Colorblind Ideology: An Overt Prejudice

On August 28th, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his most notable speech. He proclaimed to all that would listen, “I have a dream! I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin... but by the content of their character!” This affirmation introduced the color-blind ideology to the American people. Dr. King's revelation is based on the premise that there is no profiling on the individual based on the color of their skin. This ensures the avoidance of superiority and inferiority and enforces equality. The problem that has arised following the declaration of the speech is the issue of applied social colorblindness. While King explicitly states that we should not assume the character of a person based solely on appearance, it has been misinterpreted as meaning that we should completely ignore race, ethnicity, and culture when acknowledging people entirely.

Ideology is defined as the representation of the imaginary relationship of the individuals to the real conditions of their existence. This creates an air of false consciousness that conceals the truth, controls class conflicts, and maintains the status quo. Ideological State Apparatuses, the institutions in which ideology operates, imposes onto individuals a designated role, or forme, and restricts their ability to transcend those objective roles. Since humans cannot recognize themselves outside of their assigned ideologies, they must acquire their identities by seeing themselves through the perception of others. (Althusser ISA's)

Advocates for colorblind ideology share the notion that the best way to stop discrimination on the basis of race is to end any form of discriminating on the basi...

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...minorities, resulting in decreased cognitive performance (Holoien et al., 2011). Given how much is at stake, we can no longer afford to be blind. It's time for change and growth. It's time to see.

The alternative to colorblindness is multiculturalism, an ideology that acknowledges, highlights, and celebrates ethnoracial differences. It recognizes that each tradition has something valuable to offer. It is not afraid to see how others have suffered as a result of racial conflict or differences.

So, how do we become multicultural? The following suggestions would make a good start (McCabe, 2011): Recognizing and valuing differences, Teaching and learning about differences, and Fostering personal friendships and organizational alliances. Moving from colorblindness to multiculturalism is a process of change, and change is never easy, but we can't afford to stay the same.