Is Being Colorblind Just Another Form of Racism?
For years now, I’ve heard many people say that they are “colorblind” in an attempt to prove they are not racist. Usually, this is followed by a statement explaining that they don’t see a person’s color because at the core we’re all human. While it sounds good on the surface, people who profess colorblindness have always made me a little uncomfortable.
While we are, in fact, human, we can’t escape the role race and ethnicity plays in our lives. Although race is socially constructed, our ethnicities, nationalities, race, and cultural experiences inform who we are as people, and discounting those experiences under the guise of a colorblindness just doesn’t feel right to me. After all, recognizing and acknowledging each other’s differences isn’t a step back, but rather a step toward true inclusion.
Recently, Psychology Today took a look at the ideology behind being racially colorblind. In the article, “Colorblind Ideology Is A Form of Racism,” Dr. Monica Williams argues that refusing to acknowledge the racial and ethnic differences of others is a form of racism.
Williams writes:
At its face value, colorblindness seems like a good thing — really taking MLK to task on his call to judge people on the content of their character rather than the color of their skin. It focuses on commonalities between people, such as their shared humanity.
However, colorblindness alone is not sufficient to heal racial wounds on a national or personal level. It is only a half-measure that in the end operates as a form of racism.
She breaks it down:
In a colorblind society, Whites, 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.
If colorblindness isn’t the answer to dealing with racism, Williams argues what many of us have always known: Multiculturalism is the answer.
Learning about the culture, practices, and nuances of another’s culture does more to stem the tide of racism than simply ignoring our differences. Through multiculturalism, Williams argues, we can celebrate our differences while acknowledging the difficult racial pasts of others.
What do you think? Do you think colorblindness is a form of racism? Speak on it!
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omfg i cant sleep its fuckin 2 in the morning (in england) and i have school tomorrow.
peace, Timcampi isnt white, he’s one of those oyibo worshipping “Nigger-ians”. You’d expect his behavior from those who has only seen oyibos on Tv but he’s actually one of those “Nigerian-Americans” who cabnt even speak their tongue so you’d think he’d know better but nah, wishful thinking.
I cant be bothered, I know he will reply with some crap and hopefully Joy will fall in love with him and be a wonderful oyibo wife LOL.
So as not be bothered anymore, Im unsubscribing from this topic. On to the next!
@Girl
I’m female.
And it’s definitely spelled oyinbo.
@Girl
Also there are over 250 different cultures in Nigeria, with 4 mainly spoken languages. The fact that you just assumed everyone speaks Yoruba is HILARIOUS. The irony is laden in your comments.
I speak Portuguese, Japanese and Yoruba. And since you have a weak mastery in English and the latter, I don’t feel the need to continue. Be well and happy new year :D
lol @ hanna.
“I guess that’s one way to make sure black people and white people get along. Tell them they should jump off a bridge. You’re clearly a paragon of rational, calm behavior. So you tell me what I should do now.”
Why would I wanna get along with yall. I dont TRUST you and your wretched race. who asked aboiut your daughter? Oyibos sure love being sentimental. E pele o, oyibo babymama. Teehehehehe
You greet me gently? Do you even know what you’re saying? I’m seriously LMAO at you “greeting me gently” when you’re trying to be offensive! And FYI, if you were as smart as you think you are, you’d have read that Timcampi is a woman. Reading comprehension is clearly not your strong suit.
@girl, “Why would I wanna get along with yall. I dont TRUST you and your wretched race.”
oh wow um do you realise that is racist and just so mean, there’s me thinking we were on the same page. “oyibo worshipping”. really though really. i may really dissagree with joy but that does not mean im going to sink to her or that racist commenter’s level, jeez racism is not something i tolerate from white people or any other race.
good for you keep on doing what you are doing and dont think that everyone feels the same way as that girl.
oh thiis cmmen was for joy.. if it wasnt obvious
@peace
And now you know exactly what I was trying to say.
well yeah of course i do. last time i checked oyinbo meant white. anywho im not nigerian so i could be wrong.
@peace
Oyinbo does mean white. Haha that was random. I don’t think there was a dispute over what it meant. xD Just the validity of treating white people like confused children who just always stumble into racism. That gets rid of accountability in my opinion… but whatever. Good luck with school :D College is d*ckriding me right now lmao.
ih my bad anywho thanx, yeah im also in uni ;) and stressed the f out.
wooo this article has blew up and guess the entourage from stormfront has invaded.. i guess the moderators are sleep or on vacation?
I dont remember saying anyone had to speak Yoruba you twit. If I remember correctly, you mentioned your place of origin in another article..or should I say place of your parents origin, being a “bootleg Nigerian” and all. Are those not your words?
@peace, I dont remember saying you should agree with me. Your rant on me being “racist” means nothing to me. either way as a minority I dont have the power to be racist, now prejudice is the word for me.
SociallyMaladjusted, I completely agree,
“You’d expect his behavior from those who has only seen oyibos on Tv but he’s actually one of those “Nigerian-Americans” who cabnt even speak their tongue so you’d think he’d know better but nah, wishful thinking.”
So, you’re just implying I can’t speak my own tongue because I’m Nigerian-American? Which is funny because it isn’t my own tongue… it’s my background but my nationality is American. So not only can I speak my own tongue, I can speak an additional one. or two. For someone who’s calling me a twit… you’re not trying to make half a dime o’ sense right now. You still haven’t address the fact that you’ve gotten my gender and backstory wrong. Oh the confusing world of ad hominems.
You are completely prejudiced. I’m glad you finally admit it. At least you are aware of your bigotry.
I love how it is so easy to change the definition of racist…..great excuse for that kind of behavior.
who gives a damn about your gender? Why dodnt you tell me where you bgo the idea that you should speak Yoruba, did i sayt anything about Yoruba, OYIBO worshipper.
Comment about you and Joy still stands. You could be a lesbian afterall or even transgendered sef and Im glad you are denying your roots because you were born in the states. abeg, go and sit down. when a person says “tongue” it stands for mother’s tongue, you bloody illiterate.
Yea Im prejudiced against white people, what of it? E pele o. Madam Kumbaya, OYIBO lover teehee.
abeg JOY tell your people to get the phuck outta Nigeria. We have enough problems with our leaders, we dont need your paper colored freaks adding to our problems especially in PH. Rubbish.
How am I denying my roots when I said my background is Nigerian. Holy shiz you’re getting so angry over nothing. I mean, at this point it’s like you’re deliberately not reading anything I said.
When a person says tongue it stands for language. When a person says Native tongue is stands for language in country of nativity. My origin is Nigeria but I am an American native. Okay… I think I’m done… cause you sorely want the last word and to be right. Enjoy life! Be happier :D
i think she should start being happier. that is just depressing having so much anger for a certain race, that is why i dont get angry at racists, i feel sorry for them spending their lives having so much anger and resentment towards a race. why does she think you worship white people i dont think i got that from your comments but hey what an you do. just let her live her miserable life.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Native_Americans_in_the_United_States
@gryph
I didn’t say Native American I said American native. The word native means BORN IN A PLACE OR COUNTRY REFERRED TO. Christ. Reading is a huge issue here…
lol. yes. speak to me of reading. this is a thread about multi-culturalism and understanding other cultures. though right? lol.
your self-description as “an american native” displaces what some native/indigenous people call themselves and their political claim on “the nation”? why not – out of respect for that – just say “i was born in the united states”?
@gryph
Uh no. You’re just trying to justify the fact that you misread my statement. Native American is not the same thing as saying an American native. One is capitalized for a reason. Are you sure you’re not the one displacing our indigenous brethren? Because one can clearly see the difference in the two. The word “native” is not owned by Native-Americans. Anyone who is born and stays in their country of origin is a native to that country. An ethnicity who migrated thousands of years ago and became associated/integrated with that are aboriginal or native indigenous people.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Native-born_citizen
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Native_American_(U.S._Census) <– scroll down the the parts where they describe Native in the context of different ethnicities
And lastly:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Native_American_(Americas) <– implied difference names for indigenous people. Meaning that Native-American isn't even the CORRECT TERM for them.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Native_American_name_controversy <– "Rejection of names used by outsiders and not the individual Tribe or Indian people at large (example: "Nez Perce" is a French phrase; "Native American" was coined by the US government);" Oh, word? So some to many indigenous people actually have a problem with being called Native-American?
:/ This is not a multicultural issue. But you're trying your hardest to make it one.
let’s try this again. i questioned why you’d claim “american native” when
1) there are other terms available to you that signify where you were born
2) “first-nations” (get it?) people have repeatedly have countered “american native” claims by stating that they are the only people “native to america”. that is, they’ve used that as a site to challenge our claims to this land.
you can get into to all the cute little semantics and pedanticisms to try and save face, but needlessly claiming “american native” – PARTICULARLY in a forum that holds multiculturalism as hope for future racial harmony – is sort of like that white person who describes black people as “niggardly”, snickering, then going into the different etymologies of the words after the “niggers” catch feelings.
it’s an “understanding other cultures’” fail. wikipedia links doesn’t change that at all. but hey, whatever helps you feel like you belong here, naijah gyal. lol.
If you’re going to resort to insulting me because you disagree DON’T bother responding. Your “naijah gyal” comment was pathetic, rude and above all hypocritical. In an effort to “uplift” multiculturalism you BASH my hereditary within the American culture? How does that make sense? If I actually cared what you think I would have the heart to be upset and offended. I don’t but you need some serious education.
1. I used the term native because I am native to America. I am a native citizen. If you have a problem with that, that’s not my business. The word is clearly defined. There is no racial or ethical connotation to the word in my context. Google is our frand. I only used wikipedia because it’s readily available. That doesn’t change it’s validity.
The politically correct term for Indigenous Americans is ‘Native’ Americans. It’s OFFENSIVE. This has been said BY people of that particular ethnicity.
http://www.allthingscherokee.com/articles_culture_events_070101.html <– Actually states that it's better to refer to the tribe/culture/ethnic group of that person SUCH AS WE DO WITH OTHER ETHNICITIES.
http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Native_American <– "Native Americans are only native relative to the ruling non-natives and their non-native culture. Long story short: it might make you feel good, liberal, non-racist and self-righteous to use this particular euphemism but it hasn't done a thing to make life better for any "Native American" or to change the fact that "Native Americans" continue to be outsiders in (non-native) American life. Most "Native Americans" have rejected this term, in favor of the first incorrect term, "Indian", in a move to say "you gave it to us once, now you want to change it again. This time we say No"."
2. Which is funny because they're ancestors were NOT native to America. They are indigenous peoples. And if you read any of the links Native isn't even the correct term for them. THIS IS SAID BY ACTUAL "Native" Americans. Did you actually read anything on indigenous people of America? Because I did. That's why I know I can use the word NATIVE. ^Above^
I'm not saving face. Nothing I said has changed. I await your response because so far you've used nothing but your "opinion" while I've actually taken the time to look this up.
Also it’s nothing like a white person calling a black person “niggardly”. Actually what you’re doing would be the closest thing to that… Or even better you’re forcing indigenous Americans to reclaim a term that was created for them by white people. In order to describe them to OTHER white people.
Your brand of liberalism is pretty awesome though. Instead of actually knowing anything about the struggle of a minority, you pick up some choice statements from a sixth grade textbook. It’s like that white girl who tried to tell me Kurt from Glee did wonderful things for Gay people. Get off it. Actually educate yourself. Go to Arizona and actually try to use the word Native American. Besides your skin color some of them will now dislike you for being an idiot.
I just realized you think First Nations and Native are synonymous. They’re not at all… wow. You know nothing. They were the FIRST nations here (get it?). Oh and more links~ This is fun.
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/indigenous <– read the comments. "Tell your misinformed friend that the term "Native American" is actually less correct…considering the indigenous cultures pre-dated the Americas!"
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_politically_correct_term_for_a_Native_American
"*Smithsonian "Museum of the American Indian" opened, a petition quickly pulled up to change it to "Native American". It was quashed by request of none other than the Muscogee High Chief. Most of the complaints for Indians aren’t made by Indians. Furthermore, the museum is not about “Native Americans” but is about all of the people indigenous to the New World.” <– the fact that most of the complaints against Indians aren't even by American Indians is hilarious.
*A college campus newspaper once interviewed flautist R. Carlos Nakai, who objected to the term 'Native American'. He preferred instead to be referred to as a member of his specific tribe, or even generically as an 'Indian' (the reasoning being that the term 'Indian' was the result of an honest mistake that just happened to stick, whereas 'Native American' imposes a nationality not of his choosing). Nonetheless, the article went on to refer to Nakai as a Native American at least five times after he voiced his objection!"
http://www.enotes.com/american-indians-alaska-natives-reference/american-indians-alaska-natives
So there you have it. You're unmistakably wrong even in the context of many of the people you're trying to defend… Who didn't need defending in the first place. You're awesome. Be well though. Despite your petty attempt to debase and offend me, I hope you have a nice day. Maybe next time we'll be on the same side. :D
Boa sorte meu irmao.
rude? how so. i have nigerian friends i hail up with “naijah gyal!” all the time. that you’d be offended by being reminded of your roots is telling. how is that BASHING your heredity? it isn’t. fix that.
now, what i’m questioning is your odd determination to step on toes when there are other options available to you. why not just say you were “born in america” instead of being an “american native”?
also, i’ve already gone beyond multiculturalism – as it doesn’t work really. people find more clever ways to be racist. so, i’m not here trying to promote it. it’s questionable however that you’d not conduct yourself more wisely given that mutliculturalism is the topic. you are kind of showing why it might not work.
i’m well aware of the colonial problems of the term “native” – and that america’s indigenous people (some of them any way) have rejected it. and, i’m not telling them to reclaim anything.
however, do recognise naijah gyal, that “native” is still a very loaded term, despite what you say. so calling yourself an “american native” – is very charged – despite it being in some narrow sense true.
but you know what, i know how we can settle this arguement. hang around a bunch of indigenous/first nations/aboriginal/apache/choctaw/cherokee/sioux or whatever people. repeatedly refer to yourself as an “american native”. they’ll eventually scalp your black ass.
You just said scalp… and native American… and I’m the one who needs to be “aware” of my loaded terminology. o___o THE F*CK. … And then you had the nerve to say I need to be more multicultural? This can’t be reality. I’m done for real now. You truly are an idiot. I was being flippant before but now it’s definitely true. Please respond. I know you desperately want to get in the last word. Another comment about me being ashamed to be Naija (correct spelling) should do.
yup. i said “scalp”. tactically. see you never fail to pick on the most superficial parts of an argument – and run headlong into nonsense land with them.
so, i always leave those little treat for you. they divert you and prolong my satisfaction in watching you run around in maze constructed by your superficiality. not only white folks should have this kind of fun, lol.
One min she’s claiming America. Next min it’s Nigeria. abeg comot.
Happy New Year!
@peace I find it extremely sad that you have to insult me because you dont agree with my views. All these bloody coons saying whatever BS so as to “show” Joy and her crew of flunkies that “hey we dont all think like her!”. Who the hell said you needed to agree with me? Did I ever insult YOU? A simple “she’s on her own with that, I dont agree” would have suffice instead of running your mouth on some nonsense.
i also find it extremely sad that you had to insult Timcampi because she did not agree with your views and questioned her blackness. Read the hurtful things you wrote. Yeah we don’t have to agree but why do you have to get racist and question someone’s blackness because they disagreed with you. I don’t mean to be mean, I honestly feel sorry for you, not in a patronising or rude way btw. Race is something that I can get very passionate about and will always be important to me but I don’t believe that black people cant be racist towards another race, you may disagree but changing the definition of racism to make what you say ok is not right.
you know what i dont care about joy or whatever but i do care when people but i do care when someone is being racist or being prejudice towards someone else.
“If colorblindness isn’t the answer to dealing with racism, Williams argues what many of us have always known: Multiculturalism is the answer.”
LOL. no it isn’t. know this: in canada, where mutli-culturalism is a national policy, anyone writing seriously about race admits that multiculturalism still permits for racism – and is itself racist. policy-wise it is another ‘stop gap’ measure that allows for minority investment in the nation-state, not meaningfully addressing systemic discrimination and in many greasing an inequitable assimilation. lol, some answer.
“Scrubbed of the most offensive commentary, comments can sometimes read like an ad for multiculturalism in Canada. Waxing poetic about integration, diversity and harmony, commentators often sketch a race landscape wrought with good intentions and high ideals. This, however, is an imagined and, indeed, manufactured landscape.
The one in which we live is not scrubbed of the most offensive comments and violent intentions. A central element of the controversy relies on hardcore racist rejection of anything black, African, non-European. While we by no means wish to grant voice to these minority sentiments, it is necessary to remember that Canada’s race landscape includes these opinions, voices and predilections, despite the good intentions of many Canadians of all backgrounds, and despite whatever progress has been made so far. ”
http://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorialopinion/article/1093950–the-evolution-of-multiculturalism