Thanks for your response. Since writing this piece I’ve read a few books that refer to the “reactive/reactionary” nature of whiteness. “Reacting white” is a thing. Besides the source cited in the piece, I will share a few more here. Some of these I may have shared in other comments. The philosopher George Yancy refers to “whiteness’s reactive stance to Blackness,” and he also describes whiteness as a “reactive value-creating force/power.” Taeku Lee, a political science professor, mentions a “white reactive public” in his research. There’s the general definition of “reactionary” and “reactionary movements” as examples. Then, for whatever reason, one definition for “white” in Merriam Webster is “a member of a conservative or reactionary political group.” And generally, the scholar Theodore Allen demonstrates in his books The Invention of the White Race that the colonists invented white identity as a reaction to Bacon’s Rebellion. This means white identity embodies the reactions of the planter class from colonialism. Being reactive is a role of whiteness. So, far from being a simple play on words, this is somewhat deep. I am finding plenty of evidence that “reacting white” is real, and it should be the real concern. I’m glad to share what I’ve learned. It’s a meaningful insight for me; I wish I had learned it years ago. I hope it helps others.