Human Diversity And The Myth Of Race
Human Diversity and the Myth of Race
When people think about race and the different social groups that surround them, you also have to think of the stereotypes that go along with them. Assume that the world’s definition of race is “an idea or scheme recognizing that the human population divides into several distinct groups, the members of which have traits and skills in common with each other that they do not share with members of other such groups.” There are problems with this definition in many different ways philosophically, biologically, etc.
In a way, the US has adopted this definition along with its stereotypes till this day and age. According to this definition there are plenty of skills and traits that America tries to
perpetuate as true. In America people are used to seeing black people as athletes and the most under privileged, narrow-minded people on Americas soil. People think that Jewish people are all sneaky and just think about money. The Asian group of people is supposed to be short, smart, and sophisticated. In America, to be white is right, so to speak, because if there were a hierarchy on race, they would be at the top. White people are supposed to have all the best traits and skills to make it in the world if this definition of race was true. The sad thing about this concept of race is that this is how the typical American may think due to their lack of understanding.
Based on the reading and DVD viewing this week the ‘usual Americans concept on race is not scientifically sound because of multiple factors. One factor is that the whole philosophy behind race is self-made. Race is a socially constructed concept made by humans to distinguish people by their skin color rather than their religion or DNA and place them in a hierarchy. The biggest factor that proves that we are all the same is that it takes billions of years for natural selection to cause the evolution of a particular race over another. Slavery was only a hundred odd years ago so there was not enough time for blacks to evolve into having these distinct traits and athletic abilities.
My ideas about race have not changed overall throughout the years here at Guilford College because I have taken many classes like this and explored before this weeks class. The ideas and stereotypes we have about each other are all wrong and skewed because we have these teachings and institutionalized racist thoughts that keep us from progressing forward as an equal society.
When people think about race and the different social groups that surround them, you also have to think of the stereotypes that go along with them. Assume that the world’s definition of race is “an idea or scheme recognizing that the human population divides into several distinct groups, the members of which have traits and skills in common with each other that they do not share with members of other such groups.” There are problems with this definition in many different ways philosophically, biologically, etc.
In a way, the US has adopted this definition along with its stereotypes till this day and age. According to this definition there are plenty of skills and traits that America tries to
perpetuate as true. In America people are used to seeing black people as athletes and the most under privileged, narrow-minded people on Americas soil. People think that Jewish people are all sneaky and just think about money. The Asian group of people is supposed to be short, smart, and sophisticated. In America, to be white is right, so to speak, because if there were a hierarchy on race, they would be at the top. White people are supposed to have all the best traits and skills to make it in the world if this definition of race was true. The sad thing about this concept of race is that this is how the typical American may think due to their lack of understanding.
Based on the reading and DVD viewing this week the ‘usual Americans concept on race is not scientifically sound because of multiple factors. One factor is that the whole philosophy behind race is self-made. Race is a socially constructed concept made by humans to distinguish people by their skin color rather than their religion or DNA and place them in a hierarchy. The biggest factor that proves that we are all the same is that it takes billions of years for natural selection to cause the evolution of a particular race over another. Slavery was only a hundred odd years ago so there was not enough time for blacks to evolve into having these distinct traits and athletic abilities.
My ideas about race have not changed overall throughout the years here at Guilford College because I have taken many classes like this and explored before this weeks class. The ideas and stereotypes we have about each other are all wrong and skewed because we have these teachings and institutionalized racist thoughts that keep us from progressing forward as an equal society.