Why do people think it's impossibleto be racialy colour blind?

Question

My family is made of of three diffiernt races, because some people married people of other races. When we all get together there are adults and children of three races.

One day children of two of my cousins were being taken care of by my aunt after school. The bus driver didn't believe that the children were cousins, and were to be dropped off at the same house. When I was told this story I asked why. My aunt said "because they are of differnt races, and they don't even look alike".

Until that point I didn't even realise that they looked that different.

I don't think of any cousin being any diffrent from any other cousin.

But I've seen people on TV say this is impossible. Why do they say that, when it is possible?

Oh I wish I could choose both your answers as best answer. Thanks so much for putting so much thought into them.

I'll have to think about this, before it goes into voting, but I just don't know.

You all have such very good answers. I will think about it and choose one tomorrow evening. Thanks so much for giving the best answers. I wish I could choose you all as best answers.

Answer 1

When you know someone as intimately as you know your cousins, you have such a rich library of reference points about them that complexion is just one minor detail of many.

When you don't know someone, then it makes sense that you only register the most superficial features about them, like complexion, age, size, language, etc.

Answer 2

People are not very kind or even think about what they are saying. I for one believe all people are the same and should be treated as such. I have never noticed any of my friends being black, hispanic, native american. To me they are my friends and humans such as I am and would never look at them any less then that. You look at your cousins as family and they are just that FAMILY and they would never be anything less then your family. You are a very lucky person to have a big family and with different races, I have always wanted to set a good example for society and this is what you are doing, showing people that race is not a problem and I applaude you for that. Never worry what other people think. The only thing that should matter is how you feel and think about your family...

Answer 3

I think partly because the media has to label everything people of any minority group does as "noteworthy". In doing so, you're just making matters worse. Take, for instance, the Super Bowl. I did not realize it was the first time a black coach had won the Super Bowl and that, to me, was a good thing. It meant that I did not think the color of one's skin made any difference in their coaching abilities. However, it was then remarked upon about how incredible this was that suddenly there's a black coach winning a Super Bowl for the first time. I am half-spanish but do not feel the need to have everything I do put up in spotlights because of my race - I want to be recognized for my personal achievements. It will happen eventually, but not if the media has to detract from an individual's accomplishments by acting like it's incredible that a minority has accomplished something. My kids, however, know several bi-racial families and just accept it as the norm. Maybe this generation will be the one to be color-blind?

Answer 4

I dont think the bus drivers question was racially motivated. I mean its common sense ,if a child is black or Chinese odds are the parents are also. If a person who the bus driver is unfamiliar with shows up to take my child off the bus I would prefer the driver ask questions. Every action taken or question asked by a person is not necessarily racially biased. It is quite possible the driver had the safety of your cousins in mind. Your aunts appearance was different than your cousins, and your cousins appearance was different from each other so she inquired about the difference only to insure that the children were in the right hands.Like you I come from a diverse background both in appearance and in ethnicity. Not everybody is as fortunate as we are, so its important not to assume that everything they ask is racially motivated.

Answer 5

I have no idea. I don't believe that I judge anyone based on thier race or whatever, and people definately do preach tolerance on T.V. but it seems they are speaking more to the whites in the audience. And we all know that if a white person does something percieved as racist, they are done for! Why then do especially black comedians for example base entire acts on how white people are so stupid. It takes all races, not just one to erase prejiduce and hipocracy.

Answer 6

Okay, so I dont mean to upset anyone. But if you tell me you are racially color-blind, then you dont see me. Prejudice obviously contributes to racial miscommunication. But so does pretending we are all the same. People who dont realize that my existence and experiences in life are colored (ignore pun) by my ethnicity are not seeing reality.

If you dont see my color, then you dont see me. My race is a part of who I am. I am proud of my heritage. The same way I am proud to be a Marylander and pround to be a Blue Hen. It effects my life in so many incalculable ways. It effects my interactions with the world.

It isnt a bad thing. It just is. I see everyone's color. When I meet someone, I note their race or ethnicity. Not to use it against them, but to get to know them. I belong to a Latin Sorority (founders were latina women) and we advocate for the betterment of all women. But latina women face particularized obstacles by reason of their ethnicity and social status which we try to address.

I am not latina, but I respect and admire the many latin cultures. I love the spanish language, latin music, and many types of latin food. When I meet a latina, I want to learn about her and her culture.

I am also interested in the Japanese language and culture. (I really want to go there some day.) when I meet a japanese person, I want to talk to him or her and learn more about it.

I wont bore you with all of the experiences I have had that made me FEEL my race, even when I wasnt thinking about it. But I will say when I attended Univ. of DE I met several people who had never even seen a black person before coming to college. They stared. I didnt care, but imagine how it might feel to be the only brown face in a sea of white. I know it was curiosity not malice

If you ignore my race, you are doing me a disservice by not learning about me. You are doing me a disservice by not recognizing that my experience in this country might be different from yours because of my race.

Quick example. I took 2 white friends to a bar frequented by black people. they were the only white people there. They told me that they felt awkward at first until the people stopped staring (again, curiosity--you dont expect white people to stop into the neighborhood bar in the hood). They were nervous bc they werent sure how they would be recieved. They had never had that experience in their entire lives. It never occured to them that I have that experience all of the time. It gave them a new perspective. (they also probably suddenly realized that every bar they had ever invited me to was 90% white crowd with rock music instead of the R&B that was playing at the black bar)
So what might change? Maybe next time they meet a new friend with different background, they will say, "Hey, what do you like to do? Where do you like to hang out? Lets share in each other's experiences"

But I get what you are saying. You just see people as people. You dont discriminate. that is good. I am just saying you can recognize a person's race without being discriminatory. In fact you can enhance your experience by trying to learn something. People are so afraid of being Un-PC. Just let people know in a respectful manner that you would like to know more about them. My (white) friends ask me stuff all the time.

To close, I will say that Americans like to label people. People ask me "What are you?" all the time. I get stared at all the time. People aren't being mean (usually). They are just trying to figure out my background bc I am bi-racial and could pass for a lot of different ethnicities. (I have been mistaken for latina, american-indian, carribean, south pacific, and morrocan.)

Keep being a good person and don't let what happened get you down. Like another post said, asking questions is good. Even if the question seems ignorant. How can you blame a person for trying to eliminate his/her ignorance? (As long as there is no malicious intent). At least it gets the dialogue started.