5 ms·
Can we finally get over the concepts of 'race' and 'ethnicity'? These are both neither helpful in understanding society nor do they have a footing in reality. I
by esarbe 5y ago
Can we finally get over the concepts of 'race' and 'ethnicity'? These are both neither helpful in understanding society nor do they have a footing in reality. I mean - what the heck - it's 2021 and we are still taking about race? Humans have less genetic diversity than two random tribes of chimpanzees, how the heck do you even get hung up on a concept like race that no one can even define properly?
These are flawed concepts and belong into the dustbin of history.
Seriously messed up.
- nojito 5y agoAre you arguing that racism doesn’t exist in 2021?
- esarbe 5y agoI assume that you are asking this question in good faith, although the mental gymnastics one has to make to come to the question you ask seems quite extraordinary. But I'll bite. No, of course not. Racism - that is; discriminatory behavior towards other humans depending on their (now comes the important part) perceived or imagined membership in a totally made up group - is of course real. And bad. We should stop that. Putting people in imaginary groups and treating them different according to these imaginary groups should stop. We should stop inventing arbitrary systems of human difference and to use them as justification for the unequal treatment of others.
- nojito 5y agoOf course it's a good faith argument. the idea that >We should stop inventing arbitrary systems of human difference and to use them as justification for the unequal treatment of others. Is possible in a world where racism exists is arguing in bad faith. Of course race is made up and is completely arbitrary, but the idea that one can simply ignore racism that exists in 2021 is beyond ludicurous.
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]
- esarbe 5y ago> but the idea that one can simply ignore racism that exists in 2021 is beyond ludicurous. I agree. We could also stop acting like 'race' was a serious concept.
- anoncake 5y agoYou are essentially saying that the idea that we can stop being racist in a world were we haven't stopped being racist yet is arguing in bad faith.
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]
- hypertele-Xii 5y agoSeems well defined to me. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Race_(human_categorization) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Race_(human_categorization)
- cadencemustdie 5y agoI disagree. The very article you provided lists various different ways people have defined race, and it's certainly not an exhaustive list. Race is very much real, in the same way all social constructs are real, but it's by no means a consistent or scientific classification system.
- esarbe 5y agoIndeed. These are all completely arbitrary, made-up and imaginary. None of them have any scientific basis. We should stop using these concepts altogether.
- sascha_sl 5y agoYes, race is a social construct (and whiteness is extremely arbitrary). But that doesn't mean it does not have real life consequences. The US is far far away from the legacy of segregation being washed away. From school district funding and presence of lead piping to studies where competency of equally qualified CVs is rated differently based on race, we still have more barriers for some.
- esarbe 5y agoI often wonder how forcing people to self-identify with one (and only one!) of these imaginary groups is supposed to help to overcome that. Why even ask about 'race' in the census form and why is 'Ñoldor' not an option?