How is it possible to be color and gender-blind?
It's not possible, and here is why we should not try to be so
Dear Danseurs and Ballerinas:
Lately, I’ve had plenty to say about music being colorblind, an idea also suggested by Wesley Morris in “The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story.” In his superb chapter on music, Mr. Morris credited African-American artists with playing an important role in disintegrating America’s:
“political investment in a myth of racial separateness, the idea that art forms can be either “white” or “black” in character when aspects of many are at least both.”
Art, as a created object, may very well be color and gender-blind, but I do not believe it is possible or advisable for humans to be so. Not only is it against our nature, but attempting such neutrality risks blinding ourselves to an essential part of what makes us human.
What is written below was originally part of a personal letter I penned to a friend in 2023. It came to mind as I produced my podcast episode on the music of Motown, music which is historically “black.” I’m posting the letter here because it captures what I saw then, and what I still see…
From the Balcony
It is grossly disrespectful to any race to suggest their culture, beliefs, and practices are only skin deep, and that inside they are as tasteless and transparent as water. That is to suggest that if we were to take a black man’s essence, that is, his soul, and pour it into a white man’s skin, the black man would disappear. How vile an idea!
Consider my friend Mehmoud, shown here. He is Turkish, which is why he looks like he does. That’s why he is what he is!
Mehmoud traces his Turkish lineage back thousands of years to the grasslands of Mongolia. For Mehmoud and other Turks, being Turkish runs in their blood. It is something passed down to them by their ancestors. When they hear Turkish music, it stirs their souls in a way that is mystical, even archetypal.
You simply cannot take a Turk like Mehmoud and pour him into the body of an Egyptian, who might look similar, and expect him to be the same. It is not only a ridiculous idea, it is a despicably racist one, because it egregiously fails to recognize the beautiful and deeply profound differences between the races. It reduces a person’s racial identity to just a shallow vestige of what color container they find themselves in.
This naive and harmful idea is an extension of sexologist John Money’s debunked notion that the only difference between male and female is how we are packaged, and that inside we are neutral, without gender, just clear water that takes the shape of any form we are poured into. Money’s scientifically bogus theory is now widely popular among certain groups who desperately want it to be true…science be damned.
Not being racist or sexist does not mean being blind to race or sex. Quite the opposite, it means being so acutely aware of differences that you love each one for the unique qualities it brings to the human mix, like loving a spice for how it affects the flavor of a dish. The differences are to be celebrated and savored!
Is anyone suggesting we are all just salt and that no one is cumin, pepper, cinnamon, clove, tej patta, coriander, or cardamon?
If yes, I don’t want to eat at their house!
On the 1619 Project
I learned a lot from this book and recommend it, especially to Americans who care about their country. It is exceptionally well researched and written, and a critical eye-opener for so-called “white” people like me.
We should not be afraid of learning history through a different set of lenses. As my favorite history podcaster, Dan Carlin, said:
“History is not like math, right? It’s not two plus two equals four. There’s a Fox News version of history and an MSNBC version of history.”
The 1619 Project is history as seen through the lens of African-Americans, and it is just as valid as history seen through the lens of so-called “white” Americans. Read it and decide for yourself!
For Something Fun!
Watch my dear Turkish neighbor İbrahim trying to teach this old, white, Western guy (me) a traditional Turkish dance. Sorry, but it just ain’t in my blood!
That’s a Wrap!
Thanks, as always, for listening to me pontificate. Hey! That’s a word I can’t use anymore, because we have new Pope who can authentically pontificate. Well, a boy can dream can’t he?
Be sure to listen to the next podcast episode on Motown’s music. It complements this letter… with music! I know you’ll enjoy it.
Until next time, birds and bees…
