Who here is under the impression that race exists in the human species? If you are. . . why?

Question

Everywhere we go, we are bombarded by things that remind us of racial divisions in society; from job applications to television networks, and most especially in politics, it's everywhere. But why? For what reason do people think that skin color actually has any effect on anything beyond our ability to tolerate heat?

Answer 1

Ahhh... the joy of the crude blind seeping sensation of disrupting the fundamental truth of definition (the truth that all entities are separate and distinct), which manifests itself in so many different things... races, people, beliefs, governments... It's sort of a spiritual sensation, isn't it? Yeeesss, let us shamelessly indulge such wrongful blind pleasures at the expense of truth and justice, as you do. After all, what is society without the freedom to indulge in any pleasure that we choose?

Answer 2

There is evidence and good arguments that there is no scientific basis for race. That the "races" we think of, Caucaision, *******, Mongoloid, are mere ethinc differences due as much to the climate and culture of the people. (By the way, the racial differences go far beyond skin color. Skeletal and muscular structures also vary by race. Of course, these differences overlap as we can clearly see in tall asians, thick featured Caucaisians and flat bottomed Blacks. Have you noticed that the range of skin colors for ALL of these races range from nearly pearly white, thorugh pinkish through brown to neary purple black?)

Humans interbreed with each other very successfully, so are of the same species.

In other animals, one does not speak of races, shuch as when pointing out the differences between Arabian Horses, Morgans, or Clydesdales. The species is still "Horse," or "Equus."

There is a great debate nicely illustrated at either the Discovery Channel, or the Learning Channel website. Well worth the read to approach answering this question.

Answer 3

RACE IS REAL. By NO means am I saying that one race is better or worse than any others, but there are many minute differences between races besides "ability to tolerate heat". For example, have you ever seen a commercial for medicine that says "risks may be higher in African Americans"? That's because certain races are slightly more susceptible to certain diseases or body problems than others. That's a scientific fact. The same chainge in genes that dictates what color someone's skin is the same change in genes that makes certain glands produce more protein, etc. As another example, Northern Europeans are much better at metabolizing milk proteins than other races, and as a result are rarely lactose intolerant. Also some scientists now believe that races that were exposed to the Black Death are more resistant to AIDS. The examples go on and on.

Answer 4

Because they haven't taken the same course in Theories of Race that you have. (And by the way, there's a cold tolerance theory, too, you know.)

Look--by now all educated people know that there's no biological basis for race; that race is, in fact a "social construct." However, a certain degree of reality does inhere to things that are socially constructed and in this sense, human conceptions of race are real. The difference between the social construct and biology is simply that one can be changed more easily than the other; i.e., it takes millenia to alter biology and social constructions can often be changed or even winnowed out over just a few generations.

Meanwhile, anthro students have to realize that they can't have it both ways--can't have cultural diversity on the one hand while denying cultural difference on the other. Ideas of race are not in themselves problematic--it's the arbitrary valuing of one race over the other that causes all the trouble.

Answer 5

look, let's not be complete idiots, slavishly following politically correct dogma blindly. There are obviously different races, like there are different breeds of dog, for instance Alsatian and Doberman.

There are obviously differences between the races as obviously as there are differences between myself and anyone reading this.

That is not a bad thing.

There is a whole lot of common ground, and no-one approach is necessarily better or worse then the other.

The problem comes when we try to use these differences to discriminate.

We should rather treat each other as the individuals we are, with mutual respect.

Trying to pretend that there are no differences in race, is as pointless in saying there's no difference between any two people.

Come on, think about it, how crappy would the world be then?

Stop being PC sheep, think for yourselves, and celebrate the differences between people.

After all, that's why we have the rich experiences we've all had.

Answer 6

Your right. But as long as we pay millions of dollars to athletes to assault people in different color uniforms, as long as we teach colors period, there will be racial hatred. What is one of the first things you teach your children? Colors. People notice the differences, and its natural to be afraid of things that are different. People learn through experience to not be racist. I grew up in a community with no diversity in rural Minnesota. I was racist because I was taught to be until I went to college and saw that there is no difference. Sports, war, everything is based on color and differences, you expect race not to matter? Not going to happen ever.

Answer 7

there IS such thing as race, but it is a very tricky concept. there is a small amount of genetic difference between races, but the boundaries between one race and another is not a hard boundary, as there is overlap between members of different racial groups. also, to make it even more insignificant a thing, there is more genetic variability between individuals of the same race than between two different races. race should not be used as a classification tool because of these characteristics, but to say that it is purely a social construct is not totally accurate.

Answer 8

Do I think race EXISTS...yes. Technically. It is an arbitrary destinction made by men, and there are times when you need to recognize that that arbitrary distinction exists. Just because things SHOULD be a certain way doesn't mean they ARE, and it's often in recognizing the difference that we can fix it.

Answer 9

I always thought we all come from Adam and eve and I'm not racist live and let live but your right people make a big deal about it. But some animals only stay within their species. Dogs and cats do it right they do not care pure bread or Heinz 57. Wish people could be more that way. Just my opinion:-)

Answer 10

Humans are all of the same race. It's culture that separates us.

If you were blind, you wouldn't know color, but you would know everything else. People will, and have found ways to dislike others regardless of what they look like.