Racism W/out Racists

I can't remember if we mentioned this book in class, but "Racism without Racists: Color-Blind Racism and the Persistence of Racial Inequality in the United States" by Eduardo Bonilla-Silva is a interesting piece that confronts the modern problem of racism. We live in a country were all but a few actually deem themselves as racist, but yet the inequalities that we have confronted in class still exist! 


See this NY Times column for an interesting discussion of this topic 



Following the many social movements of the 20^th century like the Feminist, Civil Rights, and LBGTQ, we have entered an unprecedented era of tolerance. I use the word tolerance because this is different than actual acceptance. This policy of simple tolerance has indicative of abstract liberalism. We respect the rights of a cause by abstractly applying the tenets of liberalism to rationalize our support. Our country was founded on the classic principles of liberalism, those being individualism, universalism, egalitarianism, and meliorism; the concepts we are all individuals, equal and through our combined effort can effect positive change. 


 Bonilla-Silva takes this problem head on tackling it from a number of angles. I particularly enjoyed abstract liberalism turned abstract racism or color-blindness. Bonilla-Silva characterizes abstract racism as “framing race-related issues in the language of liberalism…”. This general is interesting in that it that can be applied beyond the scope racism and be applicable to just about any cause outside of race like gender and sexual orientation discussions. 

Even Colbert has picked up on this color blindness:

"Now, I don't see color. People tell me I'm white and I believe them because police officers call me "sir"."


Psychology Today also addresses this issue.


Problems with the colorblind approach


"Racism? Strong words, yes, but let's look the issue straight in its partially unseeing eye. In a colorblind society, White people, who are unlikely to experience disadvantages due to race, can effectively ignore racism in American life, justify the current social order, and feel more comfortable with their relatively privileged standing in society (Fryberg, 2010). Most minorities, however, who regularly encounter difficulties due to race, experience colorblind ideologies quite differently. Colorblindness creates a society that denies their negative racial experiences, rejects their cultural heritage, and invalidates their unique perspectives."


They go on to add that the solution if Multiculturalism and what they describe does manage to pass as cosmopolitanism!