Essentially, Elba’s argument is that our modern fixation on race, while often presented as ‘progressive’, can limit individual aspiration and create needless divides in society. Predictably, Elba’s comments have sparked horror among the usual identitarian suspects.
Many on social media have accused him of suggesting that you can ‘opt out’ of racism. While it is not in anyone’s power to avoid discrimination, it is entirely reasonable for Elba to suggest that racism need not define you. How you respond to racism is up to you. Just because a black or ethnic-minority person experiences racism doesn’t mean that their race or ethnicity must become fundamental to who they are. These experiences are not something that should colour their achievements or contributions to society. …
The dismissal and demonisation of Elba’s comments are absurd. His views on race would have been entirely uncontroversial among past generations of anti-racist activists – even in times when racism was much more widespread than today. Civil-rights leaders, for instance, strived for universalist ideals. They were trying to overcome society’s focus on racial differences. In contrast, today’s anti-racists obsess over those differences.
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