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1 results

  • 6 - “I’m Not a Racist, I’m Colorblind”: The Myth of Neutrality

  • Kristin J. Anderson, University of Houston-Downtown
  • Book:
    Benign Bigotry
    Published online:
    22 November 2024
    Print publication:
    05 December 2024, pp 228-268

  • Summary

    Chapter 6 addresses the common strategy to appear unprejudiced: racial colorblindness. Are individuals in a color-salient society able to not see color? The chapter begins with empirical research on the question of whether people are able to ignore the race and ethnicity of others. As it turns out, people who attempt to ignore race cannot, and tend to have awkward interactions with people of color. Instead of colorblindness being a good strategy to avoid discrimination, colorblindness facilitates the ignoring of discrimination. The pros and cons of a multicultural perspective as an alternative to racial colorblindness is discussed. Implications of the cultural emphasis on colorblindness is interrogated, such as the implicit belief that white people are true Americans, whereas people of color are only provisionally American. Strategies for prejudice reduction end the chapter and include creating more complex social identities and coalition work – organizing across difference.