What do Evolutionists say about African-Americans?

Question

Why is their skin color so dark? Are they closer in relation to monkeys than whites are? Are they less evolved?

I do not believe in the Evolutionary Theory, I believe in Creation. I just want to know what you Evolutionists believe. I am not a racist and I believe diversity is a gift from God.

The whole climate and sunshine thing I understand but that's not Evolution. That's called adaptation and we see that all the time. Know your definitions. Thanks to those of you who spent the time to answer the question I asked.

I was unaware that I made any racist comments. I think you are referring to my questions which were supplements to my original question. Now, did I make any comments or presuppositions to black people being related to apes? No I didn't.

Answer 1

They just live where there is more Sun. The northern regions got lighter skin mostly due to a vitamin D deficiency created by them covering up and not getting enough Sun light.

Interestingly the Inuits still have fairly dark skin in spite of being very far north. This is because their primarily sea food diet has a lot of vitamin D.

Answer 2

Ethinicities with typically dark skin are found in equatorial climates. The increased amount of melanin in the skin serves as protection from UV rays, as people from equatorial climates receive much more sunlight than those from cooler regions. The same mechanism produces darker eye colors in people from the same regions. The trend is most noticeable in Africans, Indians, Middle-Easterners, Southeast Asians, and Polynesians.

No, it doesn't mean that people with dark-colored skin are closer in relation to monkeys. All humans are separated from the other primates by thousands of generations of descent. It is impossible to look at a single trait, like skin color, and determine how many generations separate that particular person from a non-human ancestor. In scientific terms, "race" is a collection of traits common to a population of people with a shared geographic lineage.

There is no such thing as "less evolved", unless you mean less differentiated from a common ancestor. Evolution is not a linear path to a single goal. The organisms that survive are those most adapted to their particular environment, not those closest to an arbitrary "perfect" form.

For the record, "evolutionist" is not a word.

EDIT:
Evolution IS adaptation that occurs over generations.

Answer 3

The skin of blacks is dark because they have more melanin to screen out harmful rays. The skin of whites is paler because they need the sun for vitamins, due to getting less of it.

You'll say God did it, I say they evolved that way. White people in Africa have trouble coping with the sun, while European blacks do all right coping with the relative lack of it. I think this suggests that although humans are believed to have begun in Africa, they were originally pale and the ones that stayed became dark though natural selection as Africa became hotter.

The genetic variety among Africans (meaning people indigenous to Africa, not African Americans or African Europeans) is much greater than the genetic variety of all other peoples. This is why scientists believe Africa was where humanity started.

EDIT: Evolution IS adaptation.

Answer 4

It might have something to do with the amount of melanin in darker skin is better suited for climates and the amount of sun you get living closer to the equator, like the climate in Africa.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_skin_color

Evolution and adaptation are a part of the same animal. Adaptation contributes to how we evolve. In the tropics, darker skin color had better survival rates, so darker skin color was probably seen as more attractive, while lighter skin color was seen as sickly.

Answer 5

by the Bible diversity was a curse form God, for men trying to create the tower of Babel...

however from an evolutionary standpoint. i believe that the Black skin is because the area of the world that produces it is a very hot and sunny area. the black skin is more resistent to the damaging effects of the sun. less prone to sunburn and such.

it may even have something to do with hunting ability. easier to blend into shadows and such.

people are remarkably adapted for where they live. (all people)

Answer 6

When I was young I had an "evolutionist" explain why homosexuality meant a person is defective and why black people were lower on the evolutionary scale than white people.

The defective thing was Darwinian, defective members of a species become homosexual or monosexual to prevent propagation of defects through breeding.

The Blacks being lower on the evolutionary scale had to do with skin pigmentation. There is some kind of stupid biological evidence that white pigmentation is an advancement over black pigmentation.

These "wonderful" ideas are one of the reasons I totally reject evolutionary theory. With "great" theories like this you do not need things like bigotry or prejudice.

We can just use "science" to decide what is "right" and "wrong". Total balderdash.

God Rocks. Gays are sinners like everyone else and Blacks are just people.

Answer 7

African Americans aren't any more related to monkeys than whites people are. Having a dark skin color is just an adaption to hot climate.

Answer 8

Man's earliest ancestors were from Africa.

It's simple, really. For people who live in very sunny climates like Africa and India, it's an advantage to have dark skin. It protects the person from sunburn and skin cancer.

In less sunny climates, pale skin is an advantage because you need to be able to absorb enough ultraviolet light to make vitamin D, or you would have rickets. The reason black people don't get rickets in less-sunny climates now is that they can get artificial vitamin D.

Both are proof of evolution.

Answer 9

It has nothing to do with them being "less evolved". They've just adapted to produce more skin pgiment to protect their skin from the Sun. It's the same pigment that gives you a skin tan only in higher concentrations.

Answer 10

"I am not a racist"
You can't con a conman.
You're as racist as they come and I'm not surprised you believe the Theory of Creation cos you have no idea what Evolutionary Theory is about.
You're much more likely to believe that the InvisiblePixie zapped everything into existence with his magic wand on ** 22 October 4004BC.

I come here for the FundieComedy.
(I just put the above through 'Check Spelling' - it wanted to change FundieComedy to Undimmed - LOL)
Thank YOU!