First, I just want to say that this week’s lesson and the readings and other material that went along with it were of difficulty to me because I am not well-versed in the terminologies or definitions. However, this week’s lesson, despite that, was very interesting to me. Often when I think about evolution or how we are similar to apes, I think of things like an opposable thumb, similar-looking hands, or other appearances. Sure, these things may look similar between modern-day humans and modern-day apes, but I never considered how they worked evolutionarily, or the purpose and why they are similar. So because of that, I found this week to be very enlightening.
Right off the bat I started thinking about our previous week’s work on race and it made me think of how some people use “monkey” fueled by racism to demean or dehumanize others. I had not thought much of this before because it is not something that I have experienced around me often, but it seems to me that from my experiences, “monkey” might be used to describe someone who is black, and I always found it peculiar and unjust in a way, since we are all monkeys. The concept of dehumanizing someone does not sit well with me, but after learning about the evolutionary purpose of our similarities to the apes, I find it to be even worse since we are ALL basically just complex apes! I thought it was interesting how the lesson was able to go even further than just demonstrating and explaining the similarities we see today evolutionarily, but even to go on to talk about our ancestors. A point I like that I noticed was made was that we still do not have all the answers about our ancestry, but that by looking at today’s apes, we can have insight into the behaviors of our ancestors. That is the key point that I enjoyed reading the most. I would argue that looking from this standpoint can give us a better understanding of ourselves. Not only can it give insight into our past-selves, but it can explain some of the things we have, do, or are today. Studying non-human primates can help us do better, such as by not calling each other monkeys!
I think it is safe to say that I, personally, learned quite a bit from this week’s lesson on primatology. Not only did I learn about apes, but I learned about humans, too. For example, I did not really know that we are in the same superfamily classification as apes. As I mentioned earlier in my blog post, I am not familiar with the proper terms or classification orders. (It has been a few years since biology class in high school!) Learning this was pretty cool to me because of the things I discussed above. Also, I understood the concepts of group composition very well, but the application of that to humans was something new to me. Obviously in social psychology there is overlap, but to consider that the way we interact today is a direct link to how our ancestors survived because we can note that in apes today is quite fascinating.
Hey Alivia,
Great reflection post! I too am unfamiliar with the terminology used in this weeks topic, primatology. However, I did find interesting learning about the similarities and differences between us and non-primates.
You made an interesting point when you mentioned the terms “racism” and “monkeys”. I have heard of this and have seen it in the MSU Chicago Tribune News Article. While working on the newspaper, I was dumbfounded to see how back then African American were drawn to have monkey features. I honestly thought that we had progressed from this because I have not seen anything pertaining to this. However, this was not the case because over the years brands like Gucci and H&M have pulled down clothing lines that haverecieved backlash for selling racist images.
Hello, Alivia! I relate to your reflection very much!! This week’s information was also very difficult for me to follow as my major is unrelated and I have not been exposed to the terminology either. Although, it was interesting for me as well to see just how similar humans are to apes! We have many common physical features, and the articles pointed out we also have similar behavior. I am intrigued by your point regarding dehumanizing certain races by using the terms “monkey” and “ape” to describe them. The thought is disgusting, and slightly contradictory because, like you said, all humans are descendants of non-human primates. Mentioning our previous lessons about race, we learned that there are no biological differences between races so the insults backfire.
Hello Alivia,
Like yourself, I often thought of evolution in a way that chimpanzee’s relate to us or we relate to them such as opposable thumbs. Showing we all came from a common ancestor and we can study our ancestors and look at some of the biological characteristics we share. What I found was very interesting were the articles we were provided for this week. Article’s that showed the study of chimpanzees and how they interact socially with other chimpanzees within their community. Studies revealed that some chimpanzees were prone to aggression and anthropologists and scientists were diving into why the aggression started. Many revealed chimps of one territory would go and raid the land of other chimps, killing them and conquering their land. I believe it would have to be for resources but studying such social concepts can provide us with insight on our own history.
Hannah,
Going off of your respectful and insightful comments on my blog post from this week’s lessons and material about primatology, I wanted to say a few more words after your response got me thinking about the material in a new or different way than from when I was originally writing my initial blog post about it. You mentioned the studies showing chimp aggression, and I remember reading about how the scientists and anthropologists (or just anyone) at the time were curious about these human-like creatures exhibiting the aggression. If I recall correctly, I think the first observations of it started with Jane Goodall (who better to notice it than her?!). The way this got me thinking involved how they related it to observations we can make in our own species as humans and how a lot of psychological studies started with such observations. I wonder how human interaction has affected other species. Obviously, we have negatively impacted some through our destruction of some environments and causing extinction in some species, but I specifically wonder if aggression seen in us can cause aggression in other species.
Hi! To be honest, when I was researching the connections between human and primate, the racist undertones of these ideas did not come to mind. However, they are extremely important and something that should be addressed. Humans have a tendency to see primates or other mammals as lesser beings than them. They refer to them as uncivilized and less smart. When discussing the topic of racism, these are the type of things the white people have called black people for generations, causing them to feel a power over them. This is completely disgusting, and it is the white people calling them this that are the uncivilized ones. As we discussed in the previous chapter, race is not even something to exist.
Hi Alivia,
I want to say that I enjoyed how you tied in material from last weeks content. I have also unfortunately heard of people reference other groups as monkeys or other primate groups meant in a derogatory way. The point you mention about how we all evolved from a common ancestor so it makes no sense to refer to another group as such terms is very relevant. This connects to much of what we learned last week regarding race being a social construct with no logical basis other than to promote supremacy of a certain group of people based on their appearance. It was interesting how you mentioned that we are all the descendents of apes so it should not be a term we use to describe those viewed as lesser. Unfortunately the people using those terms tend to lack reasoning.