Four Simple Reasons Smart People Shouldn't Believe in Races

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/about-thinking/201312/four-simple-reasons-smart-people-shouldnt-believe-in-races?tr=MostViewed

by lacero • 13 years ago

6 4 13 years ago

psychologytoday.com

pedalpete2• 13 years ago

I leave my initial thoughts here as more of a reference to my initial thinking. However, after reading this link, I couldn't help but change my mind http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Race_(human_classification)

I disagree with the whole premise of this article. Why would we choose not to believe in Race? Isn't that promoting ignorance? Where the author suggests race is 'learned' and that people are 'put into boxes', ignores that fact that chilren, having never seen people of other races, recognize the differences instantly, and ask questions as to why one person looks different than the next.

Rather than ignoring Races, we need to learn to celebrate race and diversity. Seeing as we have LGBT Celebrations world wide, is it likely Racial Celebrations? Apparently Singapore has a 'Racial Harmony Day', not quite the same, but maybe a step in the right direction.

The thing is, children know that Race is only physical and often appreciate the differences, I know I did. Sadly, it seems many adults teach them otherwise.

dragonwriter• 13 years ago

Why would we choose not to believe in Race? Isn't that promoting ignorance?

Not believing in things that aren't real isn't promoting ignorance.

Where the author suggests race is 'learned' and that people are 'put into boxes', ignores that fact that chilren, having never seen people of other races, recognize the differences instantly, and ask questions as to why one person looks different than the next.

They ask that about visual differences between people who are ascribed the same "race" by the society, too. The division of certain differences as defining "races" and others as not racial is arbitrary.

Rather than ignoring Races, we need to learn to celebrate race and diversity.

Celebrating diversity of cultural heritage does not requiring believing that races are real.

pedalpete2• 13 years ago

Negating my initial comment, this is a good read http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Race_(human_classification)

acjohnson55• 13 years ago

I have mixed feelings about this article. First of all, I strongly support the dissemination of the knowledge that race has little-to-no basis in biology. I think every American should be taught this. I'm a black person, and I wasn't taught this until take a college course that specifically concerned race and ethnicity.

But I disagree that we'd all be better off if we just forgot about race altogether. Despite the lack of basis in biology, race is actually a real thing, even if it is merely a social construct. Race is real in both self-identification and in how we perceive and treat others.

Culture alone does not explain everything. There is no unified culture shared by all Americans who self-identify as black. And yet, there are aspects of the experience of living in this country that are quite common to black people. This is because the racial identity other people ascribe to you also affects your life.

Four Simple Reasons Smart People Shouldn't Believe in Races

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