Essay about colorblindness leading to pink living-room walls?

November 8, 2013 6:05 AM

Can you help me find this half-remembered essay about a color-blind guy who inadvertently painted his living room walls pink? I think I recall him describing it as a Pepto Bismol shade of pink, but I may have invented that detail.

I read this essay in late 2004, but it may be much older than that.

posted by lizzicide to Grab Bag (2 answers total)

Zadie Smith wrote an (excellent) short story called Hanwell in Hell in which a colourblind man is painting his daughter's room red instead of yellow. It was published in late 2004. I don't think it's what you're looking for, but I mention it in case you've misremembered some details.
posted by distorte at 6:32 AM on November 8, 2013

Response by poster: It's not a bad guess, but that's not the essay I'm looking for. It would have been at a reading level appropriate for the average high school senior.
posted by lizzicide at 7:36 AM on November 8, 2013