I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.
~Martin Luther King, Jr.
If only. The world would certainly be a better place if color enhanced rather than divided. Even though human DNA emphatically proves the differences between race is literally skin deep and nothing more, shades of skin can hold over-important meaning. The pendulum regarding color bias swings wide and not only both ways, but all ways. People even take issue with hue within their own races. Example: in some parts of the world people born with albinism are killed for their body parts.
I’ll add redheads to this human color spectrum bias. Genetically speaking, recessive gene redheads are rare with 1 redhead born in every 1000 births. They come in their own rainbow from pale strawberry blond to deep Irish setter red and even darker auburn. Skin tones come in a wide array too, from tissue-paper translucent to tawny. As for me, I’m a pink-skinned, 90% freckle-less, natural redhead with hair the color of a golden retriever.
😀
Did you hear the one about the redhead convention?
The punchline: Not a soul attended.
lol As the joke goes, gingers have no souls.
Historically, redheads were both coveted and feared and it had nothing to do with lack of soul. A lot of latent redheaded genes are found in the middle east today because redheads were once collected for harems. Redheads were also burned as witches. Why? It was all about coloring. But what if the dividing factor in the world wasn’t skin color at all, but eye color? How about “outie” vs. “innie” belly buttons, free or attached earlobes, or Roman vs. round noses? Surely if you’re following whatever criteria exists that says one skin color is better over another, these things must be as divisive as well. Put like that, it’s crystal clear that color bias doesn’t make sense.
There’s more to color than what meets the eye. This includes symbolism!
Carl Jung, psychiatrist and founder of analytical psychology, was a big proponent of art as therapy. He believed color choices held deeper insight about true personality traits, and felt his patients could better understand their psyche if they used color. Testing this he discovered surprising predictability. More times than not it went like so:
Extroverts chose red. Introverts chose blue. How interesting is that?
Whether we are aware of this or not, we’re well-acquainted with colors as symbols for personality traits and emotions. Writers certainly are. How often do our characters metaphorically see red with rage, turn yellow in fear, turn white as a ghost, or go green with envy? How fun to insert colors into scenes to hint at the emotion in that moment. It could be something small, like a red wine stain on a table cloth is noticed just before an argument ensues. Or the sunset out the window could be banded in purple just before your character’s audience with the king. If you read my writings with an eye to such things, you’d see a rainbow.
Color Symbolism~
Red: all things intense and passionate ~ excitement, energy, passion, love, desire, strength, power, heat, aggression, danger, fire, blood, war, violence, sincerity, and happiness.
Yellow: jealousy, joy, happiness, betrayal, optimism, idealism, imagination, hope, sunshine, friendship, summer, dishonesty, cowardice, illness, covetousness, deceit, and caution.
Green: nature, vigor, youth, good for the environment, healthy, good luck, renewal, spring, generosity, fertility, or jealousy, inexperience, envy, and misfortune, .
Blue: Peace, sky, water, tranquility, cold, calm, stability, harmony, unity, trust, truth, confidence, conservatism, security, cleanliness, order, loyalty, and depression.
Purple: Royalty, nobility, mourning, spirituality, ceremony, mysterious, transformation, wisdom, enlightenment, honor, arrogance, and temperance.
Orange: demanding of attention, vibrant, energy, balance, enthusiasm, warmth, and flamboyance.
Brown: earthy, stability, hearth, home, outdoors, reliability, endurance, simplicity, and comfort.
Black: sexuality, sophistication, elegance, wealth, mystery, fear, evil, unhappiness, depth, style, sadness, remorse, anger, anonymity, detachment, underground, good technical color, mourning, death, austerity, power and powerful.
Gray: security, reliability, intelligence, staid, modesty, dignity, maturity, solid, conservative, practical, old age, sadness, boring, and calm.
White: purity, birth, sterility, virginity, reverence, simplicity, cleanliness, peace, humility, precision, innocence, youth, winter, snow, good, marriage, death, and cold.
Aquamarine: water.
Pink: love and romance, caring, tenderness, and acceptance.
Lavender: mourning, femininity, grace, and elegance.
Beige: unification and simplicity.
Ivory: pleasantness.
Tomorrow: More symbols
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Words Worth M
entioning for January
“I prefer winter and Fall, when you feel the bone structure of the landscape — the loneliness of it, the dead feeling of winter. Something waits beneath it, the whole story doesn’t show.”
~Andrew Wyeth
Today is Author Sharon Hamilton’s blog day
http://romancebooks4us.blogspot.com/
Authors and Industry representatives all month long.
Our January is on! Prizes often include $100 in gift cards for Amazon/B&N, ebooks, print books, audiobooks, additional gift cards, and non-book items. http://www.romancebooks4us.com/
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