After reading through both the AAA and the AAPA’s statements on race I learned much of the specifics on what they classify race as. Both statements were similar in that they think of race as a mostly outdated social construction. In the statement from the AAA, they mentioned how race was used to divide and classify people based on their physical appearance. The classification of race was taken a step further by dictators such as Hitler and used to exterminate millions of individuals based on their “race”. One of the first points in both statements discussed how all human beings are classified in the same species as “homo Sapiens”. It also mentions how there is a large amount of genetic variation among the human population. This was a fact that I found particularly interesting because it makes a lot of sense when you think about it. Much like how we observe different alleles and variation in populations in nature, the same exists for humans. Certain areas may contain people with one type of allele that is not common in other geographic areas. This does not mean that someone from the other geographic area is any different genetically, just that they express different amounts of a certain gene. This is the basis of natural selection that individuals with the genes that are most fit for the environment that they live in will survive and reproduce.
If I were to explain to someone that race is essentially non existent I would use the facts I discussed above. I would talk about how every species exhibits genetic variation of physical traits, yet we still classify them as the same species. This is exactly what is going on with humans. I would talk about how some traits are more desirable for certain regions and that is why they are expressed more commonly. I would also discuss how race was a social construction meant to distinguish between people who appeared different. I would discuss how this idea was created in a time before people knew much information about how genetics and genome sequencing worked and I would share with them that all humans exhibit the same genome, they just express varying levels of certain genes which attributes to the physical differences which we see.
Essentially the idea of race is much outdated. Yet it is so engrained in our society and lifestyle that it is difficult to remove an idea that has been around for so long. As our knowledge and technology expand relating to the genetics of humans, I believe that the idea of race will be left in the past. Many of the findings such as genome sequencing have happened quite recently. The recency of these findings makes it difficult for people who were taught one thing to go back and relearn a new thing when they are so used to the old information. That is why I feel that as generations progress, we will drop the idea of race and will not classify or distinguish people as separate based on their physical appearance.
Hi!
I found it very informative how you mention past history such as Hitler and his take on segregating people and causing harm. This is definitely one of the many ways in which “race” causes a huge negative impact on society, mostly due to phenotypic factors. I also agree with using examples of genetic variation and how the DNA is what defines us and not the physical features. Race is definitely a social construction used to separate people. You brought up a very interesting point that maybe race was invented before people were familiar with the deep science behind it. This is one hundred percent an issue. Maybe if people were familiar with the DNA and genome before creating social construction through race, then the separation would not be an issue today.
Hi Sean!
I really enjoyed your post as it utilized a history rich with abhorrent ideas of racial distinction and categorization as a way to point to the horrors that occur when these false beliefs on race are the dominant idea. The genetic variation that you spoke of was a really interesting point because it does insinuate that there may be certain alleles that are present in people from certain areas of the world, yet that does simply mean that they code for different amounts of a gene, and does nothing to describe differences related to superiority. Differences in groups of people as a way of evolutionary adaptation for a certain location is not at all a way to indicate differences which lead to societal treatment of some. The outdatedness of the concept of race is certainly something that should be considered more as we enter into a new period of better acceptance of these minor differences and understanding of the likeness we all share.
Hi!
I found your emphasis on historical examples of how “race” has been used to be super interesting as a history major! I also really liked how you emphasized that “race” is an outdated concept that has been used much more often for social and political means rather than scientific means, and how it more or less doesn’t actually exist outside of the social realm!
Hi Sean! I agree with you on the fact that race is socially constructed. I also believe race was used as a tool during colonialism to favor certain racial groups while demolishing others. This is true in case of Hitler. He excluded many Jews because he did not consider them as belonging to a superior class. I was also found the fact about great amount of genetic difference between human species interesting. I believe people from different geographical areas can adapt each other’s cultures. This proves the non-essentiality of biological race. I also believe that the concept of race comes from older times. Its hard to give a new meaning and dimension to this controversial topic of race in today’s world. Maybe people will realize it only separates people and creates differences between them.
Hi!
I agree to your opinion that the idea of race is outdated. We can’t classify human into species. It is a idea that socially constructed for benefits at certain time period. We can’t differentiate ourselves into different species because of difference in physical appearance. I was also interested mention from the AAA, they mentioned how race was used to divide and classify people based on their physical appearance. It was also informative to me that the dictators such as Hitler expanded the idea of racism instead of acknowledging we are all same race as homo sapiens. I learned and agree to the idea that it is all about natural selection with similar gene patterns that are most fit for their certain environment.
Hi Sean!
I really enjoyed how you looked at the AAA and AAPA statement in a way of how you would explain the social construct of race to another person. I agree that it is important to explain to people that ultimately, race was created to make certain people feel superior to other groups of people. Plus, that this social construct is an old idea and that we really should no longer support this. In addition, this was created before scientists knew more about genetics. However, now that we know more we know that all humans share one genome. Furthermore, I hope that you are right about the fact that the social construct of race will eventually fade out. I agree that everyone should keep in mind that these ideas are outdated while moving into this new period where everyone should be accepting and open to minorities and all races.
Hey, I just wanted to commend you for creating such a well written blog. I found quite a few things interesting while reading your blog. I decided to go on the AAA website to read more on race and I learned that anthropologists have done Historical research that has shown that the idea of “race” has always carried more meanings than mere physical differences; indeed, physical variations in the human species have no meaning except the social ones that humans put on them. Today scholars in many fields argue that “race” as it is understood in the United States of America was a social mechanism invented during the 18th century to refer to those populations brought together in colonial America. I believe that racism indeed is a social construct.