Preview

Race: Power of an Illusion

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
281 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Race: Power of an Illusion
Race: The power of illusion

In The Power of an Illusion, people are sectioned by distinct groups of black, white, yellow, etc, which is endowed by our psyche. In essence, the idea of race as biology suggesting that a belief in race is no more sound than believing that the sun revolves around the earth. However, race is still an issue. Basically, race is real and accounts for many subjects such as anthropology, sociology, American history, and cultural studies.
In this film, all the student were asked to write down who they thought would be the most genetically different from them and who they thought would be the most genetically similar to them. Most of them answered based on the physical appearance but at the end of the experiment all of them were shocked once the results were revealed.
I can clearly recall this dark-skin color woman to be genetically alike to a light-skin color guy. Also, one Hispanic girl came up to be genetically similar to an Asian girl.
All these results made me realize that there is no scientific proof of “race”. Race is just a world that describes the culture of a group.
Also, I remember this really annoying kid saying that in some way or another, he feels that being white is an advantage in life. I think this kid didn’t get the message or the point of the whole experiment. This experiment was to show people that we all come from one common ancestor who probably was from Africa. So, I don’t get how this kid thinks that being “white” is an advantage in life. That comment made me quite

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Uop Sci/185

    • 589 Words
    • 3 Pages

    ? Explain how you made your conclusion using evidence from the pedigree and the principles of genetics.…

    • 589 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    1. According to Google, race is defined as “…major divisions of humankind, having distinct physical characteristics”. The main word one needs to focus on when reading this definition is the word “physical”. According to anthropological studies and numerous articles produced on the subject of race, race is not a valid biological category but a specific category given to a group of people due to heritage.…

    • 511 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    SOC 308 Entire Course

    • 684 Words
    • 3 Pages

    As we see in the readings and in this website, race is socially constructed, a system of thought and human behavior not directly based on nature, instead resulting from social ideas and practices. In other words, race exists because people believe it is real and important.…

    • 684 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    * Race does not scientifically exist nor is it defined. We made it up. It evolved out of one group deciding another group is different and cultures are different. Racism has to be taught.…

    • 1398 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    East 212-Notes

    • 8900 Words
    • 36 Pages

    Race doesn’t exist as such but racism existed and it’s grounded in different measurements, scientific measurements.…

    • 8900 Words
    • 36 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    Genographic Project

    • 1057 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The Genographic Project initially started in 2005 headed by Dr. Spencer Wells from National Geographic and I.B.M 's biologist Dr. Ajay Royyur, set out on a mission that would change the perception of ones ancestors forever. (Geno2.0) With lead funding from the Wait Family Foundation they embarked on a long and strenuous journey to take a deeper look into; not only indigenous cultures but the general public’s ancestor. The Genographic Project embarked to do something that had never been done before collect D.N.A samples on a grand scale and keep track of similarities that they found along the way. By doing this on a large scale they would be able to have the biggest recorded data base of human D.N.A. Being able to match their findings back to ancestries that would have been thought to have been related. The project became possible with the advancements of D.N.A analysis. They obtained samples from various indigenous tribes by having them swap cells from inside of their cheeks and recording their findings. (Geno2.0) The same process was done with individuals in the general public. Dr. Spence Wells states, that in putting all this information together the general public can obtain a better idea of how we are all truly related. (IBM) Skin color or ethnic backgrounds are not truly things that make us different or similar. We are all inactuallity more alike than we could ever begin to imagine.…

    • 1057 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    There is a difference between race as socially constructed and race as biologically constructed. Understanding race as a social construct is critical to understanding the capacity of a given race to affect and intersect other domains and aspect of life and the society (Omi & Winant, 2014). A social construct is ontologically subjective in that the continued existence and construction of social constructs depends on social groups as well as their imposition, collective agreement, and acceptance of such constructions (Rutherford, 2017). Race is that regarded as socially constructed since it is ontologically subjective in that it is real in the society and shapes the way individuals see themselves and…

    • 306 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    _Race - The Power of Illusion_ is a three part documentary about the origin of the term "race" and some individual views on how race is determined. The first episode; _The Difference Between Us_, explores the biological concepts of race and whether or not one 's race or ancestry can be determined by their mDNA or mitochondrial make-up. Based on the studies by the test group of students at Cold Spring Harbor Labs, the search for DNA similarities or differences among those physically identified as being part of a particular race did not produce the expected results. The idea that race is determined by biological characteristics was thought to unfold the mystery…

    • 1068 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    As we explore these distinct variations of race…

    • 707 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    zhazha

    • 340 Words
    • 2 Pages

    In our unit on Race and Ethnicity, we will be examining material that illustrates that although race is not a biological reality—it is a social, political, and economic reality that is linked to a socially constructed concept of race. Use examples from the text to provide evidence that race is a sociocultural construction. Post to Discussion Board by Sunday, Feb. 26. In your answer comment on one of the following questions. Respond with a comment, question, additional info, etc. to at least 2 classmates’ journal entries. Select one:…

    • 340 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Race isn’t biological. It is in fact a social construct. People are categorized into race based on their appearance. Race has nothing to do with genetics and everything to do with society. The article states how race is a social construct, which is true. Race is so powerful, that it possess life or death consequences. The idea of race today was not existent in ancient times, centuries ago. Many of the ancestors would use race to tell one person from the next, not discriminate in the way that we understand today. As Europeans began colonizing new land, race proved a good way in control and overthrow. The dominant group in society would define race in terms of biology. If you were a black person then you were biologically inferior to a white…

    • 238 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Racial Formation Theory

    • 560 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Over the past several centuries, race was viewed as a natural condition. This conviction gradually gave way during the 1900s to a new paradigm of thinking about race. Race was now seen as being subordinate to presumably more durable relationships of culture, economic interest, and nationality. This view has recently been superseded by a more critical perspective that sets aside the illusionary aspect of race (Kivisto,…

    • 560 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    There are many ways race can be shown, but I have learned that there is no biological definition of race. Most people categorize people through physical appearance and where a person is from. Just because people have a different name or a different way of doing things does not mean they are going to hurt anyone, give them a chance because they are human too.…

    • 740 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Racial Inequality

    • 1128 Words
    • 5 Pages

    In fact, race do not exist in the scientific world. In a sociology documentary (citation), it was said that one person could be defined as having more than one race or ethnicity. Also, race is not a biological factor. For instance, an African-American woman could be more similar to a Caucasian man compared to an African-American man base on genetic variation. Furthermore, Judith Butler supports the argument when she writes, “Even Kate Millett cited the case in making the argument that biology is not destiny” (746). In other words, Butler believes that race is not a biological factor. Likewise, racial boundaries actually do not exist. Human beings belong to one big group and that is the human species. Although this may be true, society define who we are and what differences we have, including that different is bad in modern society. With this conclusion, people in majority groups discriminate people in minority groups. However, if racial boundaries was said that it did not exist, there will be no discrimination as there will be no comparison. There will not be a superior race or a pure race, it will be simply be a human being. As a result, showing clearly that racial differences are created by society and not biologically.…

    • 1128 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Do you look how you are "supposed" to look? Or act like you are "supposed" to act? I for one, do not. In today's society, there are people believe that they can read you instantly, based on your appearance. Just look at all the television shows about how to look your best, how to make the perfect first impression, all around teaching society today that it really is about how you look. In Teja Arbodela's essay, "Race is a Four Letter Word", he discusses his life experience involving racial discrimination. He also deals with the topic of stereotyping, and how he has coped with such complications. Although some people believe otherwise, they cannot always…

    • 650 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays