Seattle offers classes on 'white fragility,' to explain roots of guilt
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FOX NEWS - A city-run cultural program in Seattle is offering residents classes on "white fragility" to white folks understand why they can't seem to handle matters involving race, and tickets have sold out.
Lecturer Robin DiAngelo, who coined the term, is teaching the taxpayer-funded class for the city Officeof Arts and Culture. She defines white fragility as "a state in which even a minimum amount of racial stress becomes intolerable, triggering a range of defensive moves."
Critics say it is just the latest attempt at spreading white guilt, following in the footsteps of concepts such as "white privilege."
"By the way, DiAngelo is white," noted Todd Herman, of MyNorthwest.com. "But she doesn’t have any bias or fragility. And we’re going to pay her a bunch of money to teach a class on white fragility!"
The Office of Arts and Culture, which has a budget of $8.3 million, is holding two 4-hour classes, Aug. 17 and Sept. 7. Tickets are $60 and both lectures are sold out. Erika Lindsay, a city spokesperson, says staffers have been working on the event, but she could not pinpoint how much taxpayers are shelling out for the program.