Sociologist Robin DiAngelo tours the USA with her book "White Fragility" through talk shows and explains how to get rid of racism as a white person. With all consent there is also criticism, for example of their statement that self-mortification is necessary to overcome the internal racist.
Robin DiAngelo is currently the most prominent racism exorcist in the United States. Two years ago she wrote “White Fragilty”, a book that gives white people tips on how to get rid of their racism. Since then she has been a kind of pop star in the United States. She is considered an expert in correct behavior and her reputation has increased again since the death of George Floyd.
Puritan idea
Her book has now been published in German under the title “We Must Talk About Racism”. Here and there there is criticism of the book and its author. Among other things, the allegations are that diAngelo has a very puritanical view of racism. "You can only overcome racism with a lot of hard work and reading your book, for example," explains Dlf resident Sacha Verna.
“With“ White Fragility ”DiAngelo describes the refusal of whites to recognize that they are practically genetically doomed to be racists - and the sensitivity with which whites react to accusations of racism. Sacha Verna summarizes the text, saying that they feel attacked immediately and take up a defense position if they are criticized in this direction.
Painful self-knowledge
The book, says Verna, is a guide to getting rid of this inner racist. Two things are remarkable. First: Robin DiAngelo is white. Second, it does not promise salvation. Rather, it prepares its white audience for a possibly endless way of the cross, a way of suffering and painful self-knowledge. Only those who dedicate themselves to lifelong self-exploration and, above all, self-mortification have a chance that they may overcome innate prejudices.
Criticism also comes from people who are actually exposed to racism. "You feel that she is portrayed as a sugar candy."
However, even the toughest opponents of DiAngelo believe in their good intentions. Nevertheless, the accusation is that she is not actively trying to make changes at the political level in either her lectures or her book.
“In DiAngelo's universe, every activist who is not yet an ideal anti-racist is a hypocrite. Those who have not wiped out the last racist fiber in their own bodies are only increasing their own well-being quotient with political initiatives. "
