Running head: RESPONSE PAPER 8

Response Paper 8

Students Name

Institution

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Response Paper 8

In the new book, Fatal Invention by Dorothy Roberts, she explains how politics, science
and big business helps to re-create race in this modern society. It has long been said that race is
not biological, and it is should be placed in the political category. The human genome project in
2000 confirmed that human genes cannot be divided into racial groupings. It is a confirmation
that there is one human race. Roberts is quick to elude that; the race is not a biological division
but a political division.
It is a common thing for American to form the impression of a person based on their
physical characteristics. Looking at people through racial lens comes automatically to
Americans, says Roberts. Putting a label on people based on their skin color is something that
Americans learn since they are infants.
A biological race can be defined as a group of organisms in the population that can be
distinguished from others populations of the same species based on differences in inherited traits.
In the human populations, there exist no very high degree of genetic differentiation that they
automatically fall into races. There is therefore only one human race.
From the book fatal invention, the real distinction between the two meanings of race as
political grouping versus a biological is monumentally important. If the issue of race were a
natural thing, it would be easy to dismiss since it affects both whites and non-whites. However,
since it is politically created and sustained, it can only be eliminated through fair politics that
advances on equality of all people, and not to divide them according to the color of their skin.
It is the fundamental belief in human equality that motivates people to fight restlessly
against racism and its dehumanizing outcomes. The good thing to note is that racism is social
and, therefore, it is possible and easier to change as opposed to if it was genetic. It is important
for Americans to identify better more socially acceptable forms of political alliances rather than
holding to the old belief of racism.
Robert in her book says that kids in the U.S. learn to categorize people into racial groups
since they are infants. They live with the belief that racism is a self-evident truth. It creates a
culture of intolerance that threatens future integration of the Americans.
Robert terms racism as faith. It is the false religion of dividing people based on their skin
color. This perception widens the gap that is not helpful to the cure of this social disease.
In conclusion, Roberts indicate that, for us to live in a world of harmony and peace, we
must do away with prejudices, attitudes, and false beliefs about of racism. We should stop calling
people minorities and change our language so that it can concur with the new reality. Slowly, we
must start to eliminate race as a category as we move toward a planet of peace and harmony.

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Work cited

Decolonize ALL The Things. (2015). D.A.T.T. Freedom School Week 3 Summary - Race & white
supremacist racism. Retrieved 11 November 2015, from
http://decolonizeallthethings.com/2015/07/25/d-a-t-t-freedom-school-week-3-summaryrace-white-supremacist-racism/