Despite legislative initiatives and changes, systematic racism is still a significant problem in many societies, including the United States. Although laws prohibit any form of discrimination, racial groups are more likely to face job rejection or promotion and lower financial and educational levels. In addition, racism can manifest itself in daily interactions, unintentional stereotyping, and profiling. However, the realization that racism is wrong and discriminatory practice forces people to justify their actions and problems in society to avoid accusations of racism. Colorblind racism is one way of making such excuses, and the minimization of racism is its manifestation and consequences.
Colorblind racism is a practice that people use to defend themselves against accusations of racism and deny the significance of the problem. Colorblind racism, in this case, means denying the differences between representatives of different races, as well as the issues they face in social interactions, education, finance, and the labor market. At the same time, this approach is most often used by white people, which is justified by their white privilege, although representatives of other races can also use this idea (Cox, 2021; Burke, 2018). In this way, people try to show that they do not judge others by their skin color or background, but at the same time, ignore individual differences that are important for the perception of personality.
However, racial colorblind racism has some common features regardless of how it is manifested or conceptualized. First, this concept is reactive; that is, it is used to justify the status quo of racial inequality and white dominance (Burke, 2018). Second, the concept is based on the idea of liberalism and equal rights for all citizens, and differences between groups are explained by racial stereotypes despite their denial (Burke, 2018). In other words, supporters of this concept assert that all people have equal rights, but the shortcomings of racial groups, such as the chaotic state of black families, make it difficult for them to take advantage of opportunities.
The latter two features of colorblind racism are directly related to the concept of racism minimization. According to Bonilla-Silva (2017), the minimization is manifested in the fact that people recognize racism but understate its significance by saying that the problem is not as severe now as it was in the past. For example, one of the minimization claims is that while racism is a problem, some people see discrimination where there is none. Bonilla-Silva (2017) gives an example of student responses that some people do not get jobs because they are not educated enough but blame racism for this. Consequently, people who minimize racism say that there is enough work for everyone, and the lower economic or social status of racial groups is often explained by their lack of diligence or other personal factors. However, these people do not deny the problem of racism in general. Thus, this perception of racism coincides with such features of colorblind racism as belief in liberalism and racial stereotypes.
Therefore, racial colorblind racism and minimization are closely related concepts. People need to be aware of the differences in races and the problems they face in social interactions to direct efforts towards their solutions. People cannot deny that discrimination is still a significant problem for people of many races and backgrounds living in the United States. Consequently, recognizing racism and understanding the needs of different racial and social groups is the way to reduce discrimination and colorblind racism.
References
Bonilla-Silva, E. (2017). Racism without racists: Color-blind racism and persistence of racial inequality in American. (4th ed.). Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.
Burke, M. (2018). Colorblind racism. John Wiley & Sons.
Cox, J.M. (2021), When color-conscious meets color-blind: Millennials of color and color-blind racism.Sociological Inquiry.