Race & Racism Race is the arbitrary classification of individuals according to physical traits that presumably have a genetic basis. How many races there are & what characteristics are used to determine racial identity is entirely subjective, since there is no such thing as a "race gene" or a series of genes that define race in the absolute sense. Race is therefore a social construct & not a physical science, even though it is based on genetics. It is no more meaningful to say that a person is of a certain race than it is to say that they were born in Indiana rather than Illinois. Categorizing people by race is also non-sensible & irrelevant. Consider the entirely feasible example of a girl born to parents who are a white European & a native African. Given the different races involved, which one would she be considered? More importantly, how could it possibly matter? Would being either “black” or “white” or something in between make her any different of a person? Race also serves as the foundation for racism, which tries to emphasize distinctions between racial categories – arbitrary as they may be. Racism is the “science” of drawing broad conclusions from comparative studies, which are then assumed to apply to all members of a particular group who happen to share a genetic profile. Racism is deeply flawed because it is fundamentally irrational. Human beings are not groups, they are individuals. There is not one scientific or cultural fact that can be determined about an individual based on their race. For example, one cannot know what music another person enjoys, how they vote or how high they are able to jump simply by knowing their race. In fact, all racial stereotypes dissolve at the individual level. No matter how fast one runs, how quick one thinks, or how moral one’s character, there can always be members of any other race found who better excel at each of these – or any other imaginable measure. There is simply no such thing as a meaningful racial stereotype. People are generally whoever they choose to be. This makes perfect sense to intelligent people. Since racial identity is arbitrary, it cannot be deterministic. Without determinism, there can be no science. Therefore, neither racism nor the study of race has anything factual to offer. In addition to being a false science, racism is morally wrong because it is the foundation for racial discrimination, in which different rules & standards are applied to individuals based on their presumed identity. In the past, people suffered tremendously (& unfairly, of course) because of this. Thus, the artificial system of race serves no positive purpose. Lending legitimacy to the flawed theory of racial distinction leads, almost inevitably, to racism & the justification of racial discrimination. This, along with the inherent absurdity of even classifying people by race, should be enough to merit junking racial identification altogether. From thereligionofpeace, editors comment.
Posted on: Sat, 08 Jun 2013 16:27:30 +0000
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