How did we get to the point where the notion of a color blind society is now seen as a bad thing. You see it everywhere in the woke media. Any white person who says they do not look at color is mocked and somehow viewed to be racist. A few years ago Tomi Lahren appeared on Trevor Noah’s nightly show and the discussion was about race. Somewhere in interview Lahren mentioned that she does not see race when she interacts with people. The woke audience groaned in disapproval, and Noah challenged her on the notion that she does not see color. She is not the only one who is mocked for her point of view. That is where we are today in America. 

Whereas once upon a time it was considered as something noble to aim for a colorblind society, today the woke machine does not regard it as noble. They say that in striving to be color blind, those who do so ignore the lived experience of marginalized ethnic groups in our society. Those who talk the most about striving to be color blind can afford that luxury they say.  They do not have to bear the scars, stigma or any of the indignities that people of color have suffered in the past. 

As far as striving for a color blind society is concerned, that notion is the white man’s idea. They can afford to be that way. Besides, by doing so they do not have to acknowledge the past injustices inflicted by white people on every other ethnic group since the beginning of the country. A color blind society is helpful to them. It’s convenient. That way they get to sweep the country’s evil past under the rug of so called color blindness. The wokeratti tell us that getting to the point where people do not see color is racist because it denies the effects of racism that still exists in certain communities. The wokeratti insists that being color blind causes people to ignore the racism that still exists in America today.  

So how do we address this? First of all, it is impossible to not see color when one individual looks at another individual of a different color. In personal encounters that human beings have with each other, It is impossible to not see the distinguishing physical characteristics and features that each person has. Some people are tall, others short. Some people are fat others are thin, and their is a very wide spectrum that lies in between. We love to pretend that everybody is beautiful, but some people are attractive and others are not. That is just the reality of life (whatever the standard of beauty we may hold). We can pretend all day long, but that does not change the facts. 

We see all of these distinct physical characteristics and features each time we step foot out of our doors. We see them in the streets, at the ball park, the DMV, at school, in church (yes even in church), at the store, at the council meeting, at the community center, and every place where human beings gather, or frequent.  

One cannot help but notice these characteristics. It is the same for race. A person interacting with others cannot help but notice that one individual is black, one brown, one white, one has straight hair, course hair, curly hair, slanted eyes, blue eyes, and all of the the other features that contribute in making the races unique. 

Ok, so having said all of this and making it clear that it is impossible to not see race, this might be an appropriate time for an English lesson. 

Hearken back to your middle school days if you don’t mind. All the way back to the sixth or seventh grade. Remember when miss Molly taught you for the first time about idioms and you learned that idioms are meant to convey a certain idea that may not be clearly identified in the literal meaning of the words. Take for instance if someone says “geeze Fitzroy shuddup will ya. Ya talking me to death.” Here is another example: maybe you are taking to long to complete a task, and your team mate says “what’s wrong Jimmy? You are moving slower that pond water.” 

In both instances we know that both Fitzroy and Jimmy are not literally doing what the words of the sentence addressed to them literally mean. It may not be impossible, but it is highly improbable that Fitzroy or anyone for that matter will talk another person to death. In the case of Jimmy, if Jimmy is literally moving slower than pond water we know that he is actually standing still. You get the point. 

So it is when people say that they do not see race. As noted earlier, it is truly impossible to not see race if a person takes the words literally. The statement is meant to convey a certain meaning that the individual saying it is trying to convey. By saying that they do not see race, people mean that when they come in contact with anyone, they do not allow the person’s race to determine how they treat the individual. It is that simple and once upon a time everyone knew that is what the statement meant. 

It meant that you treat everyone with dignity and respect regardless the race of the people with whom you come into contact. To not see race is to see people as human beings first and foremost. Whatever there physical characteristics may be mean absolutely nothing to you. 

You understand that people in certain demographics may have some unique experiences, and circumstances in their lives, but you make no assumptions about them based strictly on their race. Not seeing race means having a governing set of principles about how a person treats everyone that he or she comes into contact with whenever it happens. Not seeing race means that you treat everyone based on the content of their character. You make no judgements about people’s character based on their race because you “do not see race.” 

It is true that there may be some negative circumstances, stereo types, problems and other issues that are more common in some groups than in others, but those things should only matter after you have some familiarity with a person, or have gotten to know an individual really well. In other words, if a white human being comes into contact with a black human being the white human being has never met before; the white human should make absolutely no assumptions or judgements about the black human. The only thing they owe each other is to treat each other with dignity and respect. This is how we should treat whoever we come in contact with for the first time regardless of color. The black person should do it.  The white person should do it. 

If as time goes by, they get to know each other better, and they need to react to unique circumstances in each other’s life; it is only then that they should react to those circumstances whatever they may be. Once again, the white person coming in contact with a black person should not jump to the conclusion that the black person is at a disadvantage in life. He should not assume that the black person is a victim of relentless racism. He should not assume that the black person needs him as an advocate to fight injustice that he believes the black man suffers as a result of the black man’s skin color. 

To reiterate, if after getting to know the black man, the white man finds out that these really are some circumstances in the black man’s life, only then should the white man offer to help in any way that he can. 

The black man on the other hand should not automatically assume that the white guy has all of the advantages of life going his way. He should not assume that the white guy holds animus toward black people. The black man should not think that because the man is white everything in life for him is honky dory, simply because of the color of his skin. If they become more acquainted with each other or they become friends, the black person can make adjustments in his dealings with the white based on the unique circumstances in the white man’s life. He can make those adjustments based on the type of  person the white guy shows himself to be. 

In other words neither of them should see race when dealing with each other. That is the only thing “not seeing race” means. Don’t be fooled by the wokeratti. They know that this is what it means also, but they live in a world that is defined by identity politics. They view everything through the lens of race, and they have a morbid committment to their worldview. 

Those Americans who understand Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream of living in a world where people are not judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character should strive to not see race. See human beings instead. Appreciate the differences in people. Celebrate those differences when appropriate, but do not ever think that you are doing anything wrong by refusing to see color.