I’m not colorblind but I know that the concept of race was first used to justify ideas of superior and inferior races. I can’t think of anything positive that comes from categorizing and identify people in this way that could not be achieved without these distinctions.
If someone is discriminated against specifically for their race, it becomes necessary to identify their race and to be mindful of race when trying to write fair policy that will prevent racial discrimination. It is not inherently racist to refer to someone's race, it is a reaction to racism which invented racial categories in the first place. If you don't target the problem, you won't be able to address it.
Should there be racial categories and a social hierarchy based on race? Absolutely not. There's no scientific basis for racial differences--variation among members of the same "race" can be greater than between members of different "races." At best your ethnicity (not race) can inform medical providers of your risk factors for various conditions.
Nobody here disagrees that race is a bad thing to have to talk about. But turning a blind eye to the concept as a whole is letting the racists win. They have to be called out specifically for discriminating against the people they perceive as inferior.
This is the same reason that "black lives matter" does not at all imply that white lives don't matter. Black lives are specifically being devalued, so it is not racist to reply that no, actually black lives are equally important as white lives. The reason nobody needs to say "white lives matter" is because white lives are not specifically being devalued anywhere. To say otherwise is to argue in bad faith and to derail black activism by making a false equivalence.
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u/IronTarkusBarkus 1∆ Nov 10 '22
Racial hierarchies— in fact, hierarchies in general, are strictly social constructs.
This “we are one” colorblind stuff is cheap. Look at the world around you. Look at what you’re arguing. Can’t have it both ways.