Video: Race, the Power of Illusion

Video: Race, the Power of Illusion Race, the Power of Illusion is video on how race is a social construction. It takes a look at the many claims that society has imposed on each ethnic group by disassembling each allegation to see if they hold true or are they a creation to place the white race superior to all other races. The video took a classroom of students of all different ethnic backgrounds and presented them with a question of “who does each of the students, by taking a MtDNA sample of themselves, think that their sample would match their classmates?” Of course, the students thought that their MtDNA would match another classmate who resembled their skin color. However, they were all wrong. In fact, they found that they were very similar to each other. Further, those whose skin color that differed from each other were the closes to each other. This experiment showed that the human race was not any different from their counterparts. The video further explored the idea of race by looking at skin color. Melanin, which is a pigmentation caused by the damages of UV-rays has altered skin color and left a lasting effect on the skin. If one examines the effects of the sun on skin color, one will notice that those individuals who live the closes to the equator have the darkest pigmentation and those that live further from the equator have lighter pigmentation. All these facts do not explain that any ethnic group is different in their anatomy. As evident as these facts tell us that race is a social construction, theses ideas still stain the mines of Americans today. When one looks at opportunities, one will see that effects of race.