COLOR THEORY TO THE MAX

BY: SHELBY MAUCHLINE

KNOWLEDGE ISSUE

• To what extent does our connotations of colors affect our racial beliefs?

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

• According to the color theory:
• White: purity, goodness, cleanliness, perfection
• Black: power, formality, fear, death, evil, and mystery

RELATION TO WAYS OF KNOWING

• Emotion
• Perception

EMOTION

• How do these colors make us feel?
• White: innocence, purity; Black: power, authority
• Why did/do white people feel supreme?
• During the Columbian Era, were the English intimidated,
• leading to the poor treatment and debasement of African Americans?

PERCEPTION

• Do colors effect the way we perceive things?
• Black is the absence of color while white is the combination of all colors.
• Black and white are then complete opposites.
• Does this contrast lend to our segregated and racist beliefs,
• or does the color of our skin create this strong opposition in color?

RELATION TO AREAS OF KNOWLEDGE

• Natural Sciences
• Human Sciences

NATURAL SCIENCES

• Scientific racism is the attempt to use scientific data to prove a superior race.
• Often tests are done to correlate IQ and race.
• Africans have been deemed inferior for a large chunk of history.
• In psychology, if people believe in a stereotype, they may begin to fit into it.
• Did racism lead to differences in IQ?

HUMAN SCIENCES

• 3 million years ago, our ancestors moved from the rainforest to the savanna.
• Now, humans had to cope with more sun exposure and harder work.
• The UV radiation would destroy the folate in their bodies.
• Low folate levels lead to birth defects, inhibiting the expansion of the human race.
• Melanin was produced to darken their skin and protect from the radiation.

WORKS CITED:

• "Areas of Knowledge." Theory of Knowledgenet. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Oct. 2013.
• "Color in Advertising : Colors." ThinkQuest. Oracle Foundation, n.d. Web. 17 Oct. 2013.
• "Color Wheel - See Color Theory in Action." Color Wheel Pro: Color Meaning. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Oct. 2013
• "Mobile Color Matters." Are Black & White Colors? N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Oct. 2013.
• PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 17 Oct. 2013.