The Myth of White Fragility

Allison Wirtz posits that “white fragility” keeps America “Trapped in a Maze of Inequality.” Hers is an attempt to further divide America into two camps: fragile white people and robust people of color. Disclaimer: I am a white man and I do not agree.

She defines white fragility, hereinafter WF, as something that “refers to the propensity of White people to react defensively and or dismissively to evidence of racism.” Moreover, “Our goal should be to break down the doors of white fragility.”

I have no such goals, probably annoying to Ms. Wirtz. She blithely dismisses opposition to CRT AND DEI, “even though these policies were only scarcely implemented to begin with.” They couldn’t have been wrong-headed, could they?

Ms. Wirtz wants to confront “the colorblind barriers to progress.” That is an odd characterization. Apparently, there are undefined “barriers to progress” and, in fact, they are colorblind. You can see them but they cannot see color. They seem to be behind “the doors” of WF.

It’s hard to know where to start. I’m not physically fragile, so that can’t be it. I imagine that if I take exception to her essay I am, by her definition, reacting defensively or dismissively to her “evidence of racism.” That is a disreputable debate tactic designed to deny an opponent the legitimacy of his argument before he gets a chance to speak. “Racist!” is the common call.

Further, her maze is “of white supremacy.” She recalls America’s dismal legacy of lynching without similarly recalling that it was almost exclusively a single political party that pursued that course. I surmise that it is the party that she votes for or leans toward. Physician, heal thyself.

I strongly agree with Dave Rubin, when he recently said on The View, “We should try our very best to treat people without regard for race both in our personal lives and our public policy.”

No, Ms. Wirtz. There is no white fragility. There is, however, a need by all to repair the disrupted state of our nation. You, Ms. Wirtz, are one of the disruptors.