Because the conversation is about how issues effect people , not groups . For every black person that can be held up as an example to support your argument , the same can be said for a white person . Not every black person is poor and unable to go to college just as not every white person is wealthy and able to go to college . By focusing on one group for no other reason than the color of their skin when the problem has really nothing to do with their skin color they ' re denied college because of their class , not their skin tone , you ignore victims who are suffering exactly the same just because they didn ' t happen to be born with the right color or gender . Most issues we see in today ' s society are colorgender blind . There ' s no reason not to treat them as such . The more inclusive we become when talking about social issues , the less time we spend wasting our time having these conversation and more support attacking them gets . Attacking poverty and other social issues without focusing on skin tone will help a poor black man just as much without leaving that poor white man behind .