white fragility
noun[U]
mainlyUSuk/ˌwaɪt frəˈdʒɪl.ə.ti/us/ˌwaɪt frəˈdʒɪl.ə.t̬i/theideathat somewhitepeopleareupsetandfeelthreatenedwhen theythinkabout or are told aboutracism(=policies,behaviour,rules, etc. thatresultin acontinuedunfairadvantageto somepeopleandunfairorharmfultreatmentofothersbasedonrace):
In herbook"WhiteFragility" theauthorRobin DiAngelotriestoanswerthequestionas to why it is so hard forwhitepeopletotalkaboutracism.
Whitefragilityrefers to thefeelingsofdiscomfortawhitepersonmayexperiencewhen they areconfrontedwithdiscussionsaroundracialinequalityandinjustice.
- She says that the "reverseracism"argumentisrootedinwhitefragilityand thesubconsciousbeliefinwhitesupremacy.
- InrecentweeksI have beenplanningout aperformanceartpieceaboutwhitefragility.
- He was referring towhitefragility- thesenseofdefensivenessamongwhitepeopleaboutracism.