White fragility can be best summarized in a quote from Denise Balkissoon: “White people are people and race is a thing that happens to everyone else.” Many of us are not aware of this mindset on a conscious level. Rather, it is the reason why so many people become defensive when a racial conversation is taking place: because our own complicity in the system discomforts us in a way that we are not willing to admit. When I walk outside, I can be sure that people won’t avoid me based on my skin colour. When I walk into a store, I will always be able to find products that were designed for my usage. In other words, I can go about my daily existence without noticing how the people around me are being treated. Our reaction to the words “white fragility” is instinctual, for if we acknowledge the systems that work to oppress certain races, we risk losing our unearned privileges. We want to believe that we have achieved our positions based on merit alone, so we ignore the circumstances that other people are dealt in life.   

            With so much privilege on the line, it only makes sense that we would take to something like a “bad apple” theory. If racism is something that exists in the individual, then we believe it can be of no concern as long as we treat everyone equally. Nevertheless, the hierarchy that racial science established centuries ago still exists, but it has learned to operate out of plain sight. Moreover, it is impossible for us to see the hierarchy because we placed ourselves at the top. Whenever someone uses the word “whiteness,” we feel the need to hold that position, because a world where we don’t see ourselves as the “norm” makes us question whether we are truly living for the betterment of all people. Acknowledging that this hierarchy exists is not about shame or guilt, but rather balance. The first step to attaining social justice is always uncomfortable because it involves admitting that systems and institutions do not cater to everyone like they cater to us.     

References

Balkissoon, D. (2016, October 11). Whiteness is a racial construct. It’s time to take it apart. https://spon.ca/whiteness-is-a-racial-construct-its-time-to-take-it-apart/2016/10/11/