The concept of race is a social construct

[bennylava]

"To judge from the discussions at the 1997 AAA presidential panel on race, it is now widely accepted in anthropology that race is a biological myth but that racial discrimination and racism are all too real (C Mukhopadhyay, March 1998, AN, p. 28). This consensus, however, does not yet include many physical anthropologists. Fundamental errors are voiced in recent letters and commentaries in the AN submitted by skeletal biologists who, with other physical anthropologists, lay claim to scientific authority and are key to articulating anthropological perspectives on human diversity. The first error is that the idea of race is confused with the reality of human biological variation. A second error occurs when race as biology is confused with race as sociocultural construct. It's time to go back to basics.

It has been known for decades that racial typology fails to explain human variation, that is, our species does not fit into a small number of fixed, ideal types. We know, for example, that:

* Human variation is generally continuous, with no clear points of demarcation. (It is impossible to reliably say where one race ends and another begins. Groups living close to each other tend to be biologically alike, and so race has an appearance of reality, but this is only geographic similarity.)

* Human variation is highly nonconcordant. One trait infrequently predicts for another. (One can not read deeper meanings into physical cues.)

* There is greater variation within than among purported races. (Knowing an individual's purported race tells us little about the individual.)"

PBS

It seems that if race truly has no real meaning in anthropology or biology, the only useful function of the word is to use it in discussing efforts to right the wrongs done by those who do see race as a biological constant.

 

[Gunny]

PBS

It seems that if race truly has no real meaning in anthropology or biology, the only useful function of the word is to use it in discussing efforts to right the wrongs done by those who do see race as a biological constant.

Whether or not race has any anthropological or biological meaning is irrelevant. Man's animal instinct to fear what is different drives the train. I don't see however, how that cannot be called biological.

 

[bennylava]

"Man's animal instinct to fear what is different drives the train. I don't see however, how that cannot be called biological."

Fear of what is different is taught. Children are not afraid of people of other races, they have to be taught to hate. That is not a biological instinct.

 

[AllieBaba]

Not true. Children don't have to be taught to fear that which is different.

 

[bennylava]

How many children do you know who are afraid of people of other races? I personally have never seen a child run away screaming or start crying when they see someone of another race.

 

[AllieBaba]

You haven't been around kids much, apparently. Kids who have only been around one color are frequently afraid the first time they see someone with a different color.

They're afraid of new people at certain stages in their development..and a different color, if they aren't used to it, just makes it worse.

 

[bennylava]

Yeah you're right, I must not have been around kids considering I have a three year old and have taught preschool.
Keeping your children around just one race is a form of teaching, is it not? Your are teaching them that this is normal, and "the other" is not. If you can expose children at an early age to people of lots of races, they won't be afraid of it.
Does that not then mean that the fear of other races is NOT biological, but sociological?

 

[AllieBaba]

Some people live in areas where there is only one color, dumbfuck. And people don't generally consider taking their kids out to view those other races.

I mean, is there a place where we can do that? Like a zoo..but for humans?

Hello planet of the apes.

And honestly, I'm concerned that a retard such as yourself is actually participating in the formation of young minds. I hope you aren't teaching them that they're disposable, that if they're poor they'd be better off not being born, or that AIDS mutated from anal bacteria on some prostitute....

 

[Gunny]

"Man's animal instinct to fear what is different drives the train. I don't see however, how that cannot be called biological."

Fear of what is different is taught. Children are not afraid of people of other races, they have to be taught to hate. That is not a biological instinct.

Disagree. White wolves are not taught to fear grey ones, nor vice-versa. Iis primal instinct. Primal humans are animals. It requires just as much if not more education to teach humans to go against their primal instincts as it does to make them "hate."

There's a difference between fear and hate. They are not interchangeable terms.

 

[Gunny]

Some people live in areas where there is only one color, dumbfuck. And people don't generally consider taking their kids out to view those other races.

I mean, is there a place where we can do that? Like a zoo..but for humans?

Hello planet of the apes.

And honestly, I'm concerned that a retard such as yourself is actually participating in the formation of young minds. I hope you aren't teaching them that they're disposable, that if they're poor they'd be better off not being born, or that AIDS mutated from anal bacteria on some prostitute....

Is there a point to this post other than to insult someone you don't agree with instead of addressing the issue?

 

[AllieBaba]

Yeah you're right, I must not have been around kids considering I have a three year old and have taught preschool.
Keeping your children around just one race is a form of teaching, is it not? Your are teaching them that this is normal, and "the other" is not. If you can expose children at an early age to people of lots of races, they won't be afraid of it.
Does that not then mean that the fear of other races is NOT biological, but sociological?

It was in response to "Keeping your children around just one race is a form of teaching, is it not?"

Insulting, maybe. But justified.

 

[William Joyce]

Children are not afraid of people of other races, they have to be taught to hate. That is not a biological instinct.

False. Children are deeply aware of and respond to race. It's pretending not to care about race that has to be taught.

Race is a biological reality.

 

[Gunny]

It was in response to "Keeping your children around just one race is a form of teaching, is it not?"

Insulting, maybe. But justified.

Explain how insulting someone instead of rebutting their argument is "justified."

Fact is, I don't agree with her, but I damned-sure don't agree with your extremism.

 

[AllieBaba]

"Some people live in areas where there is only one color, dumbfuck. And people don't generally consider taking their kids out to view those other races."


That was the rebuttal, Gunny. Sorry you missed it, I don't see it as extremist at all. In fact, it's a lot less extreme than the claim that anyone who has a kid who hasn't seen people of many different colors is intentionally programming their kids for racism.

Libs who live in the city forget there are whole populations of people who don't live in the same environment they do.

 

[Gunny]

"Some people live in areas where there is only one color, dumbfuck. And people don't generally consider taking their kids out to view those other races."


That was the rebuttal, Gunny. Sorry you missed it, I don't see it as extremist at all. In fact, it's a lot less extreme than the claim that anyone who has a kid who hasn't seen people of many different colors is intentionally programming their kids for racism.

Libs who live in the city forget there are whole populations of people who don't live in the same environment they do.

I didn't miss anything. I have yet to see that member insult anyone; yet, you call her a dumbfuck.

If you want my opinion on her statements, they're posted above -- minus the "dumbfuck."

She HAS a valid point to her argument. Hatred IS a learned trait, period, and it is a product mostly of environment,

Primal fear is not.

 

[AllieBaba]

I'll take back the foul language.

 

[jillian]

Yeah you're right, I must not have been around kids considering I have a three year old and have taught preschool.
Keeping your children around just one race is a form of teaching, is it not? Your are teaching them that this is normal, and "the other" is not. If you can expose children at an early age to people of lots of races, they won't be afraid of it.
Does that not then mean that the fear of other races is NOT biological, but sociological?

I think more to the point is how are the parents modeling behavior for the child. If mom and dad get uptight when they're around people of other races, then the kid is going to be uptight.

 

[AllieBaba]

The point I was making, minus the language, was that some people live in areas where their color is the only color a kid will see for long periods of time.

It doesn't mean the parents are doing anything wrong. It just means they live in an area that doesn't have the degree of diversity that some areas have.

 

[Gunny]

The point I was making, minus the language, was that some people live in areas where their color is the only color a kid will see for long periods of time.

It doesn't mean the parents are doing anything wrong. It just means they live in an area that doesn't have the degree of diversity that some areas have.

If one is not raised in a diverse area, how does that, in and of itself, create racism? Unless racism is taught, it does not exist.

 

[jillian]

If one is not raised in a diverse area, how does that, in and of itself, create racism? Unless racism is taught, it does not exist.

Kids left to their own devices don't notice race. It's a non-issue, no different from different hair color. At most it's a curiousity, I think.