Summary

The article critiques Robin DiAngelo's "White Fragility," arguing that it perpetuates a harmful and simplistic view of race relations and detracts from genuine anti-racist efforts.

Abstract

The article "Robin DiAngelo Is The 'Vanilla Ice' Of Anti-Racism" on the undefined website takes a critical stance against Robin DiAngelo's work, particularly her book "White Fragility." It suggests that DiAngelo's approach to anti-racism is superficial and self-serving, reinforcing racist stereotypes rather than providing meaningful solutions. The author contends that DiAngelo's success is symptomatic of white readers' reluctance to engage with more substantive and authentic perspectives on racism, often found in the works of Black scholars and activists. The piece argues that DiAngelo's philosophy promotes the idea that racism is an inherent trait of white people, requiring endless self-examination and performative activism rather than practical action. The author emphasizes that true progress in racial equality comes from treating individuals as humans rather than objects of study, and from everyday acts that acknowledge our shared humanity.

Opinions

Robin DiAngelo's "White Fragility" is criticized for offering no real solutions to racism and for talking down to both Black and white people.
The author asserts that DiAngelo's work is based on the belief that white people are inherently racist, which is itself a racist notion.
DiAngelo's anecdotes, such as her surprise at a Black principal or her comments on a Black woman's braids, are cited as evidence of her own racial biases.
The article suggests that DiAngelo's popularity is due to white readers' preference for a white author on the subject of racism, rather than engaging with Black writers and thinkers.
The author argues that DiAngelo's approach to anti-racism is self-indulgent and detracts from the substantive work done by others in the field.
The piece posits that the fight against racism should not be seen as a heroic journey for white individuals but as a collective effort that involves recognizing common humanity.
It is proposed that readers would benefit more from direct engagement with Black people and from learning about racism from those who have experienced it firsthand, rather than from DiAngelo's writings.
The author implies that DiAngelo's work is a form of cultural appropriation, capitalizing on the experiences and struggles of Black people for her own gain.
The article encourages a shift in focus from self-flagellation and performative activism to concrete actions that support racial equality and humanize Black individuals.

Robin DiAngelo Is The “Vanilla Ice” Of Anti-Racism

What happens when you weaponise white guilt?

The week of June 21st 2020, a month after George Floyd was killed, an unprecedented eight of the top ten New York Times bestsellers were about race.

The “racial reckoning” prompted by Floyd’s death was the first time many white people had thought about racism. It was the first time they’d questioned their attitudes and behaviour. It was certainly the first time they’d thought to read a book on the subject.

And so, as those newly race-conscious readers set out to learn about the black experience, they looked at those eight books…and chose the only one written by a white woman.

Robin DiAngelo’s “White Fragility” has singlehandedly confused millions of people about race. It manages to talk down to black people and white people, all whilst offering nothing in the way of solutions. And seeing as she’s is about to release a sequel called “Nice Racism”, this feels like a good time to do some damage limitation.

Let’s get something straight before we go any further; Robin DiAngelo is a racist.

I don’t mean that in some abstract “racism is the water we’re swimming in" way. Or even in an “all white people are racist" way. I mean it in the good old-fashioned “she believes deep-down that black people are inferior” way.

I’m confident I won’t be hearing from her lawyers for saying this because she confirms it with almost every word that comes out of her mouth.

This is a woman who was “unable to hide [her] surprise” when she discovered that a black man was the school principal. The same woman who felt the need to “ask a Latin woman kneeling in her garden if this is her home”. This is a woman whose “road to Damascus” moment was cracking a joke about a black woman’s braids during (I sh*t you not) a meeting about racism in the workplace.

This woman, this woman, has become an international authority on how to be less racist.

White Fragility is an entire book — an entire philosophy — dedicated to the idea that being racist is a benign, inevitable consequence of having white skin. That making amends requires a lifetime of self-indulgent soul searching and vapid social media activism. That any white person who claims they aren’t racist must be lying. It’s the clearest example of projecting one’s flaws onto other people that the literary world has ever seen.

But worst of all is knowing that her readers only take her seriously because they’ve never encountered writers whose knowledge of racism isn’t limited to their own. I submit that it’s impossible to find the ideas in White Fragility compelling if you’ve read the work of James Baldwin or John McWhorter or Maya Angelou or Ayaan Hirsi Ali to name just a few (Ali even offered to debate DiAngelo but it seems she isn’t among the black people DiAngelo has asked to hold her accountable).

I submit that it’s impossible to believe that it requires “a lifetime of education and accountability" to overcome racist attitudes if you’re familiar with the work of people like Christian Piccolini or Arno Michaelis or Angela King. All of whom have changed not only their own attitudes but those of countless others.

Most importantly, it’s impossible to believe that a person’s character is determined by the colour of their skin unless you are racist. There was a time when we understood this. The people most likely to believe that there’s anything profound or valuable in DiAngelo’s writing are precisely the same people who subconsciously picked up her book because there’s a picture of a white lady on the back cover.

Robin DiAngelo is the Vanilla Ice of anti-racism. A safe, familiar face that allows guilty progressives to enjoy something they’d always considered a little too “urban”. A pale imitation of something that black people with more talent have been doing for decades. A novelty act whose tone-deaf ramblings cheapen the efforts of everybody who’s gone before.

Okay fine, I might be hearing from somebody’s lawyers about that last bit.

There’s this notion today that white people can “fix” racism with self-flagellation. That they can bring about racial equality if they just read enough books or take enough “responsibility” or wash enough feet. That being anti-racist is an act of heroism that requires singlehandedly changing the world.

Not only is this wildly egotistical, it’s a smokescreen. It’s the age-old trick of focusing on a goal that’s impossibly big to avoid the more modest, achievable tasks that don’t feel quite as gratifying.

But the struggle for racial equality isn’t anybody’s hero’s journey. The responsibility for 500 years of racial oppression doesn’t rest squarely on anybody’s shoulders. Racism isn’t lurking in every interaction (unless, like DiAngelo, you’re the one carrying it with you). Most white people spend the majority of their time not thinking about race. Despite what you might have heard, most black people do too. All of this is okay.

The most valuable contribution most people can make is to change their world. To stop treating black people as a field of study and start treating us like ordinary human beings. To realise that there’s not much difference between treating us like animals who can’t think at all, and children who can’t think for ourselves. To teach the young people in their lives (preferably by example) that it’s wrong to judge people by the colour of their skin, whatever colour that skin happens to be.

To those who find the ideas in White Fragility compelling, consider that black people aren’t some mysterious uncontacted tribe that you can only learn about from a book. You can have honest-to-goodness, real-life, conversations with us. You can discover that the colour of our skin isn’t the defining thing about us. You can look at the world around you, figure out who needs help and offer it.

Because if more of us do this. If little black girls and little white boys join hands in this effort. If we learn to put our differences aside and recognise our common humanity, maybe, just maybe, Robin DiAngelo will stop writing these stupid books.

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