In his essay “Racist Stereotyping in the English Language,” Robert Moore scrutinizes the subtle use of colors in words and phrases that perpetuate ethnic and racial stereotypes. He contends that the English language overwhelming conveys the term “white” to be synonymous with innocence, intelligence, cleanliness and beauty while the term “black” is associated with inadequacy, deceitfulness, and abnormality. The symbolism is pervasive throughout our society in everything from cartoons and advertising to legal terminology and even science. While he may be onto something in many situations, I feel he deliberately distorts the intent in some of his examples to expand his list of racial terminology.
Color symbolism contributes to a perceived racial hierarchy by assigning color to roles and definitions in the cultural mainstream. Moore demonstrates his thesis with long-time clichés such as the protagonist riding a white
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Many societies associate darkness and the color black with evil or ignorance because it is essentially the absence of light, which symbolizes knowledge. It is reminiscent of the Enlightenment Period in history where knowledge prevailed over superstition. It also has scientific meaning. A black hole is so dense, it’s gravitational pull allows nothing to escape, including light. When we close our eyes we see darkness; black. The unseen and the unknown arouses fear so we associate brightness with safety. A criminal wears black so he can lurk around in the dark unseen. It has nothing to do with his race. A “black eye” is referred to as such because a contusion makes the skin around the eye turn dark blue, purple, and black. It is also sometimes referred to as a “shiner.” These two terms have no racial connotation whatsoever but simply describe what the eye looks like when