The Mask of Assimilation: Why ‘Success’ in White Systems Feeds the Machine

You've made it. The job, the title, the respect. You learned how to talk “professionally,” how to navigate the boardroom, how to stay calm in the face of covert dismissal.

But deep down, you feel a quiet betrayal. You wonder: Was the price of my access the erasure of my truth?

Assimilation Is Not Empowerment

Fanon called this “epidermalization of inferiority”—when success becomes a performance designed to reassure the system that you are safe, silent, and familiar. In other words, non-threatening.

In many “diverse” spaces, assimilation is mistaken for progress. But it's not inclusion—it’s sedation. You aren’t empowered. You’re rewarded for self-editing.

The Assimilation Survival Test

Answer honestly:

• Do you monitor your tone more than your message?
• Have you avoided using cultural language or references at work?
• Do you feel guilt when you say “no” or express rage?
• Are you praised more for being “articulate” than for your ideas?
• Do you feel drained, not seen, after meetings?

If you said “yes” to more than two—your role may be built on performance, not sovereignty.

Fanon’s Way Out

Fanon didn’t offer comfort—he offered clarity. He knew that systems will always reward obedience dressed as excellence. But healing starts when we name the mask. When we stop shrinking for inclusion. When we design roles on our own terms.

This isn’t about quitting jobs. It’s about reclaiming identity in every space we inhabit—especially the ones that subtly tell us we’re lucky to be there.