Articles:
Colorblindness is the New Racism by Armstrong & Wildman
All Lives Matter by Kevin Roose
The Cost of Lazy Liberty
The discussion of the dynamic shift from former terminology, racism to this newer trend of colorblindness speaks volumes in terms of how modern day society has not evolved their cultural shortcomings much in this great span of time, even since the Civil Rights movement in the 50's and 60's. It almost feels as if we, collectively as a whole, are lazily fading out the more intentional and deliberate steps required to change this status quo, and settling down into this comfortable pattern of avoidance to racial inequality. Hey, for some of us, it doesn't affect us, right? We may not even know it's happening, so how can we perpetuate it, right? WRONG! Upon reading the beginning of Armstrong and Whitman's chapter 5, it leads me to wonder just how many of the people I am in contact with daily often think in privileged or racial terms, and consider any of the benefits of Whiteness. I have to admit, I felt a sudden disappointment because I got the sense that so many of us do NOT reflect on our own positions on the "power line" that the authors refer to (Armstrong & Whitman, 2013, p. 67). Why are we choosing not to scrutinize this real problem that Black people face? Why are we choosing to be "tone-deaf" to distract us, like Roose states (paragraph 3)?
Armstrong and Wildman's clarifying definition of what color insight truly is nails it: "Color insight admits that most of us do see race and underlines the need to understand what that racial awareness might mean" (2013, p. 67). It opens doors for further research and conversations. It turns the cogs in the machine to consider where our role lies in this societal dilemma. It transitions us from blindness to conscious awareness (say the words!). And it lights the match that requires us all to not just observe and talk about it, but to take action to gut it. We must brand a new lifestyle and mindset that curiously inquires to understand, equalizes, and accepts folks of all backgrounds and differences. We have to BE INTENTIONAL in our practice and behavior to look at origins and personal identities if we want to "be more willing consciously to move from endorsing colorblindness to supporting color insight...Color insight requires a commitment not to sweep race under the rug, but rather to name its presence, and to examine its attributes from multiple perspectives, including the operation of privilege" (Armstrong & Wildman, 2013, p. 68-69).
We can all certainly agree that the four steps that Armstrong and Wildman propose are required to get this ball rolling are accurate, and provide room for us to scrutinize deeper. The more ideas we hear that enhance our awareness, the more resilient and flexible our "brain" (cognitive processing) is, and the greater the odds we will be driven to break mental chains in others, take stands, and make differences. This has to be a conscious choice within ourselves, since "human nature" tends to be inherently biased, as Johnson said (2001). To combat racial stereotyping and default assumptions of Whiteness, we need to collaborate in our "multiple intersections of privilege" and bridge the privilege gaps (p. 73). It resonated with me strongly when Armstrong and Wildman state "By exploding that default assumption, teachers help students make privilege visible and deepen their understanding of its operation" (2013, p. 73). I believe this the true goal of color insight, and the paramount argument these authors strive to make in the entire chapter. Imagine if we all committed to start the next movement from our egocentric, rose-colored lenses to a more aware and altruistic one, that diminishes no one's worth by their race? We'd be investing in quite the anomaly.
If you want to see the article from where I found my "Little Red Riding Hood" cartoon, I highly recommend it! Here is the link for it:
https://www.literateape.com/blog/2016/9/15/privilege-isnt-the-right-word-for-itOr click this: #AllLivesMatter article
WOW! You are an amazing writer!! Good job. You put into words everything I was thinking but struggled to get out. I especially LOVE how you quoted "By exploding that default assumption, teachers help students make privilege visible and deepen their understanding of its operation," and said this is what you believe is the true goal of color insight. I totally agree. I think we need to include black history into our curriculum and not just add to one month out of the year, I think we need to look at our white washed curriculum and textbooks and stop celebrating misnomers like, Christopher Columbus "discovered" America and I also think that we need to revamp our school systems so that ALL students receive the same quality education as those in mostly white, affluent areas.
ReplyDeleteDenise took the words out of my mouth, you are a fantastic writer, Danielle! This might sound weird but your use of bold and colorful words inspired me a little bit because I felt that after reading your post those little subtleties made a big difference in your post. When you said "And it lights the match that requires us all to not just observe and talk about it, but to take action to gut it", that really resonated with me. I love the analogy of the lighting of a match because once a match is lit, you can't go back. In our world, we need that match to be lit if we have any chance of beginning to chop away at racism, privilege, etc. Excellent post, Danielle! :)
ReplyDeleteI too like the way you use color and bold in this post. Keep experimenting with ways to take advantage of the hypertextual space!! :)
DeleteI totally agree that we "settling down into this comfortable pattern of avoidance." After all, if we avoid something then it does not affect us as much and then it doesn't exist (as much). To be mindful of our intentions, actions, and thoughts of others would help negate avoidance behaviors because we would be active individuals.
ReplyDeleteHi Danielle,
ReplyDeleteI loved your post for so many reasons! In particular, I loved how you worded this statement, “It almost feels as if we, collectively as a whole, are lazily fading out the more intentional and deliberate steps required to change this status quo and settling down into this comfortable pattern of avoidance to racial inequality.” That is exactly what we are doing. Instead of actually dealing with the problem and facing it head on, we as a society are simply saying “Eh, it’s fine. We can just say we don’t see color and it’ll be ok”. I honestly could not have worded it in a better way than how you did in your statement. This goes back to what Armstrong and Wildman bring up in their article about intentionality in the things we do. Without being intentional there will be no real solution to these issues. Also, love the comics.
-Sara
I love your response to our readings and find your inclusion of the comics poignant given our topic. One portion of your response that stuck out to me was when you wrote, "The more ideas we hear that enhance our awareness, the more resilient and flexible our "brain" (cognitive processing) is, and the greater the odds we will be driven to break mental chains in others, take stands, and make differences." I have been thinking about the power that white individuals hold in righting the wrongs of our racist systems, and exposure to these issues is the first step in breaking the 'mental chains' in order to produce that positive change. It can be a difficult first step, but, the more exposure we receive the better equipped we will be at promoting an equal and equitable society.
ReplyDeleteGreat comments, here. I can tell that you really got into digging around the web as you read this piece. SO much of what you found and connected from Johnson is about acknowledgment and awareness. Good lessons for all of us who don't have to see power very often!!
ReplyDelete