The first thought of a person of color?

Question

Do you think for majority of the people in the U.S. that when they meet a person of color, the first thing that comes into mind is that they are colored. Here's a quote from someone describing their college experience, "I've always felt as if i was looked at as a black person first and a student second." I am not looking for people to get all offensive.

Answer 1

do i know him/her?

sorry, i go to a school where all the people from my high school most likely goes to. hahaha.

Answer 2

In Canada its the other way around

person first

Answer 3

I see people for their heart and not their color.  No one has ever been handed a color chart in the womb, have they?

Answer 4

i guess i do because i try to make it a point to smile and speak if possible mostly because i want them to know the skin don't bother me

Answer 5

You know what...  Don't call me white!  I am pigmentally challenged. If it becomes necessary in conversation for someone to use the color of my skin to differentiate me from others...  I am OK with that.

Answer 6

i live in a rural area in the midwest, i do not see many minorities, except for mexicans.  i do notice a black person when i see one, not because i'm a racist, which i'm not, but just because it's alittle out of the ordinary.  i think i speak for alot of people on that.  most people that i know actually will try harder to accomadate them in what ever way they can just so they will feel more comfortable, which i think sometimes does the oppisite.

Answer 7

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H71Fv3PcQ...

Let this sweet piece comfort you. I married a man of color, mainly because we were so alike.

.

Answer 8

What is the first thing a person of color thinks when they see a white person?  Just wondering.

Answer 9

Yes,US people pay more attention to Physical appearance.

Answer 10

I personally notice colour, but it is in a desciptive sense....ie white, with red hair; black with corn rows; oriental with blonde streaks.........  its not done in a 'racial' context

Answer 11

I feel like I haven't seen a black person in forever...everytime I turn around there is a Mexican!!  Some of my best friends are black people....but I don't consider them black..I consider them friends...

Answer 12

course as human our sense of color and visual are very strong so when we meet people that are different skin color than us we will inanimately recognize it.

Answer 13

I grew up in an all-white county.

My parents tell me when I was younger I would just stare at black people when we'd go up to KC.

So, yeah...it's inherent for me to first notice that.

Answer 14

Yes, unfortunately I do.  The person whose quote that is had obviously felt it too.  I am hoping that this generation will no longer tolerate this type of "silent" bias!

Answer 15

yes

Answer 16

No, people are different no matter what, so although the first thing noticed might be appearance, it isn't necessarily their color.

Answer 17

I think of a person

Actually, I think of the same first though of anyone; nothing.

I don't think that I have a first thought of people..??

Answer 18

Well you would probably acknowledge that they are colored but that is it. But there is nothing different between them and us except for the color of our skin, well and that they could school us white kids in basketball any day.

Answer 19

yes, when a individual meets anyone that isn't of the same ethnicity they are wondering what ethnicity the other is. As an inter-racial woman I'm always asked what my ethnicity is because my look is ambiguous. And, I wonder the same when the person isn't white or if they're white and have an accent or non-american look. Or if I meet another black or inter-racial person I think thank goodness I've met another one. where I live there are few blacks and mixed race people. when I'm in larger cities there are often many blacks and few mixed race people.

I think people have to be honest about what their first thoughts are.

Answer 20

I'm white and relatively unbiased about race.  And I can tell you that the first thing I truly notice about a person is their race.

If you listen to white people talk when they are describing someone, if the person they are talking about is white, they'll just say that man or that woman.  But if they are of a different race, they will almost always use the race as a descriptor.

And yes, I know that quote was from Michelle Obama.  She went to college in the 70s when people were still fighting integration, and black faces in an ivy league school were even rarer than they are now.  h**l yes they saw her as a black person first and a student second.

Answer 21

Probably most whites do see that first. It's natural. Our brains are hardwired to quickly register differences and, since "people of color" are in the minority, they simply stand out to us by virtue of contrast to most everyone else we see.

I certainly don't see anything offensive in your question. But I'm sure you're-- some will get all pissed off and yell racism liked they're trained to do in this society.

Answer 22

Your question makes this person of color, I am White, think about the reactions of a minority person coming into contact with a majority person, IE:  a Black student meeting with a White student in the US.  Anyone who says that when they meet a person of another color looks past the color is either very naive or just plain lying.  It is the moment after the meeting that really counts.

Once a few words and looks have been exchanged then the color of ones skin no longer is prevalent.  The character of the persons takes command of the conduct of the association.  However, how often have we encounter those unlike ourselves in both color and nature and still allowed the color of skin to prevail for whatever period of association between the two students lasts?

As people of color, Black or White or Brown or Red or Yellow,  only we can control how we view the conduct of others toward us that may or may not lead to offensive behavior.  I am not offended when my color is mentioned when in contact with a person of another color.  I make that choice.

If we view ourselves as a person of color first and a student second, then that karma will become evident to those with whom we associate.  Should we view ourselves in complete terms, all being equal, that also will be evident to those with whom we associate.

We make our own choices, not others.

Answer 23

I do not look at skin color. I am not racist!