White Fragility

I just read a book about racism. I knew a lot of it already, but this made some points clearer to me. It's extremely important, so I want to share a few points. However to get the full story, you should check out the book "White Fragility" by Diangelo. (It's a very important book, but it's written a little odd - it almost feels like it's trying to alienate some people?)

 

First of all, racism is built into the system. We're brainwashed from the moment we're born because of the quality of hospitals, and what the staff look like. 

African American kids are forced into poor schools, and then they're blamed for not being as smart as white kids (someone I know very well once made a comment about African Americans not caring about history. And when I got pissed off at him, he just acted all confused). If there is an incident at a school where a student feels they're singled out due to race, it's often buried. For example, a teacher would regularly use a slightly rude way to refer to all students. But that particular phrase has an entirely different connotation for African-Americans. And yet the teacher was defended, and the student's feelings weren't considered.

People act horrified if people use bad words related to race. But people are trained to think that African American's just don't deserve the same quality of treatment as white people. And yes, this is true of many races and groups, but it's the worst for African Americans. 

Most people have absolutely no idea how this brainwashing affects the way they think and act. When it's pointed out to them, they often act hurt and horrified that anyone could ever suggest that they're racist, even if they just made a racist comment. These interactions just widen the gulf between races.

One argument people use to say that they're not racist is that they "see everyone the same." But everyone has different needs and relationships to us. You never treat everyone the same, nor should you. "Seeing everyone as the same" is a convenient tool society has provided to hide racism. Saying you're color blind means that you don't respect other people's cultures, and that you don't see racism when it happens.

 White Flight: when white people move en-masse out of neighborhoods where African American people live. This, combined with gerrymandering, makes it easy to isolate certain populations and reduce their voice in government.