Is the Emphasis on a Color-Blind Society an Answer to Racism?

Nancy La Croix

14 March 2016

AFA 3104-001

Dr. Cohen

Is the Emphasis on a Color-Blind Society an Answer to Racism?

A Color Blindness society is denoted as the practice of disregarding racial features and the disadvantages of the non-white population. With this being said, I believe that this kind of society does complement a practice that invokes a negative connotation to its name: racism. Creating a color-blind society strips a being of whom they really are. It undermines a person’s identity, and it intentionally allows such a society to be ignorant of one’s culture, tradition, background, values, and etcetera. So, believe it or not, race is a core feature in an individual. It is an imperative component that makes up an entire human being. Imagine being forced to neglect such a feature that you willingly acknowledge. For people who take strong faith and value into this concept, such thought is simply unfathomable.  

Subsequently, intentionally turning a sightless eye to people’s race and identities merely does not convey racial progress, instead it relates back to our country’s history. Historically speaking, slavery also consisted of severing a person’s identity, such as their name, culture, traditions, and even their families. Thus, a color-bind society is not facilitating the issue of racism, instead it is solely overlooking it. Considering this, they are pretending that the concern of race is not in the room, however, because it is not being addressed it still exists. Constructing such a society to ignore a very controversial subject will not eliminate the aspect of it. Not only this, but a color-blind society forces America and their people to deny racial experience, racial heritages, and overturn their unique perspectives on behalf of one’s background. And personally, I don’t think that’s fair or just, especially to minorities.

Duly noted, racism is a very tension-filled word. All the more reason why whites, who are least likely to encounter drawbacks in America due to race. Therefore, this ideology of a color-blind society permits them to disregard racial issues in America, justify the social class and order, in order for them to proceed to sit snug in their relatively privileged social standing in society today. With this being said, who would actually be benefiting from this color-blind society? Do you think it would be the minorities who is forced to suppress their identities due to such controversy dating back to America’s history? Or would it be the White-Americans who seem to want to ignore this racial issue once and for all, and conceal this form of racial-incognito as an approach to unifying the nation?

Analyzing the idea a color-blind society grants an impression that there is something mistaken with people of color, so they don’t want to speak about it, instead they choose to be blindsided to this fact. Moreover to this matter, not only does developing a color-blind society disdains emphasis on a less racism country, it also makes the issue of race more taboo than it already. This will allow those who want to remain politically correct to make race or racism a topic to not openly discuss. In a like manner, the less discussion topic will, the less understanding one will have, which in turn, will allow the issue of racism to still be an issue that will continue to stain our society. So in essence, ignoring the problem is not the answer. It is still a problem, it’s just not being unraveled or solved. Regarding this, because America is dubbed as a place of diversity, and the land of the free, it would be much more corresponding to create a society where each individual is able to express their background, and racial experiences spontaneously. Instead, a color-blind society in a sense, limits your individuality and humanity.