Colorblind Ideology is a Form of Racism
I posted this thread in GD and pissed a lot of people off. A member of this group suggested I post it here in hopes of having a more thoughtful discussion on the topic. Do members here think colorblindness exists, is a worthy goal, or as the author argues a form of racism?
http://election.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=3361541
Original post in GD read as follows:
Interesting article and it's worth reading the whole thing. I chose four paragraphs that get at the crux of the argument. It shows the idea that we can do away with racism by ignoring it is false.
Racial issues are often uncomfortable to discuss and rife with stress and controversy. Many ideas have been advanced to address this sore spot in the American psyche. Currently, the most pervasive approach is known as colorblindness. Colorblindness is the racial ideology that posits the best way to end discrimination is by treating individuals as equally as possible, without regard to race, culture, or ethnicity.
. . .
Racism? Strong words, yes, but let's look the issue straight in its partially unseeing eye. In a colorblind society, White people, who are unlikely to experience disadvantages due to race, can effectively ignore racism in American life, justify the current social order, and feel more comfortable with their relatively privileged standing in society (Fryberg, 2010). Most minorities, however, who regularly encounter difficulties due to race, experience colorblind ideologies quite differently. Colorblindness creates a society that denies their negative racial experiences, rejects their cultural heritage, and invalidates their unique perspectives.
Let's break it down into simple terms: Color-Blind = "People of color — we don't see you (at least not that bad ‘colored' part)." As a person of color, I like who I am, and I don't want any aspect of that to be unseen or invisible. The need for colorblindness implies there is something shameful about the way God made me and the culture I was born into that we shouldn't talk about. Thus, colorblindness has helped make race into a taboo topic that polite people cannot openly discuss. And if you can't talk about it, you can't understand it, much less fix the racial problems that plague our society. . . .
The alternative to colorblindness is multiculturalism, an ideology that acknowledges, highlights, and celebrates ethnoracial differences. It recognizes that each tradition has something valuable to offer. It is not afraid to see how others have suffered as a result of racial conflict or differences.
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/colorblind/201112/colorblind-ideology-is-form-racism
= new reply since forum marked as read
You can't win because people won't take their heads out of their asses.
You were fighting the good fight in there, though. 
I did my best on that thread.
And I still agree with the article.
It goes to personal care and grooming - AND the prevailing perception of "beauty" by the dominant culture. It's easy for someone safe and snug in their womb of privilege to say they are color blind - but they don't have to navigate the world outside of the fish bowl. 
.
Kudos to you for acknowledging it.
recently, and older, white gay man told me this: "if all black people were are nice as you, i'd talk to all of them." 
and i responded: "how many black people do you know?" his response: none. this was after he confessed to me that he would cross the street if he saw a group of young black men hanging out. i asked him if he would feel the same if the young black men were wearing business suits and carrying briefcases, and he said no.
how in the hell can we have a discussion about race, given where he is and where i am? it would be like trying to explain quantum physics to a two-year old. conclusion: the white people who are willing to discuss race are not the ones who need the discussion.
And for alot of us, that means our color and culture. We need them to be SEEN. It's the judgement that goes with them that we can live without.
