The connection between colorblind racism (the idea that one doesn’t see and thus respond to people on the basis of their color) and abstract liberalism is very subtle and hard to ascertain. Here, I provide a brief attempt to shed light on its connectedness through a hypothetical example.
Abstract liberalism: “This frame incorporates tenets associated with political (e.g., ‘equal opportunity’, the idea that force should not be used to achieve social policy, etc.) and economic (e.g., choice and individualism) liberalism in an abstract and decontextualized manner. By framing race-related issues in the language of liberalism, whites can appear ‘reasonable’ and even ‘moral’ while opposing almost all practical approaches to deal with de facto racial inequality. For instance, by using the tenets of the free market ideology in the abstract, they can oppose affirmative action as a violation of the norm of equal opportunity”.
–Eduardo Bonilla-Silva—
I must say, it’s frustrating at times that I must bring up race so often; unfortunately, I’ve noticed that if I don’t no one else will. It’s like it plays no significant role in our society. Our society is predicated on race, who are we fooling? Race is a salient part of every major sector of North American life. It will continue to be unless we all begin to communicate about it. Acting as if it isn’t there or as if we are colorblind is only perpetuating existing inequities. Let me give an example.
Let’s say Benji and I raced and I accumulated a 50 yard lead. A judge then told us both to stop where we were. She then said that we were starting over, except we were keeping our established places. We take back off running. Should Benji legitimately be expected to catch up, let alone win? Is that fair? We would then be acting as if I didn’t have a huge lead. We wouldn’t be considering the fact that Benji doesn’t have a realistic chance given outside circumstances. To add insult to injury, if Benji doesn’t catch up, what we will say is that he simply didn’t work hard enough. It would also then be realistic for him to not run as hard–but not because he was lazy or didn’t want to “work hard”–he doesn’t see catching up as viable. Do you, the reader, see how insidious this is? This is the plight of many students of color.
The faulty notion of being colorblind which is so prevalent in this country does just this; it’s indirect, slippery, and “seemingly” non-racial, yet maintains racial privilege. Existing racial privileges, to those with white skin in this country, are crystallized by colorblindness. In the example above, I was given privilege, but it was at the expense of Benji. That’s the way white privilege always works. It’s a double-edged sword. One get’s privilege but at another’s expense. I do believe that the one getting privilege loses something as a result of this privilege as well; that is a whole separate topic and will have to be dealt with later. Colorblindness and abstract liberalism have a unique and menacing connection.
Abstract liberalism asserts that individual people decide their own fate and that in order to be successful one must pull themselves up by their own bootstraps. This ideology doesn’t account for outside, non-merited, inhibiting circumstances that shape the realistic life chances of individuals regardless of hard work or intelligence.
I want to end with a quote from Michael Lewis out of his controversial book entitled, The Culture of Inequality. On page 8 Lewis gets at the heart of how abstract liberalism (though he doesn’t call it this) is maintained in the minds of those who ascribe to colorblindness. He asserts:
“The emergence of this individualistic moral sensibility is of considerable significance, for as we shall see it has become central to the existence of the American culture of inequality—an interpretation of unequal outcomes given the assumption of equal chances. It is a sensibility that virtually ignores the impact of social structure upon personal achievement and mobility. According to this sensibility, it is the individual alone who is socially significant, who determines what his or her contribution to the commonweal will be, and who is therefore responsible for the degree of personal success achieved. Society is seen as benign, offering up opportunities and waiting to be enriched…therefore removes inequality of personal perquisites from the category of social conditions in need of reform. If inequality exists, it is nothing more than a reflection of different personal qualities”.
More to follow…
There’s another part to this, as I see it. White folks get that 50 yard lead, then a generation or two down the road we like to think we have “pulled ourselves up by our bootstraps,” and fail to recognize that we are standing on the shoulders of other white folks who threw away ethnicity and culture to become white, or, start 50 yards ahead.
The liberal politics have to do with guilt. White liberal guilt… and you’re right, there is absolutely something lost once that privilege is gained. White people, we are losing out on truth and real relationship, we are lying to ourselves, we are actively participating in the oppression that steals our humanity.
I think we can get beyond this colorblind racism if we start look at our institutions and getting real about race relations. I also think that every white person has a “buy-in” for anti-racism, we just have to scratch pretty hard to find it sometimes.
What Mr Siva misses in his “Benji’ example is that when the race is again initiated with the 50-yard lead it isconducted with the two parties maintaining their respective positions. What Silva leaves out is that the person in front may have an advantage from the first race, but he is now burdened with carrying a 50 lb weight in the form of new racial preferences designed to even the outcome. Can we really expect Benji to catch up? Only Benji can answer that as an individual, but he will have the benefit of a bevy of quota system programs solely designed to help him run faster without actually having to run any faster. Is this a great country or what. But Benji still has to run. No one can carry him to the front and declare him the winner based on the sins of the past. At the end of the day both runners will have to perform to success regardless of the respective starting positions.
Hey Steve, thanks for your response. Unfortunately I am too burdened down myself right now to give a substantive response. I will shortly though. What I will say is that it is interesting that those who have the “50-yard lead” are still in the lead even though as you assert, they have to bare a 50 lb weight. They must be doubly strong. Of course I’m speaking in general terms, considering every major leadership aspect of American life except the President, who has carried on business as usual, so his “color” is a non factor. I suppose you are right in saying that Benji must run for himself; sins of the past are just that, sins of the past. Let’s be thoughtful in our analysis though and note that all sins have lasting effects, especially those we are talking about. I would also hasten to add that the Benji’s of the U.S., generally speaking, are running regardless; matter of fact, they seem to be gaining ground…can’t you see it all around you!?!
The stereotype of Asian Americans as the “model minority” is also used as a form of abstract liberalism. They are seen as having “pulled themselves up by their bootstraps” as an argument against affirmative action as well as to contrast against the “failures” of other racial groups e.g. latinos, blacks, by declaring these groups as ‘not working hard enough’ or living in a ‘culture of poverty.’ The stereotype is also harmful for Asian Americans as it renders invisible their struggles – esp for Cambodians, Laotians, and other ethnic groups within the Asian American community who experience some of the highest levels of poverty in the U.S.
I’m glad to read this and know that I’m not crazy or “hyper sensitive” for recognizing race. Great writing!