So you think your favorite color is blue? Maybe you’re right. Sure, I’m aware that you’re favorite anything is completely subjective, thus automatically correct by definition. But let me tell you why you and a large percentage of people may be objectively wrong in your subjective beliefs.
It all started months before your birth: a blueberry gender reveal cake; your future room painted blue; Mom showered with little blue clothes of every measure. Boys in tiny blue pants. Girls in cute pink dresses. And never the twain shall meet. Society teaches boys to detest pink, but girls cannot be indoctrinated with the same loathing of the opposite gender’s attributed color. A wee lass cannot be taught to hate the sky or shun the water. Do you wish to participate in this sexist culture that began molding your decisions before you were born? A deception up there with how De Beers regulates the diamond supply—manipulation that saddens the pocketbook to a different blue altogether.
We must discuss what colors are and why we see them. Sounds simple, but it’s really not, so bear with me. This may seem a bit too in depth and annoying, but unlike the majority of last week’s argument, this will all be relevant. Color is simply the tiny portion of the electromagnetic spectrum of light that the human eye can see. This light spectrum ranges from the extremely energetic and deadly gamma rays, all the way to the long wavelength radiation we call radio waves. Tucked neatly somewhere in the middle is an extremely narrow range that we can see. This is color. Just how small is this range? Imagine a line of text on this page as the full spectrum: dangerous gamma rays on the far left, weak radio waves on the distant right. The amazing human eye can see less than the width of a period!
Within that tiny period lies the entire rainbow of colors we see. This is where our old friend from grade school makes his reappearance: ROY G. BIV. You remember him: the rainbow guy, really artsy, a bit flamboyant. He’s always been fond of saying it’s okay to lump indigo and violet together with blue. This leaves our visual spectrum traditionally drawn with blue on the left, red on the right, and green tucked smack-dab in the middle.
Blue dominates a large portion of our environment: sky, water, the outside of medical grade face masks. But why blue? Glad you asked. Sunlight enters our atmosphere in a wide spectrum of light, including what we call white light. It’s called that because when you combine all the colors of the rainbow, the result is white. As this white light hits an object, much of that light is absorbed. The light that bounces off (AKA: refracts) can enter our eyes and be interpreted as color. Because blue has the most energetic wavelength, it is the least likely color to be absorbed by the Earth’s atmosphere or oceans. Thus, we see blue sky and water.
Some animals, especially birds, can see a much wider spectrum of colors than we can— colors we don’t even know exist. Limiting your favorite color to only those you can see is myopic in its constraint. This would be like believing your first crush in grade school is your soulmate. With over 7.5 billion people on Earth, you’d be lucky if your spouse was even in the top 1% of 1% of 1% of your perfect match. Same with color. Granted, we don’t have the cones in our eyes needed to view this extended color palette, but just because we can’t see them doesn’t mean they don’t exist. Try explaining the concept of red to someone born with complete color blindness. They have no concept of color outside shades of gray, just as we can’t yet fathom the myriad of colors just beyond our visual spectrum.
Look at your treasured blue art deco vase on the mantle. Or for the less artsy among us, maybe that blue box of generic facial tissue. Remember, all objects seen as blue look that way because they don’t absorb the blue wavelength of light. They refract blue light while accepting others. Anthropomorphically, I see this one of two ways. Maybe that vase literally rejects the color blue outright, essentially questioning your color preference. Or perhaps your two-ply box wants desperately to hold onto its cherished blue, but heartbreakingly cannot. Which would mean you either have a gaudy object that outwardly despises the color you love, or you are reveling in visual joy at the expense of a cube that will never experience such pleasure. So, this is either a severe case of unrequited love, or your parents raised you to be extremely selfish.
We don’t wish you either of those extremes. We are not a culture that deals well with extremes. The color blue is way over there on the left side of the visual spectrum. A far left Democrat campaigning on the absolute repeal of the 2nd Amendment isn’t even supported by the middle of the road Democrats. Similarly, blue is an outlier from the other colors, a loner out on the extremities, a little too big for its britches, conceited in its popularity. These don’t sound like traits I’d want anyone attributing to me because of my fondness for a color.
And what a depressing word blue is—a synonym with the words sad, depressed, and melancholy. Green, though? Now there’s a great color. With synonyms including lush, grassy, and fresh, it’d be my favorite color if I were forced to choose. Grass, money, trees. Take a cue from our buddy, ROY G. BIV. Green is right in the heart of our visual spectrum and plays equally well with both sides. The happy mediator in the middle of a polarized world; inclusive of all. Come and jump on the green bandwagon; there’s plenty of room here in the center.
So, you still think your favorite color, blue, is the best color there is? Ultimately, it remains a subjective choice for you alone to make. Since you’re a fan of the color blue, I bet you know that “National Dress in Blue Day” is celebrated the first Friday of March. Of course you already knew that. Blue is so popular that it probably needs another day dedicated to it. In fact, I think blue may have actually gained in popularity over the last few years. This year, I propose we try out November 3rd as “Paint the Map Blue Day.” So, I guess, yeah, come to think of it . . . You’re Probably Right.
[008] September 02, 2020