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Originally Posted by Ceci
After all, it is another "catch phrase" (such as "I don't see a color", "We are all part of the human race",
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Even though I mostly agree with N2dis' opinions and questions so far, I just wanted to clarify a few things:
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Originally Posted by FRYandBENDER
Isn't that what we want people to say?
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I think that when a person of color has been systematically stripped by the dominant culture of their identity through laws, social norms, values and beliefs in order to assimliate, these sayings become inocuous--especially when one experiences institutional and individual racism daily because of the color of their skin.
When you look at the meaning of the phrases, there are two ways to see it:
1)Since white people have the luxury of not thinking about their color due white privilege (access and treatment by virtue of skin color in society), they expect people of color to think of the same way even though they don't receive the same access and treatment in society.
2)They are remarks of omission, meaning that they are used to ignore that social disparity occurs on the basis of skin color. Furthermore, the speaker does not want to acknowledge that these disparities are taking place and would like to think that we're all receiving equal treatment. By "not seeing a color", one is being "blind" to the realities of society when it has to do with racial discrimination. Nor, do they ever bring themselves to question it or even have feelings about it. Thus, it becomes a blanket term to dispell that these things happen. It is as if a white person is saying, "I don't care that there is racial discrimination. It's all in your mind because color does not exist."
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I'm 25. All my life I've heard that you shouldn't judge people based on their skin color and that we are all the same.
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Biologically, we are (except for gender differences). Since race is a political and social construct, we are not the same in terms of treatment and access in society. I agree with Ndis2 on the point that you have to question who taught this to you? Until there is a true discussion and movement toward social equality, we are not all the same because discrimination continually occurs that results in unequal injustice for different groups in society. And until people drop the "we are all the same" catch phrase and begin the study not only the orgin of the racial problems that we have today as well as the consequences, we will continue to hide behind that phony teaching and put our heads in the sand.
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I would have figured that you would agree to this type of thinking.
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Truthfully, I want everyone from all backgrounds to treat each other with respect, concern and identification. Then, we truly can grow together and become a more life-affirming society.
But this has to be done by acknowledging our diversity instead of omitting it.
Furthermore, white people really have to search within themselves in order to have the courage to face what they have benefitted from collectively in a social and historical sense. When one is still reaping the benefits of social access, acceptance and acknowledgement in society, then it isn't in the past; it is still happening today. Lastly, white people have to honestly discuss race and not avoid it by resorting to the "catch-phrases". In fact, it is also upon them to analyze and deconstruct the "catch-phrases" to understand why they use "the script" instead of listening to the experiences of not only others of their race but with people of color.
If some can do that, then we'll get somewhere.
