With the new distinction between biological and social race, conservatives now have a way to speak about racial difference while maintaining a color-blind approach to social policy. They find it acceptable to refer to race explicitly as long as it has a biological meaning because that use of race is purportedly scientific and unbiased. It is no longer necessary to use code_word proxies for race, such as “welfare” and “illegal immigration.” Instead, race can be used outright as a proxy for genetic difference.
