Flesh-colored band aid

Naughts and Crosses by Marlorie Blackman is very much the polar opposite of our society maybe not today but certainly a half century ago before and during the American Civil Rights movement, featuring blacks as the powerful and white as the oppressed minority. Through my employment at a hardware store in Concord center, I have come to know a rather eccentric but nonetheless very opinionated African American woman. She was heavily critical of the way white people act in Concord and was not afraid to say so. On one occasion, I remember her saying "kid, you are a flesh colored band-aid", referring to the fact that most band-aids are made to match people with Caucasian skin tones. I was reminded of this encounter when reading Naughts and Crosses as there was a passage that referred to the fact that in Blackman's fictitious society, band-aids are made to match the complexions of the dark-skinned crosses. I had not thought very much about what the woman in the store had told me until now but reading about the reverse being true really drove the message home. By presenting the reverse of what has been true in our society, Naughts and Crosses is quite effective at revealing unfairness within our society.