Column: Living life in partial color

I was sitting in one of my political science classes feeling more confused than normal.

The graphic we were looking at divided countries up into various shades of red and green based off the standard of living for each country.

Being color blind doesn’t typically affect my life, but, in this case, I was unable to analyze the data. To me, it looked like Canada and the Ukraine had the same gross domestic product. The reds and greens representing wealth disparity all looked similar.

For most of my life, color blindness has led to many somewhat funny stories — from reporting on a city council meeting that used red and green cards for voting to going onto a sub-Reddit for the color blind and realizing how awful a messaging board of mostly young adult men can be.

I found out I was color blind in elementary school — well, at least formally. My grandfather was, so it made sense for me to be color blind, too.

But after losing recess for a week due to me asking what the color of a Crayon was during “quiet time,” my mom decided to get me formally tested.

This is when I first saw a color blindness test, and ever since then I have become all too familiar with those dotted circles.

Once I found out, it kind of became hard to describe the world to people. I knew what I saw was different than what they saw. As people found out, they began to question how I see colors.

I have been asked if I ever thought about buying glasses to correct it, or if I could “see the trees.”

I get that questions are a way of people getting to know me better, but I do get tired of explaining why I don’t really notice the leaves changing in the fall.

I also have friends who love sending me mean messages in ways that I cannot see them. (I actually find this funny.)

But as most color blind people will know, the biggest bother is being asked what color someone’s shirt is three or four times in a row. It happens more than you might think.

The best part is, if I can guess it right, there is a strong chance it is met with skepticism. I have been asked, “Are you really color blind?”

In all seriousness, of all the issues facing this campus, helping the color blind does not need to be a top priority. It affects a small minority of people and, for me at least, it is an annoyance at worst.

I am sure if you asked a color blind photographer or painter about it, they would have more to say, but the change I am looking for is as simple as being aware of the fact that some people see colors differently.

It has already been done in some instances. Stoplights follow the same order across the world, so that color blind people can drive. Even many video games offer color blind modes to make it easier to see your opponent.

So, when making a chart or presentation, just keep in the back of your mind how someone like me may see it.