In his article, When you say you don’t see race, you’re ignoring racism, not helping to solve it, Zach Stafford, a journalist with The Guardian, confronts the idea of “colorblindness” and its potential implications on racism in the United States. Through his research and analysis, Stafford attempts to demonstrate how colorblindness, often seen as a solution to racism, fails to recognize the deeply entrenched racism in the United States and can further facilitate its progression. The article is a powerful condemnation of colorblindness as a solution to racism, arguing that this ideology fails to recognize the complex social and economic issues that have created and maintained racism in the United States.
Stafford argues that the idea of “not seeing race” is fundamentally flawed and that it serves only to ignore racism and the problems associated with it. He claims that by claiming to “not see race,” people are avoiding the issue and disregarding the fact that racism still exists (Stafford). Stafford clarifies the concept of “colorblindness,” which is frequently seen as a solution to racism. Colorblindness is a belief that race should not be a consideration in social, economic, or political matters and that treating all people equally, regardless of race, is the only way to promote racial equality (Blum 95). However, Stafford argues that colorblindness fails to recognize the complexities of racism and the social and economic inequality it has created. He explains how this lack of recognition leads to a lack of understanding of how racism affects people of color in the United States.
To further his argument, Stafford provides examples of how colorblindness has been used to ignore racism rather than work to solve it. Colorblindness also prevents us from engaging in productive conversations about race and racism. Study by Bonilla-Silva (12) highlights that suppose we are unwilling to recognize the differences between people of different races; we cannot talk about how racism manifests in our institutions, how it affects people of color, and how to work towards a more equitable and just society.
Stafford’s argument is an interesting one and is one that is backed up by much evidence. He claims that the idea of “not seeing race” is flawed and that it serves only to ignore racism and the problems associated with it. This is supported by the fact that, in recent years, there have been several high-profile cases of racism and discrimination in the US and around the world (Braddock 43). These cases show that racism is still a genuine problem and needs to be addressed to be solved. Furthermore, Stafford’s argument is also supported by the fact that racism affects different races. He argues that by not acknowledging the racial differences between people, people ignore that racism has other effects on different races. This is true, as different races are likely to face different levels of discrimination and prejudice. For racism to be solved, these differences must be acknowledged and addressed.
In conclusion, Zach Stafford’s article, When you say you don’t see race, you’re ignoring racism, not helping to solve it, strongly condemns colorblindness as a solution to racism. Through his research and analysis, Stafford demonstrates how colorblindness fails to recognize the complexity of racism and the economic and social inequality it has created. He explains how this lack of recognition leads to a lack of understanding of how racism affects people of color in the United States. Ultimately, Stafford’s article is a call to action, urging people to recognize the deep-rooted racism in the United States and to work towards solutions that will genuinely make a difference.
Works Cited
Blum, Lawrence. “Racial Discrimination and Color Blindness.” Cornell UP, 2019, pp. 78–97. Web.
Bonilla-Silva, Eduardo. “Color-Blind Racism in Pandemic Times.” Sociology of Race and Ethnicity, vol. 8, no. 3, SAGE Publications, 2020, pp. 343–54. Web.
Braddock, Clarence H. “Racism and Bioethics: The Myth of Color Blindness.” The American Journal of Bioethics, vol. 21, no. 2, Informa UK Limited, 2020, pp. 28–32. Web.
Stafford, Zach. “When You Say You ‘don’t See Race,’ You’re Ignoring Racism, Not Helping to Solve It.” The Guardian, 2015, Web.