Theological Journal – July 7, 2020 Individualism and Racism

In her article “Why Can’t We All Just Be Individuals?: Countering the Discourse of Individualism in Anti-racist Education” (https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5fm4h8wm) Robin DiAngelo lists the major dynamics of individualism:

-denies the significance of race and the advantages of being white.

-hides the accumulation of wealth over generations.

-denies social and historical context.

-prevents a macro analysis of the institutional and structural dimensions of social life.

-denies collective socialization and the power of dominant culture (media, education, religion, etc.) to shape our perspectives and ideology.

-functions as neo-colorblindness and reproduces the myth of meritocracy.

-is only culturally available to the dominant group (as is meritocracy).

-makes collective action difficult.

“Am I my siblings’ keeper?” is the way the Bible poses this question for us. God’s answer is an unconditional “Yes.” White Americans are “taught” formally in many cases but also, and far more powerfully, informally by our socialization and experiences, to answer “No” unless the decision to aid others is our personal choice or in the case of a disaster or tragedy (when helping is nearly impossible to avoid).

Do these dynamics ring true to you? Do you recognize their influence in your life? Have you seen them at work in our recent struggles over race? (more on this to follow)