every middle-aged white man in Hollywood. It quoted one unnamed source describing the atmosphere as “more toxic than Chernobyl.” The black director and producer Jordan Peele was singled out for declaring that he no longer wished to cast “a white dude as the lead in my movie.” However, given the paucity of black directors in Hollywood, even if they all banned white actors from every leading role in their movies it would only have a trivial impact on the employment prospects of such actors.

This is only the latest attack on efforts to improve diversity in Hollywood. In 2016, the actress Charlotte Rampling declared that broadening Academy Award nominations to include more persons of color was “racist to whites.” She suggested that many of the minority actors receiving affirmative action nominations simply didn’t deserve them.

In 2016, Trump clearly saw that the grievances of white people, whether real or imagined, was a source of political power, especially given the decline in the white population and rising share of minorities. As president, he directed the Justice Department to undermine affirmative action in college admissions. An outspoken opponent of affirmative action, Candice Jackson, was appointed to a high-level position at the Department of Education where she is now deputy general counsel.

It’s not just a belated initiative to redress longstanding discrimination against African Americans that is fueling the anxiety of white men; many also see attempts to improve opportunities for women as coming at their expense as well, according to a new report from Pew.

It’s undeniably disruptive when previously oppressed groups find their voice and demand an end to oppression. Those who have benefited from a lack of competition for jobs and status suddenly find that they may not be able to compete on a level playing field. They may perhaps deserve some compassion in the larger scheme of things, but the simple fact remains that their claim that equal treatment constitutes discrimination against them is a baseless grievance.

Tags: environment

FREE Digital Newspaper Subscription!
Sign up for your free digital subscription. The FREE Cape Cod News

Unsubscribe
FREE Cape Cod News

FREE Cape Cod News

Free Cape Cod News is what's happening in the Cape Cod, U.S and World & what people are talking about right now. Local newspaper. Stay in the know. Subscribe to get notified about our latest news.

Related Posts

BlackRock CEO Larry Fink walks tightrope on climate investing thumbnail
Environment

BlackRock CEO Larry Fink walks tightrope on climate investing

by FREE Cape Cod News
March 18, 2023
Biden Unveils $6.8 Trillion 2024 Budget Plan thumbnail
Environment

Biden Unveils $6.8 Trillion 2024 Budget Plan

by FREE Cape Cod News
March 10, 2023
Ticketmaster's owner shares some ideas for fixing the broken concert ticket business after Taylor Swift fiasco thumbnail
Business

Ticketmaster’s owner shares some ideas for fixing the broken concert ticket business after Taylor Swift fiasco

by FREE Cape Cod News
February 25, 2023
“Unusual mortality event”: Climate concerns rise after dead whales keep washing up on beaches thumbnail
Environment

“Unusual mortality event”: Climate concerns rise after dead whales keep washing up on beaches

by FREE Cape Cod News
January 20, 2023
Load More
Please login to join discussion

Follow Us on Twitter

FREE Cape Cod News - Your source for local Cape Cod news, latest breaking U.S. and World news. Every day, all day. Subscribe for your favorite categories.

  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest
Jake Paul among 8 celebrities charged by SEC for ‘illegally touting’ crypto scheme thumbnail

Jake Paul among 8 celebrities charged by SEC for ‘illegally touting’ crypto scheme

March 23, 2023
Experts: Republicans’ “punitive” attacks on SNAP could strip food aid from over 10 million people thumbnail

Experts: Republicans’ “punitive” attacks on SNAP could strip food aid from over 10 million people

March 23, 2023
Boston's new star puts on a Classic show thumbnail

Boston’s new star puts on a Classic show

March 23, 2023
Jake Paul among 8 celebrities charged by SEC for ‘illegally touting’ crypto scheme thumbnail

Jake Paul among 8 celebrities charged by SEC for ‘illegally touting’ crypto scheme

March 23, 2023
Boston's new star puts on a Classic show thumbnail

Boston’s new star puts on a Classic show

March 23, 2023
Experts: Republicans’ “punitive” attacks on SNAP could strip food aid from over 10 million people thumbnail

Experts: Republicans’ “punitive” attacks on SNAP could strip food aid from over 10 million people

March 23, 2023

FREE Cape Cod News On Twitter

Today’s News

  • Jake Paul among 8 celebrities charged by SEC for ‘illegally touting’ crypto scheme March 23, 2023
  • Boston’s new star puts on a Classic show March 23, 2023
  • Experts: Republicans’ “punitive” attacks on SNAP could strip food aid from over 10 million people March 23, 2023
  • Hospitals re-evaluate masking, PPE as state mandates end March 23, 2023
  • With possible indictment looming, Trump dominates House Republican retreat March 22, 2023
FREE Cape Cod News

Copyright © 2022 Free Cape Cod News

Navigate Site

  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact
  • Donate

Follow Us

No Result
View All Result
  • FREE Cape Cod News
  • News
    • News
    • Cape Cod News
    • Massachusetts
    • Breaking News
    • Cape Cod Weather
    • Storm Watch
    • Environment
  • Politics
    • democrats
    • republicans
  • Business
    • business
    • cryptocurrency
    • economy
    • money
    • Real Estate
    • Tech
  • World
  • Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
  • Photos
    • Orleans
    • Eastham
    • Wellfleet
    • Truro
    • Provincetown
    • Brewster
    • Chatham
  • Videos
  • Login
  • Sign Up

Copyright © 2022 Free Cape Cod News

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist