Racism There Are as Many

Racism

There are as many ways to think about the issue of race as there are people. Casper Weinberger reportedly stated once that when he looked at Colin Powell he didn't see a black man, he saw a man. Colin Powell replied in response that when he look at Weinberger he did see a whiTe man. The issue in this comment raise the issue of whether humans are capable of completely ignoring race. When we look at a friend, do we see a friend or a blonde? Hair is a very prominent feature, and yet we have never heard anyone say "I don't see a tall man, I see a man," or "I don't see a man with red hair, I see a man." That is because neither being tall nor being a redhead have major societal problems attached to them.

Perhaps it depends on the person's history. People who saw the civil rights struggle of the fifties and sixties, either on TV or in their towns and cities, would have the race of people as major historical fact in their lives (King, M.L.). Of course, many people are not old enough to remember the events of the "Civil Rights Movement," but many of today's adults are aware of the issue known as "affirmative action" (Hinman, L.M.).

In addition, many people, and our public schools, have adopting a policy of embracing and welcoming the concept of racial and cultural diversity into our school's curricula (U of Maryland). Today's textbooks and other instructional materials include more accurate information about the history of slavery than in times past (Atlantic Monthly).

Perhaps Weinberger saw his comment as a compliment, but perhaps Powell realized that people who only ignore race when looking at high achievers may still be very race-conscious, and perhaps even in a negative way.

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