The reason White people subscribe to and use color-blind approaches is, it
allows them to assume and even advance their position of privilege. Under this
ideology Whites can oppose affirmative action (though most jobs-especially
lucrative ones go to Whites), and still feel and sound moral. It’s a win-win
situation for them-reaping the benefits, yet denying any fault or advantage. Unfortunately,
it’s a loose-loose situation for people of color. By obscuring the fact that racial
inequality even exist, Whites have comfortable wiped their hands of any state
of affairs that connects them to racism.
JohnF. Dovidio and Samuel L. Geartner (2005), psychologist who have studied the
psychology of racism for almost forty years, have labeled the new color-blind racism
“aversive racism”. They state: “Like a
virus that has mutated, racism has evolved into different forms that are not
only more difficult to recognize, but also to combat.”
They
go on to say:
Aversive racists may
therefore regularly engage in discrimination while they maintain a non-prejudiced
self-image. The term “aversive” in this form of racism thus refers to two
aspects of this bias. It reflects the nature of the emotions associated with
blacks, such as anxiety, that lead to avoidance and social awkwardness rather
than to open antagonism. It also represents that, because of their conscious
adherence to egalitarian principles, these whites would find any thought that
they might be prejudiced to be aversive.
Today’s
racists will not openly discriminate or show bias in ways that can be attributed
to racism. Consciously, most White values are said to be egalitarian, but
because of the nature of discomfort and negativity Whites inwardly possess
towards Blacks, they will discriminate against Blacks, especially when it can
be justified as something else- “We had to get rid of the program-funding, you
know?” Aversive racism is said to be unintentional and unconscious. The danger
of this, of course, is if it is hidden from even them, how will they ever
recognize it to make changes. While people recognize that being prejudice is
wrong, they do not recognize that they are prejudice. “To make things worse,
the uncomfortable and discriminatory behavior associated with aversive racism
is very obvious to Blacks, even while Whites either don’t recognize it or consider
it hidden and deny it when confronted” (Dovidio & Gaertner, 2005).
Despite
compelling evidence of racial inequalities, Dovidio and Geartners studies
showed that between 40 and 60 percent of Whites who responded to a recent
survey, viewed the average Black in the United States as faring about as well,
or better, than the average White. Studies sadly show a truth that this is far
from this reality.
Not
only are Blacks fairing far worse than Whites, studies show that the gap is
widening between Whites and Blacks, even wealthy Blacks. The Blair report, a twenty
three year study which monitored more than 2,000 families from 1984, came
back with startling findings (McGreal, 2010).
White
families who had a median of around $22,000 dollars in 1984 increased their
wealth to $100,000, but Black household went from a meager $2000 per family and
only increased their wealth to $5000. While Whites are able to secure assets in
the amount of $100,000, Blacks are left with barely enough to survive (McGreal,
2005). To put things
into perspective, the median White family was 11 times richer than the median
Black family in 1984 ($2,000 vs. $22,000). But by 2007, the White household had
become 20 times richer than its Black counterpart ($5,000 vs. $100,000). The survey
does not include housing equity, but if property were included, it would widen
the wealth gap even further (Ford, 2010).
Though, tiring, I will continue to spread the message of racism, because to be silent, is to be part of the problem and the problem is so vast that there is no time for pause or rest....unfortunately.
Dovidio, John F., Gaertner,
Samuel L. Color Blind or Just Plain Blind?: The
Pernicious Nature of Contemporary Racism, 12(4) The NonProfit
Quarterly (Winter 2005). <http://racism.orgFord, Glen “Massive Race Divide: Blacks Will Never
Gain Wealth Equality With Whites Under the Current System”. Black Agenda
Report,. http://www.alternet.org/story/146966/
McGreal, Chris.
May 2010. A $95,000 question: Why Are
Whites Five Times Richer than Blacks in the US? Washington.guardian.co.uk.
<http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/may/17/white-people-95000-richer-black
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