A letter to my white friends,
We both live in a white majority society. We are both privileged. We both have a lot to learn about race from people of color themselves. What seems to be the difference, however, is how we acknowledge this. It’s hard to count the number of casually racist comments you make followed by the typical “I’m not racist though — I don’t see colors, just people.” Besides the fact that you shouldn’t make racist jokes in the first place, this is as trite of an excuse as it gets. It’s completely false. Unless you’re blind (which you are not), you literally do see color. And if you see color, you see the differences in race & the way society treats different races. That doesn’t necessarily make you racist – although judging by your attitude, you should double check whether you come across as such.
But secondly and most importantly, not seeing color is a privilege. “Color,” or race, is not something you can just wave off and claim doesn’t exist. Yes, race is essentially a social construct – but as long as the world is full of discrimination based upon it, it still exists. If you have white privilege it can be easily dismissed just because you don’t suffer from all its implications — employment discrimination, police brutality, poor media representation, etc.
You act as though “not seeing color” makes you morally superior to others, as if you’re so above racism that you’re allowed to make racist jokes. Because you don’t mean them, right? Again, you’re only “above racism” because you’re not a victim to it. Does comfortably ignoring race make you better than Samaria Rice, whose 12 year-old son was murdered by a police officer? Does it erase the fear of thousands of Hispanics at the prospect of a Donald “I promise not to talk about your massive plastic surgeries” Trump presidency? Does it change the fact that 1 in every 15 black men is incarcerated, as opposed to 1 in every 106 white men? Of course not. Your ability to ignore or rationalize these facts only makes you privileged.
You might genuinely never have thought it this way before. You might really consider your throwaway comments harmless. But there is some truth in every joke, so maybe it’s time to ask yourself if you’re as non-discriminatory as you think. In any case, casual racism is harmful. “I don’t care if you’re black, white, or purple we are all the same! Race shouldn’t matter” sounds good, but don’t fool yourself. Race shouldn’t matter – unfortunately, it does. By expressing this sentiment, you are dismissing the experiences of communities facing discrimination. Sadly, you stating that “race doesn’t matter” will not solve racism worldwide.
And why is seeing color considered a bad thing in the first place? Humans come in different skin tones, with different eye hues and hair textures and nose shapes. We all have different cultures and origins. This diversity should only enrich the world; it should be celebrated and respected. By totally ignoring differences (read: pretending to ignore them), you inextricably link racism to diversity itself — you imply both are bad. But diversity isn’t bad – discrimination as a result of it is.
As for insensitive jokes you like to make: In laughing at the struggles of certain communities, in perpetuating stereotypes, you just normalize micro-aggression against people of color. If it’s okay to joke about something, then it must be okay to really believe it, and as that happens the serious issues regarding race are ignored. Don’t dedicate your energy to making jokes that no one even finds funny. Instead, educate yourself about real-life dangers you’re lucky not to face thanks to your skin color. Don’t try to prove you’re not racist using meaningless phrases. Instead, actually go out and be a good ally. Talk to people, go to protests, elect the right politicians, donate money. Most importantly, use your privilege to amplify black voices instead of talking over them, be it through stupid jokes or misguided activism (This goes for any other race beyond just black communities).
Next time you make a bad joke then rush to defend yourself and your non-racism, take a moment and think. Think what a punch in the gut “race doesn’t matter” must feel to people who have lost family members solely because of their race. You & I can’t understand that – no matter how much we empathize, our whiteness still gives us a certain safe distance. The fight to end racism is a fight we need to support as allies & human beings, but it’s not a fight that will affect us directly. So the first step is to acknowledge this privilege. Please understand — stating “I don’t see color” to justify your racism is being blind to race, but not in the way you mean.
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