I read your article about racial colorblindness, and it spurred a few thoughts in my mind. First of all I want to address your statement of “To not see skin color is impossible…So no one should pretend to be colorblind because in America people still give skin-color social meaning.”

I want to hit on the two different things that sparked my attention with this. The first part of the statement I do not agree with. “To not see skin color is impossible.” Why yes, I see your point that one can obviously not miss the fact that someone has a darker skin color, the metaphorical meaning of your statement I feel is not true. There are many people in the world who, for lack of a better terminology, “see past the skin color” and are able to make friends and associate with people who are not of a different race than his or herself. This somewhat leads into the next half of what you said, “So no one should pretend to be colorblind…skin-color has social meaning.” I agree with this one hundred percent; however, I do not agree with the fact that people still do this. It pretty much boils down to stereotypes.

I lived the first 18 years of my life as a closeted homosexual who is not able to live my life because I am so afraid of what other people think of me. That is no longer going to happen. Even though I am able to cover up my minority-like characteristic, I should still be able to live my life and not worry about it. I could walk across campus and no one would even look twice at me thinking I was gay. This is how I feel that racial stereotypes should be…non-existent. There are some people that walk across campus who feel that as soon as I tell them I am gay, they would not have anything to do with me, even though nothing about me has changed. That is ridiculous. Just because someone is a minority due to their skin color should not mean they should be treated any differently.

The fact that you would say that “To not see skin color is impossible” is somewhat disturbing to me. Let’s not be complacent. Let’s put the bug in the ear of campus to stop “…people still [giving] skin-color social meaning.” I have lived the non-minority life for the majority of my life, so I know what it is like to be on both sides. I am guilty for accusing people and being judgmental of people in the past, but I still know what it feels like to be looked at differently based on something you cannot help.

Robert Lanning

sophomore, accounting