Open Thread: Colorblindness

by Latoya Peterson

So I noticed on this thread, a couple people are advocating for a colorblind society.

I can say definitively that working toward a colorblind society is not why Carmen and I post here, and not why we fight racism, and not why we host discussions. From where I sit, it isn’t our colors that are the problem. It is the cultural assessment that certain groups can be ranked superior or inferior based on stereotypes. It is the fact that entire systems have been set up to perpetuate or pander to these stereotypes. It is the investment of certain people to insist on homogeny in order for us to coexist peacefully instead of embracing diversity.

You can “see color” without adding a value judgment.

But that’s my take. What do you say, readers?

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Comments

atlasien wrote:

99% of the time the word “colorblind” is used, it’s to try and make someone talking about racism shut up.

So I think most people at this site are allergic to the word… I’ve certainly developed an aversion.

But sometimes colorblind really means “race-neutral” or “ethnicity neutral”. I certainly want race-neutral hiring practices, a race-neutral health system, an ethnicity-neutral system of public education.

The main barrier to neutrality is the omnipresent invisibility of whiteness… any neutrality or fair ground will tend to default to whiteness. It’s like trying to balance a scale with an invisible weight that won’t stay in one place.

Ultimately, I agree, the word itself “colorblind” has too much baggage and should be retired.

Posted 25 Jun 2008 at 7:12 am ¶
kar-leone wrote:

@latoya
I agree, the very fact that you say “I don’t see color/race/ethnicity/etc” means that you do very virtue of acknowleding it.

Posted 25 Jun 2008 at 7:38 am ¶
visionaria wrote:

I’ll go ahead and re-post what I posted at the article:
***I think sometimes people (that I know anyway) talk about a post-racial or colorblind society, not because they’re saying they don’t actually see race or don’t think there is racism left, but to say that there’s a way of interacting with each other and understanding each other regardless of race.

Sometimes I say I’m “colorblind” simply because I don’t know what other word to use for saying that I respect people’s experiences and acknowledge that they shape who that person has become, but I’m not going to have that be the first thing I think about in interacting with that person. In that sense I don’t see their color, I see them as a person. It’s a very subtle, but incredibly important, distinction.

Similarly, I know people who say that Obama will help create a post-racial society, not meaning that race/racism won’t matter anymore, but meaning that it can help people take accountability for both the differences AND similarities between us beyond our race. For example, there are more similarities between poor blacks and whites than there are between wealthy white and poor whites. People don’t acknowledge that right now because race is something they can (usually) see. So that distinction is ignored. That’s a problem.***

Thinking about it through the night, I admit it’s probably just a poor choice of words. Anybody have good words to use for what I’m describing?

Posted 25 Jun 2008 at 8:15 am ¶
gatamala wrote:

cosign atlasien

Posted 25 Jun 2008 at 8:35 am ¶
superchunk12 wrote:

Seeing Dr.King with the word colorblind reminds me of a white student in my class that emphasized he wanted colorblindness by invoking the “color of skin, content of character’ quote. I told her that when I get a brown band-aid, we could move into colorblind society. I am so tired of people thinking that we’re doing what Dr.King wanted by ignoring social injustice.

Posted 25 Jun 2008 at 8:56 am ¶
Latoya Peterson wrote:

@visionaria –

Why don’t you just use anti-racist to describe yourself?

@atlasien –

any neutrality or fair ground will tend to default to whiteness. It’s like trying to balance a scale with an invisible weight that won’t stay in one place.

Exactly that.

Posted 25 Jun 2008 at 9:02 am ¶
Persia wrote:

On some levels, I think we’re too far away from equality to even have this debate. It’s too hard to envision the pros and cons of a mythical ‘colorblind’ versus a ‘color aware/positive’ society.

Posted 25 Jun 2008 at 9:08 am ¶
StuffBlackPeopleLike wrote:

Color-Blindedness is a reach; I don’t think minorities want a colorblind society. The bottum line is that “We” need to embrace diversity and not just tolerate diversity… this allows for the uniqueness of God’s people to be represented.

Let’s try 20/20 racial vision, now that’s racialicious!

Posted 25 Jun 2008 at 9:40 am ¶
LizzyGetBusy wrote:

“In other words, I would be giving in to a myth of sameness which I think can destroy us. ”
“In our work and in our living, we must recognize that difference is a reason for celebration and growth, rather than a reason for destruction. ”
These are both powerful quotes from Audre Lorde, someone who has grappled with the celebration of difference throughout her life. The history of race and identifying social groups based on this concept is wrought with discrimination, violence, hurt, fear, and anger. It can be a painful past to face. However, I believe it is more destructive to lose sight of this history, to eliminate difference in hopes of creating a colorblind society, one in which everyone is seen as the SAME color. Imagine the beauty that would be lost in an attempt to cleanse ourselves of our respective “colors”, imagine the discrimination that would perservere with the mask of sameness. It is necessary for us to embrace diversity and celebrate our differences in order for us to coexist peacefully. They key is not to eliminate color in order for us to move beyond racism, sexism, classism. I think we have to interrogate the past and address the historical discrimination that has occurred, and question our REACTION to difference – not difference itself.

Posted 25 Jun 2008 at 10:25 am ¶
wendi muse wrote:

i don’t think we will ever be able to see difference without assigning value or lack thereof because of our history of dealing with difference. and when i say difference, i mean of any type. sex, gender, race, body type, all of it. there are soooo many messages about difference that we learn from the media and even our own families and friends that i think it’s virtually impossible to divorce the two. we like to judge, and unfortunately, sometimes those judgment calls on difference turn into racism.

Posted 25 Jun 2008 at 11:28 am ¶
CVT wrote:

This is what kills me about people talking about being “color-blind” – it’s completely impossible and ridiculous. Every time I see somebody, I notice the color of their skin. How could I not? Does it mean I judge them by it? No (usually). But does it mean that I DON’T EVEN NOTICE IT? Of course not.

Having a background in psychology, I know that it is literally impossible not to notice things like that. We are neurologically wired to group people and things (”my group” vs. “their group”; “edible” vs. “poisoned”; “safe” vs. “dangerous”) with all sorts of different ways to categorize.

The key is to fully acknowledge race and how that affects life experience, without categorizing different races as “them” or “other.” THAT’S the key. And to be able to successfully do so, you need to be able to honestly acknowledge that we all see people’s color (with the exception of blind folks), so that you can learn enough to move on to new categorizations.

There was a great study where subjects saw a series of slides of people’s faces along with written quotes (presumably by that person) about an imaginary conflict between two groups of people. Afterwards, people were asked to look at the photos again and remember which side of the conflict they were on.

When all the faces were pictured wearing the same neutral shirt, subjects tended to group the two sides by race (even though the quotes did not support those groupings).

However, when the faces were pictured with either yellow or green shirts (depending on the quotes), subjects had no trouble grouping them by their “team” or shirt color.

Now, every subject was able to explicitly describe the race of the pictured faces in both cases, however, the second situation changed the IMPORTANT CATEGORIZATION for the faces, and thus enabled them to reject race grouping as the key factor. Again – I emphasize that that did not mean they did not notice race. They just noticed what “experience” was more pertinent.

THAT is what “going beyond race” should be. And the only way it can actually work. If people continue to pretend that they “don’t notice race,” then we can’t even begin to have the conversations that will lead to re-classification. However, if they can say – you are white, I’m black, but we get along because of -BLANK- shared experience/interest, then we’re getting somewhere.

Posted 25 Jun 2008 at 11:30 am ¶
CVT wrote:

I just posted this to the last thread, but I want somebody to read it and respond, so:

People would never claim to be “Gender-Blind,” although sexism is obviously a large issue in this country. So why the $*#& do people think that being “Color-Blind” makes any sense whatsoever?

“Gee, I didn’t even notice that that was a woman I was talking to – I just thought that it was a HUMAN BEING . . .”

For those who proclaim “color-blindness” or argue for it – spend a day walking around talking about “gender-blindness” and actively swapping the tenets of color-blindness into it, and then come back to me and let me know how that worked out for you (and how sincere it felt).

Posted 25 Jun 2008 at 11:39 am ¶
Sulyp wrote:

People who are “colorblind” are those whom I consider to be stark liars. There are few things more ridiculous than that statement right there.

If he/she is so colorblind, why do they only say it around people of color, and not when they are around other whites?

If they are so colorblind, why do they feel the need to point out the fact that they are “colorblind”, just so they can prove a point. It doesn’t have to be said. It’s the actions and mannerisms that would speak before that person even had to say, “I’m colorblind.”

Why do “colorblind” people assume that we don’t want others to see our color? I am highly insistent that whomever deals with me see my color. There is nothing wrong with it, and I’m not ashamed. There is nothing this “colorblindness” serves except to placate one’s self with the fallacy that if you “ignore” a person’s color, everything will be alright… even as there are numerous studies to show otherwise.

Posted 25 Jun 2008 at 11:42 am ¶
jed wrote:

I rarely notice the color of someone’s hair, so why should I have to notice the color of someone’s skin? In what way does colorblindness induce homogeny? Individuals are still free to be themselves.

We are discussing a species that hates on its neighbor for simply owning a cat or buying the same car model. These are prejudices that do not even reach the level of veniality. Before we solve racism, we must solve people being complete bastards to their own ethnic group, friends and family.

Think of colorblindness as a seed with a long growth period that matures into something more agreeable, rather than a fixed and final destination.

Finally, as atlasien and visionaria indicate, we have so many definitions of colorblind that the case could be made that none of us are talking about the same thing.

Posted 25 Jun 2008 at 12:27 pm ¶
jed wrote:

CVT: anecdote time – My first job was selling shoes. I hated it, and my boss knew I hated it, but I was good at it. One day she asked me, “You don’t even think about what you’re doing, do you? I’ll bet you don’t even know if your last customer was a man or a woman.” She was right; I could not even recall if my last customer had even bought anything.

Posted 25 Jun 2008 at 12:32 pm ¶
Latoya Peterson wrote:

@jed –

It is pretty obvious that not noticing physical characteristics is not what we are talking about here. Nor are we discussing people who are actually colorblind. If you do not hold the philosophy we are critiquing, then it does not apply to you.

Posted 25 Jun 2008 at 12:35 pm ¶
lxy wrote:

Colorblindness is a straight up political con job.

In effect–if not in intention–this idea is about defending White skin privilege and power by denying that these things even exist.

And the best way to maintain America’s racial caste system in which Whites dominate is simply to promote some political concept that obscures the reality of inequality and power.

Enter Colorblindness….

Posted 25 Jun 2008 at 12:52 pm ¶
kiki wrote:

People who claim to be “color blind” are often the same ones that continue to advocate that America become a “melting pot”. Assimilate and blend until palatable.

Posted 25 Jun 2008 at 1:44 pm ¶
jed wrote:

“It is pretty obvious that not noticing physical characteristics is not what we are talking about here.”

It is not at all obvious what we are talking about here, because just in the comments alone, I can find four different definitions of colorblind (not counting the actual physical disability). Since the 80s, I thought colorblind meant race-neutral, and only in the last few years has it taken on this all-encompassing yet nebulous other meaning.

From yesterday’s article, some people want to blindly tag the 7 of 10 as colorblind, yet no one can now give a single, distinct definition, nor agree on an alternative behavior for those 7 to pursue. So, as things go, the 7 of 10 will continue to be “colorblind” and nothing is accomplished.

As an aside, I think this series has missed the bigger issue. Not those 7, but the remaining 3.

Posted 25 Jun 2008 at 3:12 pm ¶
Tony wrote:

I’d argue the problem is Colorblind has no real definition.

I’d say being colorblind simply meant you didn’t ascribe prejudice to anyone based on race.

Which I think is what we are generally working for.

The thing is the term is also used for people who claim there are purple and green people, so it’s just annoying.

Posted 25 Jun 2008 at 3:24 pm ¶
Mike wrote:

There is no pragmatism in this debate.

If I am lonely, how do I make new friends?

If I am a boss, by which process shall I choose employees?

If I am a parent, how do I choose a school for my children?

If I am moving, how do I choose a neighborhood or a house?

Color-blindness is a weak and clearly unpracticed philosophy, but, it is at least a philosophy. It comes closest to working at the workplace or the university, and clearly fails in the public school system and the real estate market.

But, how do we improve upon it?

Posted 25 Jun 2008 at 3:59 pm ¶
Josh wrote:

“I rarely notice the color of someone’s hair, so why should I have to notice the color of someone’s skin?”

This isn’t a valid analogy – hair color simply doesn’t have the same social, historical, and political implications as skin color. The two cannot really be compared.

And even so, you know, I do notice hair color. I don’t think generally much about it, but of course I notice it. And, political ramifications aside, claiming you “don’t notice” the physical difference between, say, a Norwegian and a Nigerian is just silly. No matter how enlightened you may consider yourself, it’s still kind of obvious that a person has dark skin or light skin or tan skin. The very fact that so many people are so eager to claim they “don’t see” something so obvious is, in itself, a sign of how important race is in our society. You don’t hear people going around randomly claiming they “don’t see” the difference between skirts and pants, or between bikes and cars, do you?

Posted 25 Jun 2008 at 4:24 pm ¶
waxghost wrote:

Since I’ve come here and started trying to learn more about the way that other races see the world, I’ve noticed that I have a different view of my friends of color. I ask them about concepts I never would have thought to ask them about before and in turn get to learn about a part of themselves that they never (could?) reveal to me before. It actually makes me sad that I have missed out on this part of them for so long because I was so busy trying to be “colorblind” (and instead actually thinking of them as white).

It reminds me of when I went to an ancestral country of mine. People on the street assumed I was one of them and talked to me in their native language. I was so proud and pleased to have people around me who knew and recognized my history, even if it was just because of my skin and facial features, and even though their assumptions weren’t exactly correct. I felt like I’d come home. I figure I can’t be the only person in the world who is proud of where they came from and the reflection of that in their appearance….

Posted 25 Jun 2008 at 5:14 pm ¶
A. wrote:

Colorblind = copout.

Working against racism must be too much sometimes! So why not just brand everyone as WHITE, which is something I notice a lot of “colorblind” people do.

Universal whiteness != okay.

Posted 25 Jun 2008 at 5:22 pm ¶
CVT wrote:

Jed – you’re not really getting my point with your anecdote. I seriously doubt you stood in front of your customer, trying to sell them shoes, and had NO IDEA what gender they were. You also probably noticed their race. Did you treat them differently, as a result? I have no idea (although, as a shoe salesman, you likely DID direct them to different styles and makes based on their gender – since they wouldn’t fit, otherwise).

SO – you later forgot who your last specific customer was, because it all blended together, and you had no reason to remember them. Of course. But if you are claiming that you did not even notice any of it AT THE TIME, it’s going to be hard for me to take the rest of your comments seriously.

That would be along the same lines of people who claim to “hardly notice” what race their friends are. That’s a ridiculous claim, and insulting. If I had a friend who claimed to “not notice” my race or ethnicity in any real way, that would be the end of the friendship.

THIS is why I have a problem with “color-blind.” Perhaps, “non-color-reactionary” or something of that nature. Perhaps, noticing the color makes no difference (that’s the ideal, I suppose), but never are you BLIND to it (again, unless literally so).

Posted 25 Jun 2008 at 5:23 pm ¶
CVT wrote:

Jed follow-up:

I hit “send” early on that last one. To make my point, if you were to remember anything about your previous customers back in the day, would it be their name, gender, or race?

Somehow, I seriously doubt that you’d “picture” their name and nothing else. Not being “color-blind” is not being prejudiced. It’s just being honest and taking that first step to being able to acknowledge how stereotypes and prejudices affect ALL of us (for good or for bad). If we can’t even admit to that little bit, there can be no conversation.

Posted 25 Jun 2008 at 5:28 pm ¶
jd wrote:

“In that sense I don’t see their color, I see them as a person.”

Visionaria – the problem with that idea is that (rightly or wrongly) it sounds like you NEED to ignore the color IN ORDER TO see the person. That’s actually deeply racist.

CVT – I’ve heard plenty of people claim to be “gender-blind.” They don’t use that exact word, but they’re still espousing the same idea – ignoring my gender in order to see me as fully human.

Posted 25 Jun 2008 at 7:34 pm ¶
Rachel wrote:

color blind is no solution. It is a privledge to be oblivious to your own race or to pretend to be to other people’s. What we must end is racial stereotyping and begin celebrating common cultural morality.

Posted 25 Jun 2008 at 7:40 pm ¶
lxy wrote:

For those people who whine that there is no alternative “solution” to the Colorblindness concept, you should read what Noel Ignatiev suggests in his idea of Abolishing White privilege and power:

http://racetraitor.org/abolishthepoint.html

Posted 25 Jun 2008 at 8:01 pm ¶
Cranky_Old_Batt wrote:

Correct me if I am wrong, but aren’t all children born color blind as it refers to racial separatism?

Cos I sure was.

It was until I went to school – and got called the names and got my little mixed race butt kicked (a lot) that I learned about the different races and marginalization versus privilege etc.

Posted 25 Jun 2008 at 8:30 pm ¶
Katie wrote:

Slightly off-topic, I know, but “colorblind” also seems like awfully ableist language to me. Using “blind” to mean “unaware” is a standard thing-to-avoid when trying not to put down people with blindness.

Posted 25 Jun 2008 at 11:05 pm ¶
Renee wrote:

Even the most committed anti-racist is not colorblind. We make race based judgments daily in our thinking often without even acknowledging it. Race based difference is something that we are taught at such an early age that it takes conscious work daily to fight against generalization.

Posted 26 Jun 2008 at 7:45 am ¶
visionaria wrote:

jd, as can often happen with comments, what I was trying to say didn’t really come out in the way I said it.

I didn’t mean to say that I don’t normally see them as people until I see the color and then get over the color. I meant to say that instead of approaching the situation like “hmm this guy is white, what should I talk to him about?” or “ok, this woman is black, should I interpret what she just said differently?” etc., I try to keep the usual stereotypes out of my head.

As somebody noted about the psychology of that decision-making, a lot of it happens automatically and without your awareness or control. I studied this too (the social cognition of gender and race), so I also know that you have to work pretty hard at getting to the point where you push out those stereotypes, but it is possible. That’s what I’m trying to do.

Posted 26 Jun 2008 at 2:48 pm ¶
Torontonian wrote:

I agree with CVT, and when I see someone use the word ‘colorblind’, I feel that the person needs to take some psychology. Even if a person does not consciously perceive race, he would still be affected by implicit bias, and not taking that into account is dangerous. Anyway, here are some psychology studies:

Novel Brain Areas Associated With The Recognition Of Gender, Ethnicity And The Identity Of Faces

Autistic Children Recognize Stereotypes Based On Race And Sex, Study Suggests

Posted 26 Jun 2008 at 11:24 pm ¶
A. wrote:

@ Cranky Old Batt –

Children are born without an idea of social dynamics until they have to deal with them. Some kids learn about those social/racial dynamics earlier than others.

Children will notice race. They will notice that someone is darker than them. What they generally pay attention to is the fact that “Is this person a good playmate.”

Posted 28 Jun 2008 at 11:12 pm ¶