Colorblind Racism Analysis

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The first type of racism discussed in class is the historical, “old fashioned” racism in the U.S. that characterized Jim Crow era South. This openly bigoted and explicit racism is also referred to as dominative racism. Eduardo Bonilla-Silva explains the new predominant form of racism: colorblind racism, which can be described as the white rationalization of racial inequality as “the product of market dynamics, naturally occurring phenomena, and blacks’ imputed cultural limitations” (RR 2). Colorblind racism is the covert and subtle racism that dominates the U.S. but is also exacerbated in contemporary egalitarian ideology. As a result of this egalitarianism, “reverse” racism has developed as a reaction to increasing equality between races.…show more content…
Doob cites three types of white racism generally in agreeance with Bonilla-Silva: “old fashioned” racism, symbolic racism, and cultural camouflage for modern racism. Like Bonilla-Silva’s symbolic racism, Doob defines his version as: “an emotionally negative response toward minorities, particularly blacks, represented as their transgressions against traditional values” (SRR 15). Another form of racism that stems from post-civil rights U.S. is laissez-faire racism, which holds the black work ethics and culture at fault for racial inequality (RR 7). Bonilla-Silva feels that both symbolic and laissez-faire racism fit with his colorblind racism interpretation which includes abstract liberalism, naturalization, cultural racism, and minimization of race. Abstract liberalism is an egalitarian justification for racism as a matter of personal preference or freedom of individual choice (RR 74-76). Naturalization is the suggestion by predominant white ideology that “racial phenomena” are naturally occurring and inevitable (RR 76). Cultural racism is similar to laissez-faire racism in the focus on a group’s inability to act in accordance to white success narratives (RR
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