"QUOTE=anastrophe: being proud that you share the same color skin with others seems...silly.
the concept of 'race' is so badly broken as to be essentially meaningless. race is an artificial construct, with no real biological basis."
The above was posted in a thread about racism. The second part of this post reminds me of something that I learned about in an anthropology class I had in college. The process is called speciation and it is basically the adapting of different individuals to their surrounding and subsequently producing new species of organisms. With this being said, is race really as big of an issue as it is made? Or is it nothing more than "...an artificial construct..." that has been twisted and turned and now has ripped apart more lives and societies than anything else thanks to good ol' xenophobes?
Race an artificial construct
Race an artificial construct
Race was a phase, it's the need for some external -xenophobic, as you say - hatred that's the common thread running through all societies. I'd generalize and say that no section of American white society ever hated blacks with the same baying animosity with which they hated those Commie Bastards in the Soviet Union, and if you lined up a roomful of cheerful Muscovites and one of cheerful white New Yorkers you'd be hard pressed to tell them apart until they spoke. Have you noticed that even now, long after the death of the Soviet Union and anything resembling a Communist New World Order, you'd be frowned on for wearing a hammer and sickle t-shirt down a main street in some towns in America? I'm guessing here, someone help me. But if that hangs over for generations, you can bet that race has too, phase or not. I've tried things like "Hi, I'm Spot and I'm a Communist" down the phone to members here, and I get shocked silences. Which might be why I do it.
Nullius in verba ... ☎||||||||||| ... To Fate I sue, of other means bereft, the only refuge for the wretched left.
When flower power came along I stood for Human Rights, marched around for peace and freedom, had some nooky every night - we took it serious.
Who has a spare two minutes to play in this month's FG Trivia game! ... My other OS is Slackware.
When flower power came along I stood for Human Rights, marched around for peace and freedom, had some nooky every night - we took it serious.
Who has a spare two minutes to play in this month's FG Trivia game! ... My other OS is Slackware.
Race an artificial construct
I think this would be a very interesting topic to develop.
Personally, I believe that all thoughts are artificial constructs, but that does not mean that the effect of such thoughts can be considered artificial in any way. We are raised in a very competitive world which has, perhaps, forgotten that survival is no longer the driving motive of society. Or shouldn't be. By the time society reached a point of self actualization it was based on residual survival instincts. If "survival" becomes comparative, as it certainly has when, for example, actors who make millions complain that another actor made a half million more on their last film, then we are dealing with a dysfunctional society. Like many people who need to see a doctor and maybe even get some shock therapy, it is often easier to hide or deny the illness.
To be rich, someone needs to be poor. If disadvantage can be heaped on a large portion of the population through racism then it's an easy out. Less competition. If you try to do something about it weapons will be drawn to keep the status quo by those who enjoy the current advantage. The weapons may take different forms over time and become more insidious the less identifiable they are.
While human beings are all the same species, it is makes the competition easier to eliminate or reduce other contestants in the race by whatever means necessary. So "racism" is a very apt name for it. On a positive note, the people who have the most happiness in life are not the ones who dwell on and spread hate...and not all people are dim-witted automatons on a narrow track towards an unknown finish line.
Personally, I believe that all thoughts are artificial constructs, but that does not mean that the effect of such thoughts can be considered artificial in any way. We are raised in a very competitive world which has, perhaps, forgotten that survival is no longer the driving motive of society. Or shouldn't be. By the time society reached a point of self actualization it was based on residual survival instincts. If "survival" becomes comparative, as it certainly has when, for example, actors who make millions complain that another actor made a half million more on their last film, then we are dealing with a dysfunctional society. Like many people who need to see a doctor and maybe even get some shock therapy, it is often easier to hide or deny the illness.
To be rich, someone needs to be poor. If disadvantage can be heaped on a large portion of the population through racism then it's an easy out. Less competition. If you try to do something about it weapons will be drawn to keep the status quo by those who enjoy the current advantage. The weapons may take different forms over time and become more insidious the less identifiable they are.
While human beings are all the same species, it is makes the competition easier to eliminate or reduce other contestants in the race by whatever means necessary. So "racism" is a very apt name for it. On a positive note, the people who have the most happiness in life are not the ones who dwell on and spread hate...and not all people are dim-witted automatons on a narrow track towards an unknown finish line.
Race an artificial construct
Slavery used to be a widely accepted condition to which conquered peoples were subject to. Race had nothing to do with it. With christianity if all are created equal then keeping fellow christians slave as viewed as morally wrong-if a slave became christian they were released.
If you look at the early days of negro slavery in the colonies negroes that became christian and free could own land and have voting rights. It gradually changed but you still have the basic dilemma that if god created all men and all are equal in the sight of god then how can you morally justify keeping anither as a slave?
That's when the theories of racial superiority of the white man started creeping in and became the justification of imperialism-the white man's burden, manifest destiny, social darwinism etc all have at the back a need to morally justify the most unchristian acts. Religon and prejudice make a lethal brew.
If a race is seen inferior and an animal it is easier to cope with the reality of what slavery is and what you are doing to others. The romans didn't have these kind of moral dilemmas they just went out and conquered if they needed the resources. So did the saxons, angles. goths, mongols, huns.
Colour of skin exacerbates a common peoblem and makes it harder to blend in-have a look at some of the prejudice and stereotypes levied in america about various immigrant nationalities-stupid pollack, thick irish, grasping jew. What did so many anglicise theor names? A few generation later the heritage remains in name and all are americans-colour of skin is a visible difference that is harder to get over and ignore even if the basic culture is the same.
I have blue eyes-a racial characteristic that is being bred out of the population-should I worry about it? If you go to any major city in europe yo can see the facial characteristics of dozens of tribes, what were once distinct peoples. conquered and conqueror living together. It's the differences that makes humans interesting. I always think those who get hung up on racial purity know very little about their own history.
If you look at the early days of negro slavery in the colonies negroes that became christian and free could own land and have voting rights. It gradually changed but you still have the basic dilemma that if god created all men and all are equal in the sight of god then how can you morally justify keeping anither as a slave?
That's when the theories of racial superiority of the white man started creeping in and became the justification of imperialism-the white man's burden, manifest destiny, social darwinism etc all have at the back a need to morally justify the most unchristian acts. Religon and prejudice make a lethal brew.
If a race is seen inferior and an animal it is easier to cope with the reality of what slavery is and what you are doing to others. The romans didn't have these kind of moral dilemmas they just went out and conquered if they needed the resources. So did the saxons, angles. goths, mongols, huns.
Colour of skin exacerbates a common peoblem and makes it harder to blend in-have a look at some of the prejudice and stereotypes levied in america about various immigrant nationalities-stupid pollack, thick irish, grasping jew. What did so many anglicise theor names? A few generation later the heritage remains in name and all are americans-colour of skin is a visible difference that is harder to get over and ignore even if the basic culture is the same.
I have blue eyes-a racial characteristic that is being bred out of the population-should I worry about it? If you go to any major city in europe yo can see the facial characteristics of dozens of tribes, what were once distinct peoples. conquered and conqueror living together. It's the differences that makes humans interesting. I always think those who get hung up on racial purity know very little about their own history.
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Race an artificial construct
Lennox wrote: "QUOTE=anastrophe: being proud that you share the same color skin with others seems...silly.
the concept of 'race' is so badly broken as to be essentially meaningless. race is an artificial construct, with no real biological basis."
The above was posted in a thread about racism. The second part of this post reminds me of something that I learned about in an anthropology class I had in college. The process is called speciation and it is basically the adapting of different individuals to their surrounding and subsequently producing new species of organisms. With this being said, is race really as big of an issue as it is made? Or is it nothing more than "...an artificial construct..." that has been twisted and turned and now has ripped apart more lives and societies than anything else thanks to good ol' xenophobes?
The human brain is naturally lazy. It's easier to think in generalities than specifics, and it's easiest to categorize based on visual characteristics since our eyes are better-developed than our ears or noses. So we color-code people. Unfortunately, we have judgment and emotion that we far too easily attach to our color-coded categories.
The danger is that most of us take our general impression of our category as fact about an individual, without trying to verify whether it's true. It's an act of maturity, even bravery, to investigate.
But we're lazy.
the concept of 'race' is so badly broken as to be essentially meaningless. race is an artificial construct, with no real biological basis."
The above was posted in a thread about racism. The second part of this post reminds me of something that I learned about in an anthropology class I had in college. The process is called speciation and it is basically the adapting of different individuals to their surrounding and subsequently producing new species of organisms. With this being said, is race really as big of an issue as it is made? Or is it nothing more than "...an artificial construct..." that has been twisted and turned and now has ripped apart more lives and societies than anything else thanks to good ol' xenophobes?
The human brain is naturally lazy. It's easier to think in generalities than specifics, and it's easiest to categorize based on visual characteristics since our eyes are better-developed than our ears or noses. So we color-code people. Unfortunately, we have judgment and emotion that we far too easily attach to our color-coded categories.
The danger is that most of us take our general impression of our category as fact about an individual, without trying to verify whether it's true. It's an act of maturity, even bravery, to investigate.
But we're lazy.
Race an artificial construct
Go someday to Zanzibar and listen to people there tell you why it was so very easy for the Arabs to begin a slave trade.
Slavery had been practiced in Africa forever as a handy way to use prisoners taken in tribal wars as transport...get the ivory/hardwoods down to the coast to be sold...use a slave to do it...sell the slave...double your money! BINGO! Win-Win!
What's interesting, too, is that those cultures Western civilizations so admire (Greeks, Romans) happily practiced slavery of all sorts of people. "The glory that was Rome" didn't include much about that when I studied Latin. Wonder why? :rolleyes:
The title of this thread attracted my attention because I've just read an interesting paper which says that, between 5000 and 7000 years ago, individuals were living who are the common ancestors of EVERY SINGLE ONE OF US! I'm interested in this study because I took part in it. There's a fascinating National Geographic special about how they traced mitochondrial DNA and compiled this data.
"Race" really IS a construct, born of our fears and xenophobia.
Slavery had been practiced in Africa forever as a handy way to use prisoners taken in tribal wars as transport...get the ivory/hardwoods down to the coast to be sold...use a slave to do it...sell the slave...double your money! BINGO! Win-Win!
What's interesting, too, is that those cultures Western civilizations so admire (Greeks, Romans) happily practiced slavery of all sorts of people. "The glory that was Rome" didn't include much about that when I studied Latin. Wonder why? :rolleyes:
The title of this thread attracted my attention because I've just read an interesting paper which says that, between 5000 and 7000 years ago, individuals were living who are the common ancestors of EVERY SINGLE ONE OF US! I'm interested in this study because I took part in it. There's a fascinating National Geographic special about how they traced mitochondrial DNA and compiled this data.
"Race" really IS a construct, born of our fears and xenophobia.
My candle's burning at both ends, it will not last the night. But ah, my foes, and oh, my friends--It gives a lovely light!--Edna St. Vincent Millay