AN AMERICAN BLINDFOLD 1

An American Blindfold

Sara Lioanag

Portland State University

America has a dark and extensive history with racism. Racism still plagues America and

has an immeasurable impact on people of color in this country. Yet, many Americans believe

racism is over. As Barack Obama was elected, many had the mentality that a black president was

the cure to this sickness. However, this sickness was never treated. The existence of racism was

swept under the colorblind rug. Eduardo Bonilla-Silva, author of Racism without Racists,

criticizes this ignorance by highlighting color-blind racism and its effects on people of color in

America.

Bonilla-Silva outlines four central frames of color-blind racism. The first frame is

abstract liberalism. This frame uses liberal ideas to decontextualize race from its historical truth.

An example of this frame would be describing the ideas of equal opportunity and affirmative

action as preferential treatment towards people of color (Bonilla-Silva, 2014). This is a form of

color-blind racism because it does not acknowledge racial disparity. It can highlight the

difference between equality and equity. The second frame is naturalization. This frame explains

racial circumstances as natural tendencies. For instance, housing segregation is explained away

by arguing that people of the same race gravitate towards each other. Naturalization ignores the

role that society and institutions play in segregation. Similarly, the third frame, cultural racism,

insists that the racial disparity is due to cultural failings and not because of structural issues.

Examples of this are assertions such as Mexicans are lazy or Black people are criminals.

These assertions use the idea of culture to blame victims and ignore structural problems. The last

frame of color-blind racism is the minimization of racism. This frame suggests that institutional
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racism is no longer a factor working against non-whites in America anymore. After President

Obama was elected, many held the idea that a black president meant that there was no more

racism in America. This ignores disparity amongst people of color by accusing minorities of

being hypersensitive. All of these frames use coded language and covert discrimination to justify

race relations in America today.

These frames are used widely in America today but I believe that minimization of racism

is the frame that is most commonly used. With the birth of the Obama Administration, many

Americans believe that we live in a post-racial society. I often hear people saying, We have a

black president now, what more do you want? There is this notion that because Obama was

president that we are now past racism and it is no longer an issue. What white people do not

easily see is the racism people of color face everyday. There are societal and institutional factors,

such as housing discrimination and access to healthcare, that work against people of color

everyday. I do believe things are better for minorities than they were in the past, however, I do

not see them as good. Racism is still a prevalent issue in America and the imposition of the four

frames discussed stagnate the progression of minorities statuses.

Racial stories have been used for a long time to explain and legitimize white racial

ideologies. Racial stories and opinions work against minorities to ignore disparity and hinder

upward mobility. As Bonilla-Silva lays out numerous racial stories, he details the way people use

coded language to get racist points across, whether intentional or subconscious. Bonilla-Silva

states that storytelling is pivotal to communication because it is the way ideas are passed on. He

also states that stories support arguments and help with persuasion.White racist rhetoric enforces

stereotypes and, in the post-racial fantasy, promotes color-blindness and ignorance of pressing

issues regarding race.

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Where are people getting racist ideologies from? Are people born racist? The answer is

simple on the surface, yet layered beneath. People are not born racist. Racism is something that

is instilled and conditioned into a person. People get racist ideologies from stories as Bonilla-

Silva states, but media has a much wider outreach that also uses coded language to persuade

people into thinking that they are right. For example, Media sources such as CNN or Fox News

do not exactly give objective, unbiased news reports. Many articles and reports from these

sources use coded language such as describing black men as thugs or Muslims as terrorists.

This coded language is dangerous to those who do not bear a peeled eye. These sources have the

ability to twist facts into their favor and persuade followers into believing their ideologies. In a

Fox News online article, correspondent Matt Finn details the effects of the agreement of 2016

between the city of Chicago and the American Civil Liberties Union. The agreement requires all

police officers to file paperwork after every stop, with the files to be looked through by the

ACLU. Finn states that the agreement could be putting a damper on law enforcement by making

policing more difficult. He uses quotes from an interview with Chicagos former police

superintendent, Garry McCarthy, to enforce his opinion. McCarthy says, Politics is a cancer to

good policing, and that, the political landscape in this country for the last couple of years has

taken us down this path, (Finn, 2017). In addition, Finn uses quotes from the president of the

Fraternal Order of Police, Dean Angelo. Angelo states, Let the police do their job, and

describes the agreement as the cause of above and beyond activity (Finn, 2017). This article

ignores the fact that police brutality is an important issue in America and that is what the ACLU

is trying to accomplish. This good policing is costing America a genocide. With articles like

this from major news sources, it becomes so easy for color-blind racism to manifest itself.
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With the Obama era, it provided many with hope. For others, it placed a blindfold over

racist eyes. Bonilla-Silva demonstrates an immaculate examination of the four frameworks of

color-blind racism by laying out story lines and testimonies. He shows readers how people use

coded language to justify their racist ideas and how color-blind racism is ignored and

normalized. All of the frameworks are used today and are manifested and passed on through

stories and media. Americas goal should not be post-race but rather post-racist.
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References

Bonilla-Silva, Eduardo. Racism without racists: color-blind racism and the persistence of racial

inequality in America. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 2014. Print.

Finn, Matt. "Politics of policing making Chicago crime wave worse?" Fox News. FOX News

Network, 06 Feb. 2017. Web. 07 Feb. 2017.