Intelligence Has a Color?

Why do some people equate whiteness to greatness or intelligence?  I have found that some people that look like me tend to do this.  I have noticed over the years that unfortunately it was prevalent in many of the elderly that look like me where they wanted a white doctor, or lawyer, or even a white pilot if they were traveling. 

This idea of white equating to intelligence was engrained in them as if anyone else in those professions that did not fit that mold, did not know what they were doing.  It is insulting to say the least, but at the same time, I also understand the difficulty in relearning things that have been engrained in you over a lifetime. 

As an attorney myself, I worked just as hard, if not harder than some others and passed the bar just like they did.  However, it is quite disheartening for someone to see me and automatically assume that I am not as good an attorney as someone else, because of our racial differences.  This reminded me of an episode of one of my favorite television shows back in the day; Sanford and Son.

In this particular episode, Fred had a very bad toothache so he had to go to the dentist.  He was adamant that he wanted a white male dentist, because his belief was that they would know what they were doing.  Initially, a black man walked in and Fred replied “I’m dead,” assuming the black man did not know what he was doing.  After finding out he was the dentist, Fred then bombarded him so many questions about his schooling, his education, and so on.  He ultimately refused to open his mouth.

Fast forward a white man came in and Fred was happy assuming the man was better.  He then said to Lamont “these people are all about business.”  He even assumed the man went to Harvard, only to find out that the man was not a dentist.  However, once the man looked in Fred’s mouth, he proclaimed that the tooth was in a tricky position, so he asked the head of oral surgery to take a look.  Spoiler alert!  It was the black dentist that originally saw Fred.

Even though the show was fiction, it is still a sad reality that many people think this way, in equating intelligence, greatness, and so forth with whiteness.  But let’s be clear.  There are intelligent, not so smart, amazing, and horrible people of all races and ethnicities.  It is asinine to equate intelligence to the color of one’s skin.