How can I regain 10.8.5 coloring of icon names?

I've spent years organising files and folders visually based on colors--used against specifically chosen (contrasting) backgrounds. Within specific folders I had been using colors to group certain files, and by using different colors for different groups, to distinguish those groups from one another.

Now, with mavericks, all you get is a tiny colored dot, which is completely inadequate visually, and it also lengthens and therefore messes up some file & folder names.

Also, when considering how to deal with this new "feature", it seems that it cannot be turned off..., that I'm stuck with this now useless placeholder at the beginning of any previously marked file/folder name.

If it's possible to turn off these new tags, or to remove them by adding a null tag, I'd really appreciate knowing how to do so.

Thanks,

John D.

PS--I've rewritten this several times trying to take the venom and anger out, and I think it now looks okay. But believe me, it's very much there. In term of my personal and perhaps unique way of organizing files, these new tags are a real kick in the teeth.