1. Not de jure. There is a degree of segregation of course. Some of which is due to the lingering effects of Jim Crow. Some of which, as you see all over the world, is due to people's tendency to "stick to their own". I'd very much like to see that come to an end.
2. This is a disingenuous framing of anything I’ve said. Of course I’m not saying that talking about white privilige is divisive. Though I will say that white privilige is a vague and unhelpful term that often ignores the complexity of human beings.
DiAngelo and her ilk are divisive because they encourage the idea that race is the defining factor of human experience and that black and white people are separated by a divide that is practically unbreachable. Black people have been fighting to not be defined by the colour of their skin for decades. In swoops DIAngelo and convinces millions of white people that doing so is somehow enlightened.
In the comments of this article alone people have told me how they felt more self conscious around black people and less inclined to engage with black people after attempting to read her work out of fear of making a "mistake". I've seen hundreds of similar comments over the course of my work.
3. https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2019/04/09/how-americans-see-the-state-of-race-relations/
https://news.gallup.com/poll/318851/perceptions-white-black-relations-sink-new-low.aspx
The second link shows the trend in perception of race relations over the past several years. This is particularly telling as, by every available measure, the impact of discrimination has decreased over the same period.
4. Growing up during such a racist period would make it much harder to avoid picking up racist attitudes. I think it's much easier to avoid those attitudes today. Not much more to say on this. It seems self-evident.
5. I described you as a neoracist because it didn’t even occur to you to listen to a black person who thinks differently to you. Even though, if you are a fan of DiAngelo, I’m sure you’d claim that you believe it’s important to listen to black people about racism. Not noticing that you really mean "black people who say what I think they should be saying". I use the term neoracist to describe a certain condescension and arrogance that I see increasingly often directed at black people by certain white people. Maybe it's just a wild coincidence, but it seems especially common amongst people who resonate with DiAngelo.
6. If DiAngelo was sincere, the upside, as well as helping children in need, would be an opportunity to clairify ideas on racism for her huge audience. She's not being attacked, it's a converation with somebody who disagrees with her. If she doesn't have the confidence to back up her ideas, she has no right to be charging tens of thousands of dollars an hour for them in seminars. Even I'm willing to engage with people who challenge my ideas. And I do it for free. I do this because I genuinely care about this issue.
7. I'm not claiming to be an expert. At no point have I asked you to blindly accept what I say. Again, this is disingenuous. I'm saying that as a black man I have more experience of racism than you do. I'm saying that as race writer I've spent far more time than you researching and learning about racism. This absolutely doesn't guarantee that I'm correct. But it merits a very basic level of humility that you might be missing something. Again, I have had literally thousands of conversations about race. Many with people I disagreed with. They've almost all been fine because most people know how to talk to a stranger with a basic level of respect.
Conversations needn't be hard. Just be polite. I'm not attacking you. I pose no threat to you. Nothing said in this conversation will make life harder for either of us. If you have to "try" to be civil, think about why that is.
