How to be less White
White Fragility
Book Review I used to love reading books, but in the last several years I have not read that much. So my goal for 2021 is to read one book a month. For the month of March the book I chose was White Fragility by Robin Diangelo that I bought at my local Target.
The reason I chose this was because It was on the New York's best sellers list and I wanted to see what people were consuming lately with the high race tensions in America. This book is geared towards White liberals. I am not a woke liberal in fact quite the opposite. So me going into reading this, I am coming in with a critical mindset from the beginning.
I am coming with the perspective of a Conservative Christian. The book had some good insights. Very few, but I am a learner and can learn from almost anything or any situation. I agree that there is Systemic Racism. I agree that it is embedded into society. My son when he was 3 years old was asking my why black people live on the poor side of town and White people live in a rich neighborhood in the Metropolitan area of Milwaukee and I really did not know how to answer him. So all the problems with race problems in America I can understand where the author is coming from and agree with lot of what she is saying in terms of the Race problems in America.
The definition of racism in the Merriam Webster dictionary was : a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority race. Well in 2020 they added: the systemic oppression of a racial group to the social, economic, and political advantage of another.
In other words to Robin Diangelo, aka... All white people. So racism is that All White people are racists because of the systemic oppression of the White group you are involved in.
As a Anti-Socialist, it is very hard for me to start thinking in terms of Collective groups as Woke DiAngelo wants us to do. I am as anti Woke as they come. Sometimes I do think that a little Wokism could help some truely Racist people and even some ignorant people that have been deeply influenced by the White Systemic Racism in America. Maybe even me, I am open to learning but it really has to make a lot of sense for me to be on board. So I agree with the DiAngelo that we live in a society with embedded systemic Racism. I really cant not get on board with the new dictionary term or her that all White people are Racists because they are all part of the same racial group. It also makes me think Of the book by the book 1984 by George Orwell and how the language Newspeak was a language favored by Big Brother. Newspeaks was designed to diminish the range of thought. Newspeak was characterized by the elimination or alteration of certain word for another. I could be wrong but what's going on with the word changes seems very familiar to 1984.
Whatever happened to MLKs approach on judging someone by the character and not by the content of their skin color. Even some school districts are throwing out MlK from their curriculum because it does not go well with the Woke Narrative. The new way apparently is to judge on Skin color. I agree that there is a problem and that there is systemic racism but I do not agree that the solution is to call all people racists because they are white and telling White people the solution is to be less white. The book had a few valid points but when I read that part of the solution was to "Be Less White" I was ready to throw the book out the window because it was so bizarre.
Diangelo's solution is for White people to be less White. In the book she vaguely talked about to be less white too. So I was just thinking about how all these white people could be filling in the gap for her how to be less white. I have a strong imagination so it's not looking good. If a dog is having behavioral issues and is attacking a cat. You do not address the problem by having the dog be less dog. I can't even wrap my head around this solution it is so silly. I just hope they do not start sending out curriculum to school children on how to be less white because if we do there will have to be another book on the best sellers list in 20 years explaining how to cope with White Fragility toxicity from Diangelo's book.
This book might bring a little insight to someone that is White and lives in a White neighborhood and is pretty segregated with their daily living conditions. I am here to learn. I want race relations to get better and heal in America. Unfortunately I do not think DiAngelos's solution of being less White is Revolutionary. I do plan on reading a few more book on race relations this year. Hopefully one from MLK. My next read will be Defined (Who God Says you are) by Kendrick.
In conclusion MLK message resonates with me more then Be Less White. This is My review of the book, White Fragility by Robin Diangelo.
Soon after I published this blog, The Derek Chauvin verdict came in. I am satisfied that Justice was served in this case.
