Social Dichotomy Of Race

When people try to define race, two common theories tend to develop. One theory is that race is biological. The second theory is that race is only a social construct. Both theories are correct. I believe that race is both. I also believe that race is such a complex concept that it can't be explained in this simple dichotomy. Scientists argue continually about whether race is biological or not. I see both sides of this argument, which is possibly because I believe that those on the side that deny race as being biological are simply relying on semantics. I see that argument as, therefore, unnecessary and one that continues only because we, as humans, are universally unable to agree on anything. The concept that race is biological seems
fairly commonsensical. Caucasoid people have Caucasoid ancestors. Negroid people have Negroid ancestors. Slightly over half of all biological/physical anthropologists today believe...that human races are biologically valid. Specifically, forensic anthropologists can effectively determine the race of a person when examining skeletons. The varied opinions on this matter have led to several studies on this topic. A Stanford University study of 3,636 people gave more evidence that race is indeed biological. In this study, people’s self-identified race was a nearly perfect indicator of their genetic background. These results contradict the idea that race is only a social construct. This evidence shows that race is biological. Even though race is apparently biological, the idea that human races are only social constructs has been the consensus for at least 30 years. The people on this side of the argument claim that the differences between the races are simply "genetic variations" and that there is no such thing as a biological entity that warrants the term 'race'. Those who argue that race is not biological motivation (a positive one) is that they have come to believe that the race concept is socially dangerous due to the face that race has so long been associated with racism. I feel like these scientists are trying, whether they know it or not, to simply get rid of the term. They have convinced themselves that race promotes racism. I think this argument is simply an argument of semantics. If "genetic variations" are biological, then so is race. Race as a social construct also seems fairly commonsensical. In this country, there is a long history of racial issues that have less to do with biology and more to do with the assumption that these genetic differences are bad. Race does matter in this country. But not because of the obvious fact that we are different, but because this country is steeped in a history of race politics that has long used race as a basis for determining one's rights to equality under the law. Race is everywhere in this country.
It is practically staring us in the face. Race is shown to us regularly in television, films, and even our laws. Problems arise from all these methods of portrayal. There is a long history of showing negative stereotypes in both film and television. The particular negative images used in television and films...come from a long legacy of social inequality and oppression, and their retelling strengthens these beliefs in white supremacy. By showing the negative stereotypes of minorities, the majority is able to justify the subordination of racial minority groups. When stereotypes are shown to us so regularly, negative images of racial minorities become a part of the collective consciousness. For an example of media portrayal of negative minority stereotypes, we can look at the 1992 riot in Los Angeles. In this case the media encouraged the perception that the black community was solely responsible for the riots and disturbances, even though the police reports show that of those arrested only 36% were black. This is just one example. Many television shows and video games show an overwhelming amount of African Americans and Hispanics as criminals. This is one way that race has become a social construction that is ingrained within our
society. Thus, race obviously exists as a social construct as well as something biological.
Race matters because people are still judged by the color of their skin. The next question that arises when we are made aware of this is whether we, as a society, should try to get rid of things that perpetuate race as a social construct. As you can see, the argument that race promotes racism is carried over into the social construct side of things as well. I do not believe that it would be possible to get rid of racism by disallowing the term race. The creation of a "color-blind" society, one that ignores race, would not get rid of racism because it has been ingrained within so many people for so long. I will acknowledge that it might be better to have a society that ignores race. I also agree that this might eventually be obtainable, but I am confident in my assertion that this is not possible at this point in
time. The concept of a "color-blind" society is often thought of as the answer to discrimination and prejudice. But I agree with the belief that it would take generations to un-teach the race-based hatred that has been one of the building blocks of this nation. I see this “un-teaching” as possible, but only very gradually. As issues such as slavery and segregation move further into the past, each generation becomes more and more accepting. The new generations were not raised amidst the same hatred as their ancestors. I believe this process will continue. As long as racism is seen as wrong, as long as parents, society and schools teach that racism is wrong, generations of the future will become practically color-blind. While they will still be aware of race, it will no longer be used as a form of judgment or discrimination. Unfortunately, our society has not yet reached the point where "color-blind" would be possible. If a "color-blind" society were put in place and race ignored, racism would be ignored as well. How can we combat racism if no one is willing to talk about race? Unfortunately, a denial that races exist also serves to encourage a denial that racism exists. If we weren't allowed to talk about race, racism would be ignored rather than treated as wrong. Racism would still exist, but no one would be allowed to do or say anything about it. If race were ignored, the protections set in place for those who are the victims of racism would no longer be allowed. It will undermine accountability for civil rights violations (hate crimes, discrimination in the workplace and biased racial profiling). This kind of society would also ignore health care disparities and racial/ethnic disease patterns important for medical treatment, educational inequities and so forth. As we can see, a color-blind society has meaning only if we operate on a level playing field where equal access and opportunity exists for all groups. This condition does not currently exist in our society. This is why affirmative action was created. Affirmative action provides minorities with opportunities that their ancestors were denied. Some argue that this is an unfair advantage, but I agree that "it is hardly an exaggeration to say that white America is the biggest collective recipient of racial preference." Whites have had the advantage since this country was founded, yet few whites have ever thought of their position as resulting from racial preferences. Those who argue that the racial preference in place today is unfair tend to ignore the fact that racial preferences have been, and will continue to be, in place as long as racial prejudices exist within people. This evidence, as well of our knowledge of the world around us, shows us that we all have genetic variations that are now known as races. What started as biology became a social issue that played a large part in this society. Race is a complex construct. This dichotomy, biological or social, is what people choose most often as tools to define it. I don't think race is this simple. Defining race takes more than such a simple dichotomy. One must consider the historical, the present, and personal feelings as well as the biological and the social. This is why I believe that we cannot hope to define race, and that we should instead focus our efforts on racism. Jean Toomer once argued that "a Black label or a white label restricted one's access to both groups and limited one's growth." I disagree with Toomer. I don't think that race should be ignored or pushed to the side as this quote suggests, but I do agree that it should matter less. People have been taught that race is important, but I don't think it should matter quite as much as it does. Race is something personal, for different people have such diverse racial backgrounds, and should matter on a personal level. The problem is not the fact that we are a multi-racial, multi-ethnic society, the problem is that some folks decided a long time ago that there was a need to establish a system of racial hierarchy. What we should be moving towards is a world in which we acknowledge our differences...not use those differences as the tools of discrimination. Racism is the problem, not race. The term race is not racism, and discussing the definition of race is not nearly as important as talking about the problems that arise from racism. Racism has caused fear of race, not only of specific races, but also of the term in general. We shouldn't be afraid of the term any longer. We should not be afraid of the definitions. We, as a society, should stop arguing about these definitions. Everyone should care about racism. We should care enough to take steps towards getting rid of racism. We should work together to get to the point where our society is aware of race, not afraid of it. We should work for a society that is not color-blind, but aware and appreciative of our differences.