Why is this behavior still practiced when science has shown us that there is no biologically way, not a single identifying gene, to determine one race from another? One reason could be that the meme hasn’t spread itself around yet. Not enough people are aware of the no-racial-genetic-marker discovery. So the out-dated meme of differences between races lives on.
While it could be true that the information hasn’t been largely dispersed yet, the notion of race inferiority/superiority is not an old one. In fact, it’s a fairly recent social structure. The ancient Greeks did not consider darker skinned persons to be barbarian (lower in many respects). They did not use the notion of race; rather they distinguished civilized from uncivilized based solely upon language. Medieval Europeans (~ 1300’s) didn’t identify peoples by race either. They granted rights based upon religion. Even three hundred years later, race was not a discriminating factor. Second to being a Christian, they judged people by social status.
Race, and the meaning we give it today, was not bred until the late 1700’s . . . around the time America was born. Prior to the birth of the American nation, slavery was based on the following rationalization: non-Christians did not have rights, the war code allowed the taking of peoples as slaves from nations that lost in war, and/or slavery allowed for growth of a slave owner’s prosperity. Slavery for inferiority reasons is an American invention. “The Nazi propaganda machine pointed out that their eugenic policies were entirely consistent and in fact derived from, ideas of American race scientists.”
“Ironically, it was freedom, not slavery, that gave rise to modern theories of race.” When America acknowledged in writing that “all men are created equal” the questioning of slavery as an immoral practice inevitably followed.
How do we kill a meme that, while relatively young, is so socially engrained? Around the college campus I have heard people say things like the following:
“She shouldn’t be allowed in a minority affiliated program. She’s not black enough.”
“Oh, you’re mother doesn’t cook tamales at Christmas. You must not be as latin as me.”
There is more to being a racist than merely looking at skin color. This is because the race meme has evolved in the past three hundred years. So even though the scientific information on biological racism being obsolete hasn’t been thoroughly dispersed, the meme has changed its form.
Classifying people by skin color is only the initial discernment. The previously mentioned peer pressure intensifies as we reach adulthood. Behavior is as strong as, if not stronger, reason to classify someone into a particular race.
Try this: there are individuals from every “race” at a gathering. Which race has the loudest, most obnoxious person there? Which race has the quietest, most conservative person there? Which race does the person with the brightest colored clothes belong in? Which race does the poor, dirty person belong in? Which race has the harp player?
While we reluctantly associate these behaviors with some ethnicities over others, they are not genetically encrypted in us. I’m not saying that some genes do not encode some behaviors. I’m saying that we cannot associate the behavior with the person on the assumption that genes made them that way.
My genes came from my parents. Their genes came from their parents. If I were to trace my lineage, or anyone’s in the world for that matter, back 50,000 years, all lines would lead to Africa.
“All the other populations of the world can be seen as a subset of Africans. Every human genetic trait found elsewhere can also be found in Africa, with the exception of relatively few recent variations favored by the environment, genetic drift, or sexual selection - such as light skin.” But I do not necessarily have the same behavioral traits as a young African woman.
“About two million years ago, small groups of early hominids - not modern humans -- began a first migration out of Africa to the far reaches of the globe, breeding isolated lineages. It was long thought, and is still believed by some, that those first lineages led to genetically distinct races that are with us today.” We are really just one race - the human race.
“The measured amount of genetic variation in the human population is extremely small. Genetically, we really aren't very different.” The problem is, people WANT to be different from one another. But at the same time, we want to be the same. It’s a constant struggle. Being unique and like no other, but being part of a community of people we can connect with. Are asians more able to connect with other asians instead of with hispanics? The Japanese people living in Peru can probably better relate to another spanish speaking South American than they could to a native living in Japan. Would a black-American be able to relate to a black-Brazilian? No. The environment that have shaped them are totally different; the weather, the jobs, the fashion, the music, the food are all different. If the common misconception of race were true, they would be able to relate solely because of their skin colors. But like the Japanese descended Peruvian doesn't have much in common with a Japanese native, who we are has nothing to do with “race” or skin color.
“Race is a concept that was invented to categorize the perceived biological, social, and cultural differences between human groups. And the beauty of that ideology is that it justifies what is the greatest social agony of American life, namely, it justifies the inequalities that exist in a society which is said to be based on equality.” Nowadays, these differences are not always put upon other groups of people. Like the girl who said "You must not be as latin as me", we sometimes put prejudices upon people we are trying to connect with. But if there is no latin race, how can someone be more or less than someone else?
“Colorblindness will not end racism. Pretending race doesn’t exist is not the same as creating equality. Race is more than stereotypes and individual prejudice. To combat racism, we need to identify and remedy social policies and institutional practices."
* All underlined quotes taken from: Race, the power of an illusion
For further reading:
Race, Racism, and the Law
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