"I Don't See Color"

In a literal sense, no one could be honest in believing that they "Don't see color" unless they cannot perceive the spectrum of colors experienced with sensory objects.  That is not what they mean when this phrase is brought up in conversations about racism, however.  The intended idea there is that someone is saying they do not harbor any biases for or against anyone because of the color of their skin.  Of  course, not thinking of people as having any differences because of their race other than the colors of their skin is the rational way to approach interactions with people of one's own skin color and those who do not look the same in this sense as oneself; skin color has nothing to do with anything about a person's humanity, core metaphysical nature, moral character, ideological standing, personality, or talents.  In some cases, the only thing it means other than that their skin is a certain shade is that a specific kind of person might erroneously look down or up to them on an invalid basis.

"I don't see color" is supposed to convey how little someone cares about race.  As far as not adhering to racial stereotypes goes, there is nothing wrong with the idea behind this statement, given that someone does not actually mean that they do not notice the difference between the skin tones of various people when that is not the case.  This is just not the same as ignoring examples of racism or refusing to rationalistically analyze the issue in favor of incomplete or assumed concepts.  At least people will say this phrase in order to seem like racism would not even enter their mind, no matter how genuine or feigned it is.  Almost no one seems to say "I don't see gender" (gender stereotypes hypocritically remain popular even with most conservatives who are openly hostile towards racism).  For whatever reason, it is race that people claim to not "see."

Even if certain people really do avoid stereotypes, though, they might still think that this statement, or the idea it expresses more importantly, exempts them from the need to understand or oppose racism rather than simply not believing in it and yet still almost never devoting any attention to it, either in personal contemplation or in conversations with other people.  This kind of person might say "I don't see color" and also mean "I wish none of us ever had to talk about racism because I am uncomfortable with it/because I dislike confrontation."  Their claim about themselves would thus be made more to preserve their fragile sense of internal stability than for any other reason.  He or she might be of any skin color, but they only use this phrase as a way to try to express opposition to racism in the most lackluster, uninvolved, non-precise way possible, focusing on their own alleged comfort or reluctance rather than on logical truths about race or on how normal it actually is for others to also know or celebrate these truths.

People who use statements like this tend to be conservative, quickly using the phrase as if it was a shield for any sort of belief, action, or inaction they have regarding the subject of racism.  This one can be evasive or vague when made by them even if the intentions are not entirely irrational.  Not every conservative is automatically racist or is even hypocritical specifically when it comes to racism (though no holistic conservative could possibly be gender egalitarian), but they are more likely than not to be less aggressive in attacking any kind of racism other than perhaps racism against white people, and thus anytime they use these words, it is likely either to verbally distance themselves from racism while being as mild as possible or to try to deflect attention away from any real racism they might harbor.  Whichever case it is or even if they are not strictly misusing the phrase, no one except people who cannot experience color perception is truly unable to see the diversity of human appearance.  It is not noticing differences in skin color that is racist, but believing anything more about a person on this basis than that they simply have the skin color they possess.