When I was a child, “learning one’s colors” was an important pre-cursor to first grade. Fortunately, at that age, there are no fuchsias or peaches to worry about – just pure primary colors which I had no trouble with.
A few years later I realized that what I was seeing in color was not what others were seeing. I was “color blind”. It amazes me that people still think that the “color challenged” (the current politically correct name) see in black and white; that’s dogs, not people. We see the exact same colors that you do. We perceive them differently and have trouble distinguishing shades and hues and thus have trouble naming them the same as you would. A purple to me is purple to you as well – until you add a little less or more red and then it’s still purple to you but I can’t name it anymore. A bright red is red to me but add a little blue and I don’t know what it is. Make it brighter or darker (intensity) and it may change its color as far as I am concerned. When does it go from red to "brick red" to brown? I haven't a clue. It’s as much a labeling problem as anything else.
Anyway, when you’re a child, not “knowing your colors” is quite the embarrassment so I became very clever in getting others to name them for me and going from there.
Now, in my 50’s, I am outing myself. I’m color blind with regard to some reds, greens, and ambers. Think about that for a moment.
A quick drive to Radio shack to pick up a computer part passes me through stop lights with, you guessed it, red, green, and amber. The wires on the part are – red, green, and amber. When I get home and talk to the customer service person for my home server the diagnostic lights he’s asking me about flash red, green, amber. Just about all computer software and electronic hardware have some versions of red, green, and amber built in for health indicators or action indicators. I always would have preferred things that look different to me like blue, yellow, and red. But I don’t run the world.
This is not your usual Blogger demanding program dollars for those poor unfortunate children who deserve a level playing field. It is a notice that most “color challenged” have managed to squeak through life fairly successfully without special laws, programs, consideration, or money.
People are not all the same. We shouldn’t want to be.
In this and most other matters - We’ll be fine. Stop helping so much. I don’t know if we can stand any more help.
Ehh, but could you just tell me, what color would you say that is . . .
