Colorblindness' Deceitful Ideology

          Although racial issues are often uncomfortable to discuss and typically invoke stress and controversy it is a necessary issue that must be addressed sooner rather than later, as it is unprincipled at best, to embrace the notion that while we live in a country that prides itself in opportunities for aspiring immigrants they are nevertheless being continually treated as second class citizens. As we all know, some ideas have been presented to try an address this sore issue in our society today, the most pervasive approach is known as colorblindness. Colorblindness can be best defined as the racial ideology that theorizes that the best way to end discrimination is by treating individuals as equally as possible, by dismissing a group or individuals’ race, culture, and ethnicity altogether.

          
          The ideology behind colorblindness is deceiving to those who do not analyze it in its complete context and through in-depth analysis. What I mean by this is that if one correlated this concept with Martin Luther King’s inspirational plea to “judge people on the content of their character rather than the color of their skin” focusing only on their shared humanity then colorblindness seems like a good thing. However, colorblindness is inept when trying to heal racial lesions on a personal or national level. The main problem within colorblindness is that white people, who are unlikely to experience disadvantages due to race, can effectively and effortlessly ignore racism in American life, as well as justify through their privileged standing in society the racism taking place today; yet most minorities who regularly encounter difficulties due to race, experience colorblind ideologies quite differently as it creates a society that denies their negative racial experiences, discards their cultural heritage, and undermines their unique perspectives (Bonilla-Silva). I can honestly say that this has personally affected various aspects of my life, which I can only describe as irritating experiences; by having come to the realization that most of the individuals enacting upon these prejudice actions basically do not know any better and embrace their ignorance, I was then able to not let these affect me on a personal level. Although I have experience various racist incidents, like being followed around at a store by the owner because he suspects that because of the color of your skin there is a higher probability that one might commit theft, I still maintain that colorblindness would only blur the discrimination being enacted and not provide any real solution.

          In retrospect colorblindness is deceiving to those that feel it is a realistic solution to this nation’s racism problem. As a Mexican-American I don't wish for any aspect of my ethnic heritage to be unseen or invisible. The necessity for colorblindness suggests there is something disgraceful about the way God made me and the culture I was born into that we shouldn't discuss. The only thing Colorblindness has done is turn racism into a taboo topic which polite people cannot openly discuss; this of course is an implicit problem because if you cannot talk about an issue as important as race, then you can't understand it, much less find a solution to this racial enigma that plagues our society.

additional information:

http://socialistworker.org/2012/12/04/racism-in-a-color-blind-society

http://www.e-ir.info/2013/01/08/review-racism-without-racists/