Inability to Imagine Colors

A friend who was moving to a new apartment was looking for a black TV/storage unit for his living room.  I accompanied him to Ikea, where we saw a white one on display that fitted his requirements perfectly, and I said “Here’s exactly what you’re looking for.”  He replied, “No, you know I want a black one.”  I pointed out that the item was “also available in black,” but he insisted that he had to actually see a black one.

I really didn’t understand what he was saying, and became a bit annoyed until I finally grasped the fact that he was unable to visualize a piece of furniture in a color different from what he was seeing.  I’m 80 years old and this is the only experience I’ve ever had with this problem.  I was very happy to see the NYT article of 6/8/21 and learn that his disability was real.

He didn’t buy the item.

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