"Raceless Space". . . the Digital Frontier?

Sterne notes that "many utopic visions of the Internet conceive of it as a raceless space, a space somehow beyond the politics of race, a frontier where people can remake themselves in their mind's chosen images" (p. 191). Why is it that a "raceless space" seems so appealing? Why would we strive for a race-free space? What might go on in a raceless space to make it different from our very real, embodied, raced existences?

Why? Because we haven't figured out how to co-exist effectively as "raced" beings, so we think maybe erasing race is the answer-that's why. Except, of course, it's not, so there we are. I remember reading an article a few semesters ago that complained that at the height of the "political correctness" boom the seemingly most acceptable practice in terms of race was to claim not to notice it--as though by ignoring race and ethnicity one can somehow fix all of the problems caused by our inability to deal with racial difference. . . like covering a big festering tumor with one of those pink crocheted-yarn cozies so it matches the bathroom decor. Yeah, that fixes it. All better now.

But then, I understand how the possibilty--the potential--of a raceless space would be appealing in that it sets up an entirely different hierarchy, one where a person's social position could be based on one's ability to manipulate the digital environment instead of on how well one conforms to the upper-middle-class white male "ideal." Online, you have the ability to choose to exist as a raced individual, to choose and change your digital race at will, or to forgo race altogether. In the digital world, you can decide to ackowledge the issue of race--yours, others' --or ignore it entirely if you want...in that way, I guess that makes everyone online white.