“I don’t see color, I don’t care if you are white, black, or purple with stripes.”
oh, good ol’ post racial america. we have a black man in the white house, we are all MLK’s dream realized, right? um…i think you know the answer. there has never been a question more rhetorical. I’ve been having some very interesting conversations about race and color blindness lately. and quite frankly, much of it has me feeling spent and hopeless, wondering when racism will end, because at this rate, talking about it daily is getting exhausting. I mean, sure. I’d love to be in a world where race doesn’t matter, but we don’t live in that world. there have been a few troubling things about these “color-blind” conversations, but in the interest of not writing a dissertation, I will pick my favorite questions. and by favorites, I mean my least favorites.
while, it would be nice to live in a world that didn’t see race, or where race was not a barrier, when I open my eyes in the morning, I am acutely aware that I a person of color. media, and systems have made me the “other” or “exotic, ethnic, spicy and plain ol’ black” and I experience the world in that way– but what about people who genuinely don’t see race as a big deal? or the people who say: “I don’t see color, I don’t care if you are white, black, or purple with stripes”?
well, in addition to being an absurd statement (noting that as far as we know, there are no humans who are purple with stripes) it is dehumanizing. it also minimizes the fact that for some of us, race is an important part of our history, culture, and lived experience. if you don’t see my race, you don’t see me; my history, my culture, and something that has a huge impact on the way I view and experience the world. here’s the thing. you can’t help to end racism if you swear you don’t “see race” or say that “race is no big deal to me” or that “race doesn’t matter.” it’s a big deal to me. denial of racial difference does not make racism go away. just like in AA, in order to change something- you have to admit that there’s a problem.
ok then. what about those who say “well if you keep talking about race, it will keep being a big deal. it’s the people who always bring it up that are the real racists”?
two comments on this point. 1. often (but not always, as I have learned more than once this week) the people who propose colorblindness are white folks. why is that? in my opinion, colorblindness gives a perceived (but impossibly false) sense of a clean slate. however, what it does not give is accountability. if people of color are saying, “hey, this is a big deal to us” and white folks continue to deny that any socio-economic or educational differences exist based on race, people of color are continuing to be silenced. when women say to men “we want our rights, and sure, we can vote, but rape is still happening, so the work isn’t done yet” most would not accuse women of sexism. stating reality, and lived experiences should never be discredited. ignoring race is racist. 2. “real racists” is a misnomer, i believe. here’s the thing about racism (classism, sexism, and heterosexism). besides all being quite interconnected, one does not cancel out the others. if i am a white, gay man, i can still be incredibly sexist and racist. being gay doesn’t give me a “pass” on using my white, male privilege. similarly, if i am a black straight man, I could very well be homophobic and sexist, while still experiencing racism. i know this seems pretty confusing. we all have multiple identities. some of which give us social and institutional power and atvantage, some that do not. we are complex people, living in a complex construct of oppression. the other thing about racism (classism, sexism, etc) is that there is no inverse or reverse. there is no “reverse oppression.” oppression, by it’s very nature, is created by one group, and experienced by another. therefore, men and women cannot both oppress based on gender. i have heard many different theories on racism (and oppression in general, but especially race), including the belief that “anyone could be racist” and “we are all a little racist.” i have a different perspective.
prejudice (unreasonable, or unfounded bias against a group)+ power (institutions, laws, socio-political status quo)= oppression.
therefore, even if i have a prejudice against a person, or group, based on a physical, or spiritual difference, without power, i am not oppressive. for example: i could hate every man in the world. (i don’t) and obviously prejudice is bad, damaging, unhelpful, and on a very interpersonal level, is very hurtful, that is not the same as systems of oppression. my general disdain for men will do nothing to keep them out of militaries, government services, keep them from being the ruling majority and decision makers for everything from reproductive justice issues to domestic violence laws. it will do nothing to curb incidents of rape, it will not undo laws that keep women making 80 cents to every male dollar and will not change society’s ideas about a woman’s place vis a vis men. similarly, as a woman of color, i simply do not have the laws, government control, the current or historical power to influence white folks lives, histories, educations or pockets. as a queer person, i could hate every straight person in the world. but am i oppressing them? my [inter-personal] hatred may make one straight person cry, which of course, would be very sad. but my hatred will not take away their ability to marry (over and over again) or be with their partners in the hospital, or get tax credits because of marriage status. oppression is not interpersonal.
there are those that will say, “well, i’m not racist, i’m a first generation polish immigrant, and i had nothing to do with anybody’s slave trade” or “hey, that was my great-great grandparents. they weren’t bad people, and they were just doing what was normal for the time. and besides, i was’t there.” no. no you weren’t there. neither was i. yet, what you recieve now, based on that slavery my ancestors endured is great. white folks are still recieving benefits based on 400 years of slavery. and people of color, are still experiencing disproportionate amounts of unemployment, unequal housing, unequal education. indigenous people are still living on reservations- so, while neither of us were there, we cannot dismiss that things that happened a year ago, still affect our lives today. white folks get to write our history books. white folks are primarily the ones making major decisions about brown folks’ education. the fact is, you didn’thave to be a slave-owner to benefit from intitutions of slavery and racism. you still get white privilege today. right now. it doesn’t matter if you a KKK memeber or a white liberal gay woman. you still get white privilege. you can’t give it back. but it’s not hopeless. what you can do is be actively anti-racist. by being a good ally.
ok. so what does this have to do with being colorblind? well, white folks have created whiteness as a standard. i am non-white. simple, right? white folks are never “non-people of color.” this is because whiteness is the standard by which all other races are judged and compared. therefore, in an ideal world, sure, it would be nice if whiteness was not the standard, but the fact is, i do have a visible difference based on race. so, to suggest that those differences do not exist is false. it minimizes and silences. color-blindness is in fact white-washing our diversity. because when white folks don’t see color, i think, what they are actually saying is “i want to see everyone exactly like me, because my way is right.” colorblindness wipes away any larger, governmental accountability about inequities in policies, and allows the government to place blame on individuals, to re-write our histories, and make the past seem irrelevant to the present. for example: “there is a black man in the white house now. the rest of these blacks are uneducated because they are just good for nothing” vs. “ok. there is ONE black man out of many presidents who is the exception, not the rule. and black folks were not allowed to read in the usa for 400 years in an effort to keep them uneducated, and then when the government finally gave them the “right” to read, black children had inaccurate text books, and sometimes none at all. black and brown children are disproportionately not provided with the same educational tools as their white counterparts.” see the difference?
and besides. what’s wrong with being “different?” what would happen if we could acknowledge our differences, and notice it, and talk it about it, and still be loving, and treat people with respect, taking into account our various needs and experiences? my hope is that world. that world where we are finally equalized- not through dismissing, white-washing or downplaying our differences, not through erasing painful histories, and not through guilt. but through accountability, owning up, speaking our truths and being heard. and then real healing and reconciliation can occur.
have you had conversations about colorblindness? what were they like?
Really really well written. You definitely opened my eyes to some things I hadn’t really thought about WRT the color-blindness idea (although I never really liked the term). Thank you!
well said!
precise. conversations in my corner tap on the determinates for creating “safe spaces” for community dialoguing. colourblinds are blocking explorations of overlapping and interlocking priviliges that extend far beyond the scope of race/ethnicity. i think this afflictshun is also creating questionable and selective dumbness to the voice of accountabilty- a highly intelligent management system, to exhaust the wailings of the oppressed. i contest: your general, and specific “disdains” >do<.
[...] Manifest Freedom. Because I thought it was so on point, I have copied the following from her blog (here), with her [...]
Wow!! This should be on the front page of the washington post.
Beautifully expressed. I think the concept of “color-blindness” is extremely dangerous on so many fronts: politically, economically, and educationally. It also robs people of any opportunity to display social and cultural capital outside of a perceived (read white) norm. A very slippery slope indeed.
Hi Adrienne, interesting post. You are a wonderful writer and thinker. But it seems from experience that a lot of your argument is the “same old, same old.” There is a lot of projection of racist attitudes and stereotyping of white people, which is so common in these “discussions”. And there never seems to be any pressure to back up the arguments with specifics. With real people, real faces, real experiences.
I just had an upsetting experience with a kind of racism on the subway. Such experiences are frequent for me and other white people, though white people seldom talk about them, I think in part because most care deeply about racism, but have internalized the dominant narrative/monologue about how they are individually guilty for very real institutionalized/historical racism. Talking about anti-white racism, therefore, since the only public narrative is about white racism against blacks – is considered racist. So white people stay mum. But it is rampant.
With this in mind, I want to zero in on just a piece of your commentary:
“1. often (but not always, as I have learned more than once this week) the people who propose colorblindness are white folks. why is that? in my opinion, colorblindness gives a perceived (but impossibly false) sense of a clean slate. however, what it does not give is accountability. if people of color are saying, “hey, this is a big deal to us” and white folks continue to deny that any socio-economic or educational differences exist based on race, people of color are continuing to be silenced.”
I have personally never talked about being “colorblind”, and have never heard any other white person claim to be. I have only read about people from older previous generations advocating it (and not only whites).
However, since I have lived in a mixed race neighborhood for several years now – primarily white, black, and hispanic – indeed it is true that I often don’t notice race. In fact, a few times I have been asked to describe someone, and while certain details about them jumped out, I had to struggle to remember what their race was. I did reflect on this, and realized that it either means my brain is not as smart as it used to be, or else it is a sign of social progress that my brain often doesn’t consider race to be relevant. Is the person of color’s race relevant to them, even though I couldn’t remember it? Well my race is relevant to me, since I experience anti-white racism so frequently – daily before Obama was elected, and probably once every week or every two weeks after the election. I know many black people and have talked about racism with them, (carefully – not sharing the depth of my experience with anti-white racism), and have also heard “political” black celebrities talk about race, and I have the impression that each of their experiences of racism in total might compare to one day or one week of mine. Granted, there is institutional/historical racism, in which blacks continue to be marginalized. I am not at all denying that, or unconcerned with that. However, there is also rampant anti-white racism which is either ignored or excused by the dominant narrative/monologue about race. And I think that the narrative, in as much as it does not accurately reflect reality, does perpetuate the marginalizaton of blacks (including self-marginalization). And the minimization/dismissal of the harm of anti-white racism is part of the falseness of that narrative.
Back to your “colorblind” argument:
Today on the subway, I was anxious about getting to a store before it closes, and my mind was on that and many other things important to my own personal life. As all people who are alone on the subway do, my eyes wandered here and there, occasionally glancing at the ads, occassionally glancing at other passengers, looking away if our glances crossed. For a few moments my eyes were on a young black woman who was sitting with her white boyfriend. I remember vaguely thinking her earrings were pretty, but other than that I was distracted with my own thoughts. Her glance crossed mine, and as I looked away, I processed the glance that she gave me: full of accusatory outrage about my “racism,” apparently for looking at her. I looked back, and she was staring at me with the same belligerent stare. At first I stared right back, but realized this was only going to confirm to her my “racism,” as would my looking away. So I smiled sarcastically, and moved to a seat just out of her view, so our eyes wouldn’t meet again. She informed her boyfriend about the white woman’s racism (in fact, color blindness, and a life of her own to think about), and the boyfriend turned to look at me contemptously, and the woman giggled.
I was accused of racism for being a white woman, with eyes resting on the wrong person at the wrong moment. (No, I didn’t just shake off being stamped as a racist, obviously.) Rhetorical question: does that black woman experience “racism” all the time? Mixed race couples haven’t been controversial in nyc for probably fifty years. Even in the midwest in the 80s where I went to college, mixed raced couples weren’t controversial. Yet I’ll bet this woman experiences “racism” all the time — every time a distracted white woman glances at her, in fact.
I could go on and on about all the anti-white racism I’ve experienced in just the past few years, but there is no room here, and I wouldn’t have the time: it would be hundreds and hundreds of examples, just from what I remember and noticed. Most of them much worse than the example I just described.
But this example does counter with “real life” experience your argument, that the “narrative/monologue” about race doesn’t perpetuate racism (it does, for one thing, since it fabricates it when it isn’t there, and consequently it propels anti-white racism). Furthermore, I was indeed “colorblind” to this woman’s race (though not to her earrings — blue) before she glared at me, because her race was not of any importance to me. Many other things were important to me, including getting to the store before it closed — but this woman’s race, and her boyfriends race was a zero on the scale of importance. I was “blind” to what had no importance to me. Yet this woman experienced a great deal of “racism” by my sitting there being a white woman with a distracted mind and glancing eye. She experienced “racism” not because it was real, but because of this false narrative, which you do not challenge, and instead perpetuate. I’m not blaming you – white people need to speak out about their real (and constant – in mixed race contexts, anyway) experiences. But the accusation of racism (against blacks) is so constant and so devastating that the vast majority prefer to stay silent about these experiences, rather than risk the accusation being directed at them as individuals – an accusation which can cause true and devastating harm, not just to the psyche, but institutionally, as this narrative has formidable institutional power in current society. It’s a narrative that keeps a lot of careers well oiled, and the races adversarial, white burdened with self-hate, blacks filled with defeat.
“However, since I have lived in a mixed race neighborhood for several years now – primarily white, black, and hispanic – indeed it is true that I often don’t notice race.”
Blindly placing all of your neighborhood Latino/a’s into a category such as “hispanic” goes to show you not only are “blind” to the color of ones skin but also the culture and history of ones people. You have stood out and voluntarily made yourself an example of the very thing the blogger speaks about. When you need examples, you need not go very far…a mirror will suffice.
Cheers!
Adrienne
At the expense of what I believe will be an exercise in futility, I’ll attempt to give you another perspective and address the concerns you have raised
1. There is a lot of projection of racist attitudes and stereotyping of white people, which is so common in these “discussions”. And there never seems to be any pressure to back up the arguments with specifics. With real people, real faces, real experiences
I opted to address this first as it seems to be the foundation upon which your argument rests. Every day, POC have “real experiences” of racism, with “Real people” and “real faces”. The idea that the writer is trying to convey, isn’t the just the danger of individuals believing colorblindness rather that aggregate ramifications.
2.I have personally never talked about being “colorblind”, and have never heard any other white person claim to be.
Perhaps it’s because while “you care deeply about racism” you’re not actively involved in any anti-racist work. And if you were involved, it seems as if it would be work dealing with anti-white racist work. Which brings to me a really important point-
prejudice (unreasonable, or unfounded bias against a group)+ power (institutions, laws, socio-political status quo)= oppression.
Power +prejudice. You see, POC have no INSTITUTIONAL power if they did there wouldn’t be laws that legalize racial profiling and those that ban ethnic studies. Therefore just because you haven’t experienced it in the world, doesn’t mean you have the right to say someone elses experience is not valid. Clearly the writer has blogged about this because it is something she has come across in her own life experience.
3. You say something that is the ENTIRE point of this piece.
“I did reflect on this, and realized that it either means my brain is not as smart as it used to be, or else it is a sign of social progress that my brain often doesn’t consider race to be relevant. Is the person of color’s race relevant to them, even though I couldn’t remember it? Well my race is relevant to me”
You admit you are cognizant of your race because of the experiences you’ve had. Therefore being white is a part of who you are, it’s important to you. But for you, not remembering someones race means you’ve climbed on the social evolution ladder or you’re not smart. You go so far as to ask is a POC’s race relevant to them. If your race is relevant to you, why would it not be relevant for a POC? Someone who is constantly marginalized and deals with things you’ve never had to experience is firmly connected to their race. While we can acknowledge race is a social construct, it is still a construct that helps define who we are, not just by skin colour, but by culture,values etc..
I’m not discountng the difficulty of your experiences, i’m sure it’s hard being white and talked about. But you have more spoons by virtue of your whiteness and the privilege that comes with that. I know I know you’re going to tell me you dont have privilege but I’ve decided to supply some reading (if you really care about racism) to help you understand that YOUR singular life experience doesn’t authorize you to discount the experiences of other people. Racism is real but what you experienced is prejudice and it’s helpful to know the difference between the two so you can fully appreciate what racism is and the impact it has on the lifes of POC.
Links
1. Colorblind idealogy. This is really important as you already ADMIT to being colorblind ( at least, unable to remember the race of an individual when prompted)
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-04/uoia-cri042110.php
2. Be less blind
http://hth-the-first.livejournal.com/53171.html?format=light
3. Unpacking the knapsack–So you can understand white privilege and hwo
http://www.case.edu/president/aaction/UnpackingTheKnapsack.pdf
4. The spoon theory
http://www.butyoudontlooksick.com/articles/personal-essays/the-spoon-theory-written-by-christine-miserandino/
5. This is what racism looks like
http://www.civilrights.org/publications/justice-on-trial/
Use the Peggy McIntosh article to count how many spoons you have THEN explain why getting a nasty look on the subway is akin to not getting a job despite your qualifications because you have an “ethnic sounding” name or the fact that blacks and hispanic/ latinos are MORE likely to get stopped by the police and why it’s easier for a white convicted felon to get a job than a college educated black man.
Again, i’m not discounting your experiences of prejudice, but it does a huge disservice to people who are struggling daily against institutional racism, that keeps them incarcerated, in poverty and out of work.
Hopefully this will help you acknowledge a few things
1. What you’ve experiences while hurtful and difficult is NOT racism, it’s prejudice, it’s very important that you understand the difference
2. While YOU do not profess colorblindnes (though you acknowledge you ARE colorblind) there are people who do and that has detrimental effects for people who spend their lives combatting the injustice of racism
3. Your personal life experience does not give you the authority to discount another persons experience. Rather, you should open yourself to recognizing that people have difference experiences in life and as a result will process things in a way that you do not. Your ability to understand their experiences despite not having them, is a sign of humanity.
as a non-unitedstatesofamerican i wanna say that this pre/post obama chat has me petrified of life on planet earth. belligerent stares, whether reciprocated or unwarrented make me very uneasy. white people- burdened with selfhate + charged with the tools to fire, hire, fund, allocate, distribute, police, enforce, cut, and autonom{eyes} spaces- are by far the greatest threats my human body has witnessed. adrian, i think i share ur disdain in how race is read, puppeted and played as adversarial,conciliatory, and selectively controversal… and i wonder if you responded to “the gaze” from the black woman with the white boyfriend wearing the blue earrings with, “hey, i like ur earrings” would you have left the bus feel less disempowered – less harmed – less ¿misrepresented? than u did.
to the empress above this comment: meegwetch.
adrienne – this is for you – http://www.racialicious.com/2010/04/22/some-basic-racist-ideas-and-some-rebuttals-why-we-exist/
Adrienne,
As a white person, I cringed at your ignorant comments. There’s no such thing as “anti-white racism.” Period. Others have (and will continue) to articulate it better than I can, but simply put: Acts of prejudice by POC against white folks are not racism.
I wanted to laugh at your supposed colorblindness (You “don’t notice race”? Please.) and your bus anecdote (A look “full of accusatory outrage”? Um, project much?), but your ignorance is too misguided and damaging to be laughable.
You are not being brave or ground-breaking or however you want to label yourself by talking about “anti-white racism.” You are being ridiculous — and insulting to POC who actually experience racism.
Please take some time to read the many links that your fellow commenters have helpfully provided for you. As a white person, I know that it can be painful to examine one’s own privilege and prejudices. But it’s worth it.
Salem
i decided to comment here because i don’t think the burden of discussing and deconstructing racism should fall only on the shoulders of people of color. as someone who is white and identifies as a feminist, i feel it is my responsibility to help eradicate social inequity and dismantle systems of oppression – even the systems that i, as a white woman, benefit from including white privilege. i try to do this to the best of my abilities both in my work as a girls studies scholar and by volunteering in my community.
Adrienne – i think it is the last part that you could benefit from – volunteering for some non-profits in your community. i understand that you feel you experience racism on a daily basis (what Queen of Swords rightfully points out as prejudice, not racism), but if you could work with local non-profits, (maybe, hopefully) you would have a way to contextualize your experiences with the experiences of people from different backgrounds – especially people with different racial (and maybe class) backgrounds than your own.
this isn’t to say i recommend creating some hierarchy of who experiences the most marginalization and to what degree, but i think listening to and acknowledging experiences beyond your own, you might realize that comparing a girl staring at you on the subway to centuries of racism in the U.S. – the effects of which are still felt and seen today, especially with the recession disproportionately affecting communities populated by people of color – isn’t accurate (to say the least) and that really (really!!) there’s no comparison.
one last thing Adrienne – i want to point out that it is not people of color’s job to explain racism to you or to type long responses, blog posts, or comments so that you can get “it.” as a white person i feel that it is MY responsibility to educate myself on racism and forms of oppression that i have not and in some respects cannot fully experience. instead of asking Alicia or anyone else to “back up the arguments with specifics. With real people, real faces, real experiences” YOU should take it upon yourself to find these specifics – in history books, documentaries, the daily news, what have you.
A key to being “colorblind” that Adrienne seems to miss is that declaring (and quite possibly believing) that you don’t “see race,” is, in and of itself, a huge part of white privilege. When we, as white people, become so enlightened that we don’t have to notice if our friends are white or black or “purple with stripes,” we have dismissed racism as not only someone else’s problem (while giving ourselves the much needed stamp on our “good white person” passport), we place the burden of combating racism squarely back on people of color. It’s not our problem, because not only do we not perpetuate it, but we don’t suffer from it.
Unfortunately, racism in the US is institutionalized and systemic, and not one white person gets a pass, as we all reap the benefits, whether we see them or not. Whether you choose to see them, acknowledge them, and work to their eradication is much more important and significant than giving yourself a pat on the back for being “colorblind.”
It was never that we didn’t HAVE to notice skin color — or combination of colors, as abstractly expressed in Alicia’s blog. However, it is that racism has become way over-emphasized — over things that count so much more in the world today; character, personality and values.
There is a distinct difference between NOT realizing that the media and the political system has caused the issue of skin color to be the most important and divisive issue or whether it is time to stop it all and become united as Americans, not by color, belief or class, which are meant to divide. As human beings, we all bleed the same color, regardless of any of those factors that some would prefer to keep us separated by.
wow. there are some really amazing conversations happening here. thank you all for solidarity, loving critique, and change-making. grateful for this space to share with you all. even in our push and pull, there is learning, growing, stretching, and humanness. it’s so powerful. love|light.
[...] by Progressive Scholar UPDATE: Here’s another great blog post about the myth of colorblindness. [...]