Why I Oppose Race-Consciousness

Race-consciousness is not something that belongs in the minds of children; rather than being a virtue, it’s far more of a poison. I want children to be entirely separated from and ignorant of racial issues. Rather, they should simply see people, with their pigmentation being an accidental triviality. Race-consciousness robs that from them, and I think it’s tragic.

Does racism exist in the world? Sure, but far less than advertised, particularly in America, which is among the least racist places on Earth. And yes, a child who is blighted by relatives degrading people of differing pigmentation needs to be told why it’s abnormal and wrong. But we shouldn’t dump that on every child any more than we put a cast on every kid’s arm when little Bobby breaks his.

I want children to be shocked and horrified the first time they encounter racism.

And please let no one tell me this is impossible. I grew up with no consciousness of race beyond the obvious fact that there were people of varying colors. And I was certainly not alone in this.

Black people (Negroes at the time) were treated with respect as a first principle, as were Spanish-speakers. The black man who did construction work at our house was always referred to as Mr. Tollfree. The Latin man who worked for my dad was always Mr. Castro. Both were treated the same as any of our friends or neighbors, and there was no discussion required; it was just the way we did things.

That is what I want for children, and race-consciousness steals it from them.

Yes, the real world is complex and sometimes ugly; I know quite well the horrors of the ghetto. But such facts do not negate the central issue: that children’s minds should kept free of this poison as far and as long as is practical.

Complicated? Gray areas? Of course! This is planet Earth, not a fantasy novel. Nonetheless, the principle holds, and the blanketing of whole generations with this stuff has done them a great disservice.