Is the Term "Colorblind" Silly?

[Bob Lee (QSC)]

Wouldn't he have to be racier before he can be raciest?

 

[jrthebassguy]

While I can't defend Chris Matthews comments (I'm not really that familiar with him, TBH), I don't think the notion of colorblindness is racist or ignorant unto itself.

For some people, to truly view someone as an equal, they need to remove all qualifiers that make that person visually/culturally different from themselves - be it race, gender, religion, country of origin, etc. This would be an example of "colorblindness", I've also seen "genderblind" used in the same context.


For others, they can view others as an equal while still understand/respecting a person's background that is different from their own.


While I feel the latter of the two is more ideal, some people can only act in the former. Which is better than being racist or sexist, in any case. Some people may use a combination of the two, depending on their own personal leanings/experiences.



My two cents, IMO, YMMV, and all that.

 

[RWP]

Once again, Matthews is not the subject of my post. He just provided as example of a common expression.

Then why didn't you say that in the first place!

 

[Dr. Cheese]

Then why didn't you say that in the first place!

I thought I did when I said the subject was the idea of colorblindness and not politics. Discussing Matthews per se is inherently political.

 

[Phalex]

I got it the first time round.

 

[RWP]

I thought I did when I said the subject was the idea of colorblindness and not politics. Discussing Matthews per se is inherently political.

I know, you missed my !!

 

[Bob Lee (QSC)]

i dont think he meant malice by the statement i was just kind of an awkward statement that once you make it it can be scrutinized and pulled like taffy in every which direction and almost any statement you make in defense can be twisted to someone elses bennefit.

Could be. Remarks like that are often of the awkward "Crap, I wish I hadn't said it that way" variety.

I know talking heads have to yammer and avoid silence--that's what they're paid to do--but IMO, if you don't want to say something stupid, steer away from what might come out stupidly.

 

[aborgman]

Coincidentally, since my dad is actually red/green colorblind, and this is OT, I thought I was going to see images like this:

What I get I guess for underestimating TB, lol.

Mmm... Ishihara plates...

...and as someone who is red/green deficient, please quit calling it colorblindness or I might get offended

Now people like my grandfather who are actually monochromatic? You can call them colorblind

 

[5StringBlues]

Gentlemen! You can't fight in here! This is the war room!

Dr. Strangelove quote = major WIN.

 

[FL Knifemaker]

I know talking heads have to yammer and avoid silence--that's what they're paid to do--but IMO, if you don't want to say something stupid, steer away from what might come out stupidly.

Thank you for helping make my point! The colorblind concept would be a great topic for dicsussion on it's own. As worded in the OP using Matthews who is famous for verbal blunders as the example, IMHO makes it almost impossible to take anything after that seriously or worse, go political.

 

[mike_v_s]

To answer the OP: No.

Mike

 

[mindbass]

yes, it's supposed to be colourblind

 

[MakiSupaStar]

Blue and yellow makes green.

 

[mike_v_s]

Blue and yellow makes green.

I never noticed. I don't pay attention to those kind of things.

Mike

 

[jrthebassguy]

Blue and yellow makes green.

"You know when it comes to racism, people say: " I don't care if they're black, white, purple or green"... Ooh hold on now: Purple or Green? You gotta draw the line somewhere! To hell with purple people! - Unless they're suffocating, then help'em." - Mitch Hedburg

 

[Bob Lee (QSC)]

Thank you for helping make my point! The colorblind concept would be a great topic for dicsussion on it's own. As worded in the OP using Matthews who is famous for verbal blunders as the example, IMHO makes it almost impossible to take anything after that seriously or worse, go political.

Don't discuss Mathews then. His words were offered as an example but you could probably find many other people have said something similar. Let's just discuss what was said, meant, expressed, etc.

 

[sloasdaylight]

Don't discuss Mathews then. His words were offered as an example but you could probably find many other people have said something similar. Let's just discuss what was said, meant, expressed, etc.

I have a feeling that it's impossible to discuss what Chris Matthews said, and more importantly what was meant, in a non political sort of way given the amazingly political nature of who delivered it and his past examples of verbal diarrhea.

Discussing race and racial equality and "colorblindness" whatever that's supposed to mean, is inherently a difficult thing to discuss openly and freely because so often the racist charge gets brought out prematurely, and so many people are afraid of being called one. Being called a racist in today's America is like being called a really bad thing from the 1700s in the 1700s (I'm drawing a huge blank on my analogies). It's something people avoid at all costs, so it's a very powerful tool for getting people to at least say they agree with you when you have a discussion about it. Fortunately though, I think the word is beginning to lose it's conversation stopper charm and as a result a real dialogue can begin.

Like I said in my earlier post, people NEED to stop thinking about everything in terms of race, and start dealing with what was said, and more importantly, what has been done. I think Chris Matthews' statement was a perfect example of how racially charged thinking pervades much of the media today when dealing (specifically) with Obama, and more generally politics and social issues, such as welfare, health care, jobs, etc. I think until we are all able to see past some one's skin color and focus instead of what was said by that person, or what they have done, or what is the best way to viably help them, then we'll be doomed to this pathetic politically correct state we live in today where everything is a thinly veiled racist attack by xyz group, or abc group is charging racism against blah blah blah.

I don't want it to sound like I'm accusing you of doing these things, cause I'm not, just kind of going off what you said about Chris Matthews.

 

[Jimmy Bones]

I'm not colorblind. I'll openly admit that I have several unconscious biases that are in fact based on ethnicity, gender, orientation, or whatever, which can come to the forefront unless I am paying attention.

I am not colorblind - I am colorconscious.

 

[Bob Lee (QSC)]

I have a feeling that it's impossible to discuss what Chris Matthews said, and more importantly what was meant, in a non political sort of way given the amazingly political nature of who delivered it and his past examples of verbal diarrhea.

Don't discuss Mathews then. His words were offered as an example but you could probably find many other people have said something similar.

The title of the thread is Is the Term "Colorblind" Silly? Not Is Chris Mathews Silly? Maybe because I only have over-the-air TV, I really don't understand the obsession that keeps coming up.

 

[Rocker949]

I once shared an office with an older African-American woman. I'm white. On several occasions we would be talking about someone. From time to time, she'd ask me for some kind of description of the person we were talking about. Several times I was unable to say whether a person was black or white. At first, she seemed skeptical that I was really not noticing something like that. Finally, she realized I was being genuine, although she did seem surprised that a person wouldn't even notice something like that.

The fact that Chris Matthews might have forgotten that Obama is black is not something of major importance. If he is trying to get people to applaud him for not being a racist, that is a lame way to do it. Not being a racist is a requirement to being a normal human being, not something we are supposed to get rewards for. In answer to the topic's question, though, the answer is, NO.