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A color-blind society is a society where individuals are not treated differently based on their skin color. Instead, individuals would be seen as individuals without regard to race. This concept has been gaining traction recently as many researchers have become interested in combatting racism and promoting equality. Color-blind society ideology does not mean that racism would not exist, but it would ideally be minimized or at least not woven into the fabric of social interactions and institutions. There are arguments for and against a color-blind society in the world. Some researchers hold that it is important to acknowledge differences in order to provide opportunities for disadvantaged groups (Danforth et al., 2020). Others argue that ignoring race further divides humans and masks deep underlying racial tensions. A color-blind society is not an answer to racism, and emphasizing color blindness instead of acknowledgment and understanding of different racial experiences actually further entrenches racist attitudes and behavior.
Position and Arguments
It is not true that the emphasis on a color-blind society is not an answer to racism. Racism is a very real and pervasive issue in the current society, and pretending that it does not exist will not solve it. Ignoring the issue of the race only serves to perpetuate the cycle of discrimination and disadvantage that minorities experience. Research has shown that color-blindness can actually lead to more racial bias, not less (Mekawi et al., 2020). Therefore, when people pretend that race does not matter, they are more likely to focus on superficial differences between groups and stereotype accordingly.
Argument Support Evidence
A great deal of research suggests that a color-blind society is not an answer to racism. Mekawi et al. (2020) conducted a study to explore this idea and found that when people are asked to identify race, they are more likely to do so accurately on seeing a persons skin color. The study participants were shown cartoon faces with different skin colors and were asked to identify the race of each face (Mekawi et al., 2020). The results showed that participants were more likely to correctly identify the race of the face when they could see the skin color than when they could not (Mekawi et al., 2020). This indicates that people who cannot see someones race are more likely to make inaccurate assumptions about them.
Many people advocate for a color-blind society as the answer to racism, though this approach is actually not effective in eliminating racism. While it is important to acknowledge and work towards a society that is color-blind, the paper by Yi et al. (2020) argues that this is not an answer to racism. The color-blind approach ignores the lived experiences of people of color and fails to address the real ways in which race shapes peoples lives. Instead, the paper calls for a more intersectional approach that considers how different forms of discrimination intersect and compound one another (Yi et al., 2020). For example, a black woman experiences both racism and sexism, which means she must navigate two unique forms of discrimination that are often compounded by one another. A truly intersectional approach would account for this and try to mitigate the negative effects of both racism and sexism.
Counterarguments
There are several arguments that can be made in favor of a color-blind society as an answer to racism. Most importantly, if everyone were treated the same regardless of skin color, it would go a long way towards leveling the playing field and ensuring everyone has an equal opportunity to succeed. Additionally, it would force people to focus more on what someone has to say and what they achieve rather than on superficial characteristics (Plaut et al., 2018). Finally, it would help to bring about a greater sense of unity among people, as we would all be working towards the same goal instead of being divided by our differences.
Counterarguments Rebuttals
A few counterarguments and rebuttals can be made regarding the idea that a color-blind society is an answer to racism. The color-blind society ideal is based on the premise that if everyone is treated equally, regardless of race, racism will disappear. However, this ignores the fact that people are not born equal. Racism cannot be eradicated through a color-blind society because people are not born equal (Danforth et al., 2020). People are born with different abilities, intelligence levels, and social backgrounds. These differences create an uneven playing field and give some people an unfair advantage over others. A color-blind society would do away with affirmative action and other programs designed to aid minority groups in achieving equality. This would create a society where only the wealthy and privileged would benefit from the opportunities available in our country.
Moreover, there are many reasons why a color-blind society cannot create a greater sense of unity among people. As Danforth et al. (2020) observed, racism is deeply entrenched in many institutions and systems, such as education, housing, and employment. Additionally, people of color often experience significant disparities in access to resources, opportunities, and power. Erasing race as a factor only serves to further perpetuate these inequities.
Rebuttals Support Evidence
There is a theory that racism will disappear if people become color-blind. But this theory does not take into account the fact that people are not born equal. Humans are born with different talents, different abilities, and different opportunities. As Annamma et al. (2017) explained, somebody born into a wealthy family has more opportunities to succeed than a person who is born into a low-income family. A person born white has more opportunities to succeed than a black individual. Somebody born smart or creative has more opportunities to succeed than someone born dumb.
There is significant evidence to suggest that racism cannot be eradicated through color-blindness alone. According to Plaut et al. (2018), some studies suggest that color-blindness may actually result in greater instances of interpersonal conflict and social stratification. For example, research has shown that individuals who claim to not see race are more likely to attribute negative qualities to black people than those who acknowledge race. This attribution bias can lead to discrimination in hiring practices or education opportunities.
Summary and Conclusion
In summary, the basic idea is that if people can treat each other as individuals without regard to race or ethnicity, eventually, racism will fade away. This color-blind society approach has its critics; some argue that it does not do enough to address the underlying structural inequalities that give rise to racism in the first place. It is true that simply ignoring race altogether is not likely to solve all human problems. Some of the counter-arguments hold that a color-blind society can solve racism and provide a leveled ground for people to succeed equally. Few counterargument rebuttals explain that a color-blind society cannot ensure equality among the people who excel equally in life because people are born differently. A color-blind society is not an answer to racism because it does not address the root causes of discrimination. Racism exists when there is a belief that one race is superior to another. To achieve true equality, people need to challenge these beliefs and promote understanding and respect for all cultures.
References
Annamma, S. A., Jackson, D. D., & Morrison, D. (2017). Conceptualizing color-evasiveness: Using dis/ability critical race theory to expand a color-blind racial ideology in education and society. Race Ethnicity and Education, 20(2), 147-162.
Danforth, L., Hsu, H. T., & Miller, J. W. (2020). Color-blind racial attitudes among social work students: Exploration of individual and social network correlates. Journal of Social Work Education, 56(3), 412-427.
Mekawi, Y., Todd, N. R., Yi, J., & Blevins, E. J. (2020). Distinguishing I dont see color from Racism is a thing of the past : Psychological correlates of avoiding race and denying racism. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 67(3), 288.
Plaut, V. C., Thomas, K. M., Hurd, K., & Romano, C. A. (2018). Do color blindness and multiculturalism remedy or foster discrimination and racism? Current Directions in Psychological Science, 27(3), 200-206.
Yi, J., Todd, N. R., & Mekawi, Y. (2020). Racial color-blindness and confidence in and likelihood of action to address prejudice. American Journal of Community Psychology, 65(3-4), 407-422.
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