WEEKLY WHINE

For the abolishment of red

There are many colors available. Colors have existed throughout history as a way to transmit information and as a way to make an impresssion. Artists well know that the choice of color is important. Equally important is the choice of colors we allow. For all this time, humans have blindly taken the colors given them with no argument, oblivious to the potential harm. But that is to change. Humans must no longer be audiences to their own fate.

But what shall humans do to take charge of the colors? The choice is clear: Eliminate red. Many will say, "But I grew up with red! As long as I've been alive, there's been red! I'll be darned if I'm just going to give up red arbitrarily!" This conservative attitude is good in some cases, as it helps preserve Pluto's status as a planet. However, being conservative will undoubtedly stand in the way of greater progress when it comes to colors.

Red has a considerable number of drawbacks that, to a sufficiently rational person, will disqualify it as a color. The first is simply that it's displeasing to look at. Which of these colors is most appalling to the eye?

You probably said the one on the left. If you didn't, let me know so I can keep track. Red generally does not fit in with the other colors; it has a tendency to jump out and attack the viewer. The other colors simply don't have such a tendency. Yellow is also easily noticeable, but yellowness is not quite as overwhelming as redness.

Another problem with red is that it is difficult to read on a black background. In a society that is rapidly becoming technology-centric, technology must be considered with every step. Computer monitors draw slightly less power when black backgrounds are used; black backgrounds also reduce strain on the eye. Try comparing this site to a site with a white background. Your eyes probably work harder at a white site. So black backgrounds are better. But red text on a black background just doesn't work well, as you've probably noticed by now.

Furthermore, nature exhibits a startling lack of red. Most plants are decidedly non-red, and only a small minority of animals are red. Ladybugs are red, but they would probably be more attractive were they something else, like purple. This shortage of red is a clear indication that nature has an aversion to red. Three billion years of evolution are undoubtedly wiser than anything humans could do, so we can conclude that continuing to have red around is disadvantageous.

Many will say that arguing about nature doesn't mean anything to humans. Rather than showing that humans are part of nature [which they obviously are], we will discuss other reasons that support nature. Most studies show that something between 5% to 8% of the US male population is colorblind to some extent, as well as about half a percent of the female population. The most common form of colorblindness is a reduction in ability to distinguish red and green. The plainly apparent solution is to eliminate one of these colors, namely red. If this is done, there will no longer be a need to distinguish red from green, reducing the disadvantage of colorblindness.

Most importantly, the color red has taken negative connotations. Because human blood is red, the color has become nearly synonymous with violence. Red is used to package a majority of the violent video games and films that are sometimes cited as a cause of increasing bloodshed in present day society. [Whether the video games and films actually are a cause of increasing bloodshed is another matter.] In addition, people use phrases such as "seeing red" to represent hatred or "red-handed" to represent culpability. So without red, some of the "allure" of violence [if there is any] will probably be removed.

There is certainly another side to this issue: without red, what color will traffic lights be? In general, though, red is a replaceable color. The red of a traffic light can be changed to white. Then, don't walk signals will change to white as well. To accomodate that, walk signals can be changed to green, which is a more logical choice anyway as it conforms with the system used by the traffic lights. This lesson can be generalized to other objects: the red of the United States flag can be changed to purple, the red of LED displays can be changed to green or blue, and the red of ketchup can be changed to black.

It should be apparent to all that humanity would do well to abolish the color red. Such a move would improve the reading ability of text in general, benefit the colorblind, and cut down on violence. It would have few unpleasant side effects, and it would be a great success for people. The human race would be better off with an environmentally stable planet, an extended presence in space, and no further dependence on the color red. We must be saved from red.