To think skin colour matters WAY more than people like to admit

[daysayso]

I am involved in marketing campaigns - I won't say what because it's outing but let's say I recently worked on a campaign where the service being provided had absolutely nothing to do with race (so it wasn't makeup or hair for example).

Yet the vast majority that responded were people of colour (Same as the person featured in the ad) and it made me think how much your life chances are still dictated by your skin colour.

People like to consider race more than they like to admit even in spaces where it has nothing to do with anything, people just seem to feel more 'comfortable' with their own.

I felt for the first time in a long time my success will in part depend on my skin colour because for whatever reason the majority of white people that saw this ad decided it wasn't for them on the basis I'm someone of colour.

Please no arguments I'm looking for a mature conversation and if you find the topic sensitive you need not respond

Just looking for others experiences really

When people say they don't see colour, I think they are trying to say that they don't think colour influences them in the instinctive judgements they make about people when they first meet.
I don't know how true that is for anyone though - in the first seconds of seeing a person, before they've even spoken, we notice colour, sex, age, clothes, and in a split second make all sorts of judgements which we revise as further info becomes available. I think humans like categorising each other and a lot of the time I don't think we even notice that we're doing it.

And theres no difference between 'coloured person' and 'person of colour'

Its the emperors new clothes

I don't care if you are black, white, brown, pink, orange or brown - you are a person to me.

I identify as a purple toaster

My partner is white and I am not. We often see how differently we are treated. Even our kids notice. Sometimes we even make a conscious decision to get him to do something because we think we'll have a better outcome. We try and laugh about it.

Exactly this. It doesn't matter what we say, as we get shot down in flames for having 'white privilege' it's exhausting

That’s a very eloquent point. As humans we are all différent. Skin colour is also different. I’m tanned. My son is paler than me, my dad is black. These are observations. Im not defining anyone by colour. But as a description of who they are.

You know what. I love you for saying this. Thank you

im a burnt crumpet. Please don’t take offence

I Haven’t Read the whole thread but as one of the first responders said, we all display unconscious bias.
The way you the OP interpreted the response to the ad also displayed an unconcious bias. You interpreted that white people decided it wasn’t for them rather than thinking that more people of colour thought it was for them because another person of colour was in the ad.

Not all people of colour are black you know 🙄

I would imagine it's not half as exhausting as being subjected to racism on the regular... and the thing is- its white people's responsibility to educate ourselves on this, not to claim exhaustion and say its too hard. That in itself is privilege because people who aren't white don't get the option to say this is exhausting so I don't think I'll bother with dealing with racism/stereotypes today, there is no opt out. They have to deal with it constantly so white people complaining that it's hard to know how to get it right, or being afraid to get it wrong instead of doing the research and the self improvement is just a bit of a kick in the teeth. White people need to be better at sitting with our discomfort so we can really learn and do better.

Yes I can understand the unconscious biased x

And this is the problem with that terminology

Its completely othering, its putting people into literally 2 groups, - white, and then 'people of colour' - the others

I dont use 'people of colour' in the way that I never used the term 'coloured'.

I dont care if its the new name to refer to people who are not white, its not accurate, not representative and fairly hostile

This is why so many black people don’t contribute to threads on race on MN.

Posts like these are just so frustrating,

but why? That’s horrible to hear black ppl aren’t contributing

If they are frustrating then so. Honestly speaking I don’t know what’s right? What’s wrong? Might offend?

What would like to say, Sarah? Congratulate you on not seeing colour?

I agree OP

I think everyone needs to acknowledge that most people in the whole world have some sort of racial bias. It's a hard thing to acknowledge about yourself but I think it's an important step as once you do, then you can start questioning yourself and your assumptions and behaviour etc and make some positive changes.

I did the (I think it's the) chicago university racial bias thing and I was at first horrified by my results (I'm married to someone who is technically a different race to me though doesnt look it, I live in a very multicultural area, my friends are various races etc and I thought I'd have no bias at all) but when you read through the results, the vast majority of people do.

Knowing a bit about how our mind works is a good start in improving how we react to things though

*what would like them to say

Yes, you try and laugh about it but really it must be tiresome.

My daughter has a black friend, who was born here but who's mum is Nigerian with a regular accent. She often has to speak for her mum (in shops, restaurants etc) as the difference in outcomes are dramatic.

As an East Asian I get it too. Go to a cafe or somewhere customer facing and you can read the disappointment on faces as they're mentally preparing to work out what I'm going to say. Like they're expecting Jackie Chan. Then the relief when I sound like Henry Golding.

@ImAvingOops

People who are colour blind are great and I accept people will always make judgements, some more than others. The problem comes when their racism oozes out of every pore, just to make your day.

There is a reason virtually every family on TV advertising is mixed race despite it being a tiny proportion of the population. People buy what they associate with whether by sex race or football team.

Sarah I think it's been explained a few times why already and it feels like your deliberately missing the point. If you're not sure why it's frustrating to say you don't see colour etc then Google it and you will find your answers lol. It's also disrespectful to expect people who aren't white to answer those questions for you when there's so much info out there for you to access yourself and when you've been told it's frustrating for the people you're asking.

Well said @Cw112

The fact it's 'so exhausting ' says it all really.

Well, I don't know what I'm supposed to do, say or research so that I can comment.. like other posters, I notice the PERSON, not the colour - and what REALLY pissed me off today was hearing on the news that there is now no white middle aged male in the new Conservative Cabinet.. AND? SO? Why is that newsworthy, it's 2022?