admin
Pantone quietly dropped its pick for Color of the Year — a soft, billowy off-white called Cloud Dancer — and predictably a corner of the left went into full outrage mode pretending a neutral paint swatch is an act of political violence. The Color Institute says Cloud Dancer is meant to be a calming, restorative choice for a noisy world, a blank canvas to help people focus again. This is design, not a manifesto, but the professional offended have decided everything must be a political landmine.
For the first time since Pantone began the tradition, the institute chose a white-hued tone as its annual pick, with executives describing the shade as a “discrete white” intended to encourage reflection and creative renewal. The firm insisted the choice was inspired by cultural and aesthetic trends — not anybody’s skin tone — and framed the decision as a reaction to overstimulation and the desire for simplicity. That explanation should end the debate, but in 2025 nuance apparently needs a trigger warning.
Of course the internet exploded: social-media influencers and progressive commentators instantly labeled the choice “tone-deaf” or even “racist,” spinning a harmless color into proof of everything they say is wrong with America. Outlets and opinion posts amplified clips and rants comparing the move to other culture-war flashpoints and declaring Pantone’s pick a symbolic endorsement of ‘whiteness.’ The spectacle is revealing — a political performance masquerading as moral outrage over something that, until last week, most people would have called décor.
Let’s be blunt: calling an off-white neutral “racist” is absurd and tells you more about the accuser than the accused. Fashion editors and designers note that white has long been a versatile, calming staple — an aesthetic choice that signals clarity and restraint, not exclusion — and the design world has plenty of legitimate reasons to favor cleaner palettes right now. If someone’s identity crisis hinges on a paint chip, that’s their problem, not ours.
Meanwhile Pantone’s marketing machine is already doing what companies do: partnering with brands and rolling out Cloud Dancer merch and collaborations, because trends are commerce first and culture-war drama second. The predictable outrage has become free advertising for a company that simply did what businesses do — read the market and sell a mood people want in their homes, offices, and wardrobes. The people screaming the loudest are the ones handing the box office receipts to the very brands they claim to hate.
Hardworking Americans don’t need to live inside the perpetual grievance loop that consumes our national conversation; we can recognize a neutral color for what it is and move on with our lives. The true test of patriotism is not policing paint chips but focusing on real problems — jobs, safety, family, and freedom — while calling out performative outrage for what it is. If you want to soothe your home, buy the paint; if you want to soothe your mind, turn off the drama and get back to work.
