White Comfort Kills
While the death toll mounts in Gaza, the people of the global majority watch in disbelief as the US and other white-dominated societies continue to arm and enable “Israel” and bomb Houthi-controlled Yemen, the only country taking any kind of significant action against the ongoing genocide of Palestinians in Gaza. There are many reasons the white world is behaving this way: Christian nationalism, capitalism and white supremacy to name a few. One aspect of white supremacy culture that is truly insidious and deadly is one Tema Okun calls the “right to comfort”. Though it seems innocuous, it is quite deadly.
In today’s society, the pervasive nature of white comfort has become a barrier to achieving true equity and justice. Within organizational structures, institutions, and everyday interactions, the prioritization of white comfort perpetuates systems of oppression, marginalizing and silencing those who do not fit the mould of whiteness. White people must recognize the deadly consequences of maintaining this status quo and actively work towards centering racialized voices.
White comfort thrives on the preservation of the status quo, where the voices and experiences of racialized communities, including Indigenous peoples, are minimized or dismissed in favour of white comfort. This comfort is maintained through acts of racial violence, structural discrimination, and the perpetuation of…
