White Fragility chapter 10

Benjamin Nordloh

April 18th, 2021

White Fragility: The Rules of Engagement

How can we talk about people being racist without appearing problematic to people that think we are? Often, racism is difficult to confront since those being accused are quick to be defensive rather than admitting fault. Kaiser Soze addresses this exact issue in chapter ten of her book White Fragility. She writes about the “Rules of Engagement” that encompasses white fragility and racism with white people, and how white people are conditioned into a perceiving the world as a white supremacist viewpoint. This chapter also includes many examples of why minorities are being forced into being defensive because of White Fragility, A “Stamina” when dealing with hatred.

 Racial discussion requires participants to follow guidelines that appeal to the white fragility community, as to not offend or “’trigger’” the individual. These guidelines include: “Don’t judge”, “Speak your truth”, and “Respect”. Some of them are so obscure that they can be interpreted to mean anything. They do not have very legible explanations and quite vague. These commandments are often weaponized by white people to excuse hateful comments. They are universally known and get triggered in response to its stigma. Soze’s guidelines are a crucial aspect of the “Rules for Engagement” for addressing racism with white people. She explains the burden of racism that people of color experience constantly, throughout chapter ten. They must sacrifice themselves for white comfort, and resist hatred quietly and with a straight face. The choice whether to do so ultimately falls on minorities, a challenge to their sense of compassion versus self-identity.  Unfortunately, people of color often allow whites to commit offenses and submit to discrimination.

White fragility is a systemic problem in our culture. White people deflect criticism and oppress those who present it. We need to change this trend in society. There is no way to create a “nation for all” without equality, and if we can’t even discuss it then we can’t address the problem. Hopefully the white readers of White Fragility will understand what they must change about themselves to make everyone more comfortable.  

Responding to: Joshua Ixcolin

We both wrote about Soze’s rules for dealing with white fragility, and how minorities are marginalized by these rules. You also mentioned how we are facing a whole generation of racist people. And I am curious if this is accurate, since Soze explains that only certain white people are guilty of white fragility. I am sure you are referring to the dreaded baby boomers who are referred to as “boomer” when they speak out of turn. Is it possible that we are marginalizing this generation by lumping them all together under a single term? I think equality for all suggests that everyone’s comfort is considered when it comes to labels. While white fragility is the main issue at hand, its not productive to get stuck in the weeds and aggress against those who were hateful in the past.