Sue Ying TayTDPS R1APaper 1The Paradox of Color BlindnessWe live in a liberal, not liberated, society. We have developed the ability to coexist with those who are biologically and culturally different from us. But the concept and effects of race remain. Race is not simply a characterization of phenotypes. Race is also a cultural definition imposed on us by historical context. Race, in essence, is an idea. It is the classification of others within the realms of their unique story and living within the confines of our unique story. Racism is the fear of that idea. Racism is power. In a contemporary sense, however, racism is the assertion that racism does not exist. The new ideal of color blindness serves to promote the politics of kindness. The refusal to recognize the pervasiveness of racism is the new racism. Society promotes the use of politically correct terms and the idea of ​​equality when the mentality of racism is far from extinct. Even the act of recognizing race, of recognizing mental associations with race, is in fact racism. This state of neutrality is a luxury that only the privileged can access. This impartiality is the exercise of power by the racially privileged and is increasingly destructive to the other. The first effect of racism is a sense of loss. Children are initially exposed to the world outside their families through the press and media. Western literature and films often paint a similar picture: blond hair, blue-eyed children climbing trees and eating apples. This, as discussed by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, in her TED Talk “The Dangers of a Single Story,” subjects children to the single story of what books and childhood should be like. The sense of loss emerges as minority children realize the reality of their lives without… middle of paper… mastery of English. Racism refers to instances of overt racism in relation to one's well-being. Racism means having a ready-made explanation for your cultural instincts. The culmination of these seemingly subtle acts increases the scope of racial melancholy, influencing the mindset of those subjected to it. Cheng writes that racial pain is then translated into social ideals by racialized people. Feelings of melancholy and ostracism become naturalized, and imposed racial ideals become the ideals to live up to. For example, Asians feel the need to be good at math and tend to apologize if they don't. The single story of the intelligent Asian, the Asian who studies all day, thus becomes the Asian identity that is internalized and pursued. There is a gradual acceptance of the impossibility of achieving “whiteness” – the model of race.