

Four Simple Reasons Smart People Shouldn't Believe in Races - lacero
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/about-thinking/201312/four-simple-reasons-smart-people-shouldnt-believe-in-races?tr=MostViewed

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pedalpete
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)](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
> 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.

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

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acjohnson55
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.

