'Make America Great Again" is a slogan that harks back to a time in which White Americans could forgo dealing with race-based stressors. Movements like MAGA serve as a perfect example of how white fragility maintains current institutions of inequality. Thus, highlighting the after-effects of white fragility, which contributes positively toward all systems of inequality within the United States. White people who maintain the mindset of white fragility are not only uncomfortable but defensive in the face of racialized conversations. This social condition triggers a response that finds its way into any conversation that involves white people's worldviews being challenged. MAGA serves as a response to the current political climate in the United States; surrounding institutional structures and the effects it has on racial groups' agency continue to be up for constant debate. Some hold the idea that there are no barriers to those who desire to reach The American dream; however, others subscribe to the idea that societal and institutional issues inhibit the success of others, namely minorities. Institutional structures are real and hinder those trying to succeed.
White Americans can shelter themselves from the experiences of racial minorities, preventing the sharing of diverse experiences by devaluing them based on their subjective experiences. White people live in a social environment in which they are immersed within a culture that protects them from race-based stress (DiAngelo "White Fragility" 2011). This leads to white people developing the expectation of racial comfort. This continued pattern has bred a culture intertwined in all social structures (Jayakumar," The Fifth Frame of Colorblind Ideology"). To understand the societal implications of white fragility, we must first understand what White Fragility is and why it is a problem. White Fragility is defined by Dr. Robin DiAngelo in her book White Fragility, "As a state in which even a minimum amount of racial stress becomes intolerable and elicits a defensive response which normally manifests itself in a myriad of ways ranging from anger to guilt" (DiAngelo "White Fragility" 2011). For example, a college class discussion could involve a Black student discussing his experience with police encounters and pointing out the dissimilarities in his experiences with white peers. However, the white students continued to argue and debate with the Black students about the validity of their experiences and questioned if subjugation was racially motivated. These varied emotions manifest certain behaviors to re-establish white racial equilibrium (Lewis "Amanda E. et al. The Impact of 'Colorblind' Ideologies on Students of Color" 2000). Some behaviors that can take shape are arguing, becoming silent and shutting down, and becoming completely numb to end the conversation (DiAngelo "White Fragility" 2011).
As a result of this inability to discuss racial issues, White People, in turn, contribute to the system of inequality by choosing to be complacent in the face of injustice. This aversion to conversation results in those with the institutional power to create change unaware of the problems because of their deliberate cognitive blinders. Institutional racism is one of the ails of American society, which is defined as "A pattern of social and political systems discriminating against a group of people based on race." Institutional racism is a result of White Americans holding prejudicial beliefs and reflecting them within the institutions they work for (Mercado "Proof That Institutional Racism Is Still a Problem," 2018). The most notable institution is the Jail system in America. There is a long history of false convicts, arrests, and imprisonment of Black people. The executive branch of the government used legislative power during the Reconstruction era to create a new system that would reflect the ideas of the white Americans for that period, which was a system in which Black Americans were seen merely as a workforce, so state governments ushered in Black codes, which gave the police authority to jail innocent Black people for being outside at night. There are approximately 46.8 million Black people in America. At the same time, White Americans make up 328 million (U.S. Census Bureau quick facts: the United States 2019). Despite the vast population size differences, our Judicial system falsely imprisoned Black Americans at a disproportionately higher rate. Although black people represent 13 percent of the U.S. population, according to the National Registry of Exoneration, they represent a whopping 47 percent of 1,900 exonerations in the National Exoneration registry (Vega "Study: Black people more likely to be wrongfully convicted," 2017). This is one example of the systemic injustice that continues to be propagated within American society, which is the continuous act of wrongly jailing Black people and other minorities at a disproportionate rate. White fragility contributes to the oppression of historically disenfranchised groups by allowing those who have white fragility to turn a blind eye to tangible problems, which is another example of white fragility contributing to the marginalization of historically oppressed groups, preventing other races from being able to discuss the social injustice that they experience.
American society creates an environment in which those who suffer from white fragility are inundated with messages from an early age that they are the default. Thus, white people have a strong internalized and unconscious sense of racial belonging in the United States (McIntosh White Privilege and Male Privilege: a Personal Account of Coming to See Correspondences through Work in Women's Studies.). As a result of whiteness being embedded within the fabric of American society, White people are afforded the privilege of seeing accurate and varied depictions of themselves in different spaces, from history books to television. For example, of the top 100 grossing films in 2018, 68% of the all-female roles were white women. However, only 16% were Black women (Hunt, Ramon, Tran, Sargent, & Roychoudhury "Hollywood Diversity" 2018). Varied mediums of representation help to perpetuate White belonging. Therefore, the majority of White Americans have never truly felt as though they did not belong from a racial standpoint due to the continuous representation and media depictions. This is coupled with white people constantly choosing to live in communities in which there is clear racial segregation, which leads to White Americans intentionally separating themselves from other racial and ethnic groups within their daily lives (Charles "The Dynamics of Racial Residential Segregation" 2003, pp. 167–207). This means that oftentimes, most White people choose to live in "A good school district" or "Where there are good property values," which is racially coded language for a predominantly white area (DiAngelo "White Fragility" 2011). Situations like the example help to insulate those suffering from white fragility due to white Americans having the ability to create environments in which they are not forced to think about race and the societal implications of it.
White Fragility adds to a harmful mindset that inhibits any conversations surrounding topics such as race, racism, and the injustices that people experience because of an ethnic-racial identity. Since White people are viewed as the default of the American standard, they are not subjected to the racialization that other minorities experience in America. This means that white people are not subjected to being seen as "white people". They are just seen as" people." However, everyone else is referred to by the denotative mark, which is their race. Thus, societal and social stigmas ensue. These conditions breed an environment in which White people can forgo thinking about race and racism.
In the past, there have been several ways in which white people and minorities have responded to the problem of White Fragility. Some white people who meant well in the past have shown a history of inconsistent behavior, one example of this being that some white Americans try to police people's language without prompting anyone to change or take the initiative to fix actual societal and institutional problems. This harmful inconsistency contributes to the overall problem, though they mean well, the necessary discussions are not addressed. Another example occurs within the realm of higher education when institutions of learning claim that they are "safe spaces" and "Strive for diversity and inclusion" but are behind the scenes doing nothing to contribute to bringing diversity toward their college or university. The college does not have spaces where students can commune and dialogue about these issues and how they can enact change (Mercado "Proof That Institutional Racism Is Still a Problem," 2018). White Americans help in the wrong way by taking part in conversations about racism and expressing sentiments of empathy with an experience they cannot relate to. Simply because they were a minority for a brief period (Mercado, "Proof That Institutional Racism Is Still a Problem," 2018). This consistent behavior is not conducive to creating the kind of cultural shifts that we as a country want to see.
When discussing solutions to the problem of White fragility and how it supports current institutions of racism. Americans must note that those who are currently alive are not the creators of these institutions that oppress people. They should not feel personally responsible for rectifying all of America's problems; however, they should be compelled to use their privilege to correct small injustices that occur on a day-to-day basis. This list of solutions, although directed towards all of society regardless of race, are actions we must take to help create a better society. It will help you as an individual to contextualize and understand that the problems are greater than you and how people's lives are truly being affected on a day-to-day basis. This includes the use of your social media and privilege to provoke thoughtful dialogues, as well as using your ability to speak to exclusive white social circles to address harmful ideas, the perpetuation of racism, or white fragility-based ideas. The most imperative thing to do as a white person in America is to do extensive research on the history of whiteness and its relationship to racism in America.
In summation, white fragility is a national problem that we need to address and rectify desperately. To move in a positive direction toward racial reconciliation in America. All Americans are entitled to life, liberty, and the pursuit of the American dream, free of racism and institutional structures. All Americans, specifically White Americans, must seek out information to educate themselves on the issues that are a result of white fragility. One point of reference is Dr.Robin DiAngelo's book called "White Fragility" to begin the process of education and societal rehabilitation.
Reference:
Charles, Camille Zubrinsky. “The Dynamics of Racial Residential Segregation.” Annual Review of Sociology, vol. 29, Annual Reviews, 2003, pp. 167–207, http://www.jstor.org/stable/30036965.
Deigo , Roman. “White Fragility.” The Conscious Kid, 2017, www.theconsciouskid.org/white-fragility.
DiAngelo, Robin. “White Fragility.” The International Journal of Critical Pedagogy, 2011, libjournal.uncg.edu/ijcp/article/view/249.
Hunt, Darnell, et al. HollyWood Diversity Report 2018, 15 Dec. 2018, socialsciences.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/UCLA-Hollywood-Diversity-Report-2018-2-27-18.pdf.
Jayakumar, Uma M., and Annie S. Adamian. “The Fifth Frame of Colorblind Ideology: Maintaining the Comforts of Colorblindness in the Context of White Fragility.” Sociological Perspectives, vol. 60, no. 5, Sage Publications, Inc., 2017, pp. 912–36, https://www.jstor.org/stable/26579842.
Johnson , Jack “Definition & Analysis of Institutional Racism.” Racial Equity Tool, 2616, www.racialequitytools.org/resourcefiles/institutionalracism.pdf.
Kegler, Anna. “The Sugarcoated Language Of White Fragility.” The Sugarcoated Language Of White Fragility – Verna Myers: Inclusion Strategist | Cultural Innovator, 2016, vernamyers.com/the-sugarcoated-language-of-white-fragility/.
Lewis, Amanda E., et al. “The Impact of ‘Colorblind’ Ideologies on Students of Color: Intergroup Relations at a Predominantly White University.” The Journal of Negro Education, vol. 69, no. 1/2, Journal of Negro Education, 2000, pp. 74–91, http://www.jstor.org/stable/2696266.
Mercado, Mia. “Proof That Institutional Racism Is Still A Problem.” Bustle, Bustle, 17 Dec. 2018, www.bustle.com/p/this-is-proof-that-institutional-racism-is-still-very-much-a-problem-43610.
McIntosh, Peggy. White Privilege and Male Privilege A Personal Account of Coming To See Correspondences through Work in Womens Studies. Working Paper No. 189. Distributed by ERIC Clearinghouse, 1988.
“U.S. Census Bureau Quickfacts: United States.” Census, 1 July 2019, https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/US/PST045219.
Stehle, Maria, and Beverly Weber. “White Fragility and the White Gaze: Race, Gender, and Neoliberalism.” Precarious Intimacies: The Politics of Touch in Contemporary Western European Cinema, Northwestern University Press, 2020, pp. 123–44, https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv14161gx.9.
Vega, Tanzina. “Study: Black People More Likely to Be Wrongfully Convicted.” CNN, Cable News Network, 7 Mar. 2017, www.cnn.com/2017/03/07/politics/blacks-wrongful-convictions-study/index.html?no-st=1556510340.