Human Genome Project Announces That "Race" Does Not Exist

Since race is a social construct and is in the same context as "the world is flat" or "the planet was created in 6-7 days", the article makes sense.  Because of this construct, the human species has its problems...

Here is the link to the Highlight tool again as send in PM.

Highlight

Very interesting, francislholland. Thanks for posting this.

Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;}

I’m at a bit of a loss to think how this piece of information will change anything.

What about, say, Jews? Their skin color may not differ from a KKK member’s but they would still be discriminated against – is that racist under the old and/or new definitions? What about Ghanaian and Nigerians who, apparently, have little respect for each other? http://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-17025.0.html is this racism? Was it ever a question of ‘race’ alone? Wasn’t it always skin colour and ethnicity?  If we take out race, where does that leave us? I suggest the world has not changed at all.

Race does not exist. However culture and its cultural artefacts does exist. Frequently people express prejudice based on culture and cultural practices. But, culture is a learned behavior. It has no basis in genetics either. Race is no longer a sacred cow--but then neither is culture. If we stop classifying people based on the erroneous and nonexistent classification of race, we are now free to deal with the reality of culture--and culture can be changed. Not all cultures are worth saving or valuing. Many cultures contain values and practices that are inhumane and anti-human rights (e.g. the treatment of women in islamist and machista cultures). So now that we are free of the illusion of race, we can deal with the reality of culture and change those cultural practices that are detrimental to the advancement and humane treatment of all humans.

I think the 'Genome Project' is an important landmark, just as most studies that disprove long standing beliefs through science.  Until we have more brain research data on the patterns of evolving character, that take into account the contribution of both nature & nurture....I'm afraid we are still wallowing in the dark.  President Obama is an example of what can happen to family groups across the world...when cultures (skin color) collide and love is involved, leaps of compassion happen and those involved are forever changed.  As a 25 year veteran educator in the public system, I can attest to the dislocation of learning due to limiting family belief systems.  Only through consistent opportunities to engage in open discussions and experiences on/in the differences of culture will nurture a true change in attitude.  Although children are egocentric, they are not BIGOTS until taught to be one.

Do you not realize that by writing this arcticle and refering to yourself as black and others as WHITE you are further perpetuating the existance of seperate races and placing us as the other? I userstand the nessessity for the Human Genomes' findings to be spread, but placing it within this context seems counter-productive.

Bob, when I refer to myself as Black and other as white I am simply stating the matter of fact that color exists and each of us has a skin color.  Now, it's true that we have a custom in the United States of ignoring the actual skin color of people and instead lumping people into binary groups.  That is reflective of an "us and them" mentality.

However, when I say "Black" I am not referring to a skin color.  (Very few if any people are actually as black as the typeface on this page.)  I'm referring to a very much cohesive political and cultural entity when I use the word "Black".   Polls show that people's opinions about certain things, for example whether there is color aroused discrimination in the United States, quite predictably show a great big difference in opinion associated with the skin color of the person answering the question.

People whose skin color is not white in the United States form affiliations and solidarity around many issues as a matter of survival.  That's a political and social reality.  At the same time, when I use the word "Black" I hope you don't misunderstand me and believe I am referring to that specious concept of "race".  I'm referring to a social and political grouping for which skin color is an imperfect but important marker.  "Race" has nothing whatsoever to do with what I'm saying.