5 Feet of Fury

Stuff White People Like: “Being Offended”

“It is also valuable to know that white people spend a significant portion of their time preparing for the moment when they will be offended. They read magazines, books, and watch documentaries all in hopes that one day they will encounter a person who will say something offensive. When this happens, they can leap into action with quotes, statistics, and historical examples. … All of which do an excellent job of raising awareness among white people who hope to change their status from ‘not racist’ to ‘super not racist.’

“Another thing worth noting is that the threshold for being offended is a very important tool for judging and ranking white people. Missing an opportunity to be outraged is like missing a reference to Derrida – it’s social death.”