Ron Paul is (color)Blind!

What Really Divides Us?

                This article by Ron Paul counters the criticisms that he and his policies are racist.  He tries to show that he acts on values of individual liberty, not racial importance.  By acknowledging race and categorizing people, the federal government is perpetuating racial differences.  This form classification for the good of diversity is the same as racism because government policies choose to benefit different races instead of individuals, irrespective of race.  Following this, he believes states’ rights have been perverted to take on negative connotations of favoring racist and backwards thinking.  Paul seems to attach only a slight positive meaning to states rights, implying they are best at governing themselves because they more effectively represent their state.  He understands states will develop different laws, some good and some bad, but prefers this to federal involvement.  Paul believes that is everyone is treated as an individual, racism would fade away because no one would be identified by race by the government.  A free market system would correct social racism as those who had racist practices would feel the economic effects and fail.

                Paul’s colorblind approach is common in libertarian and conservative circles.  It seems to make sense that if we don’t acknowledge race, it will disappear as a social fact.  However, this view does disregard inherent racism in our government’s laws and institutions.  Government policies of the past have clearly favored the majority white race and actively sought to disadvantage blacks, Asian-Americans, Latinos, and women.  Thus to correct these actions, some say we should take an anti-subjugation approach to race policy where laws attempt to fix these inherent divisions in our citizenry created by past government action. 

                It is a difficult situation to approach.  Anti-subjugation takes a governmental approach to combating racism while a colorblind policy takes a social approach to combating it, saying that the government should not classify people; that is was wrong in the past and wrong now because individuals are equal in the eyes of the law.  What one must look at here is if people of different races are really equal in a legal and social sense and in which sphere of life the government has the right to intervene.