The concept of colorblindness, aiming to treat people without considering race and implement neutral public policy, has been viewed negatively in recent years, especially on the left. The book discussed in the snip argues to rehabilitate colorblindness as an effective philosophy for race-related issues, advocating for its adoption in raising children and public policy. It emphasizes the use of socioeconomic factors to address disadvantages and suggests practicing colorblindness in private lives as well. The snip also raises a question about the feasibility of creating jazz music in a colorblind America, prompting further discussion on the application of colorblindness in different contexts.
Coleman Hughes believes we should strive to ignore race both in public policy and in our private lives. But when it comes to personal identity and expression, how feasible is this to achieve? And are there any other individual traits we should also seek to ignore?
Coleman and Tyler explore the implications of colorblindness, including whether jazz would've been created in a color-blind society, how easy it is to disentangle race and culture, whether we should also try to be 'autism-blind', and Coleman's personal experience with lookism and ageism. They also discuss what Coleman’s learned from J.J. Johnson, the hardest thing about performing the trombone, playing sets in the Charles Mingus Big Band as a teenager, whether Billy Joel is any good, what reservations he has about his conservative fans, why the Beastie Boys are overrated, what he's learned from Noam Dworman, why Interstellar is Chris Nolan's masterpiece, the Coleman Hughes production function, why political debate is so toxic, what he'll do next, and more.
Read a full transcript enhanced with helpful links, or watch the full video.
Recorded March 6th, 2024.
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Photo Credit: Evan Mann