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RaceiswithoutadoubtoneofthemostcontroversialtalkingpointsintodaysUnitedStates.
Whetheritbespeakingabouttoleranceandunderstanding,orhateandprejudice,onefindsthemselvesin
aconversationaboutracewithanotherindividualatleastonceintheirlives.Chancesareyouhaveeven
felttheaffectsofwhatsocietycallsyourRace.Infactwhatisknowntopeopleandseenon
identificationformsasyourRaceisthoughtofbymanytobeasocialbarriercreatedtosimplyorganize
groupsofpeopleoratooltocreatesocialdivision.Indeedoneofthemostpressingargumentsinthepast
andintodaysmindsofthosediscussingthetopicofraceisthesciencebehindit.InthevideoRace:The
PowerofanIllusionwearepresentedseveralcasesthatidentifywhensciencehasplayedarole(ormore
aptly,atool)ofeithersupportfortheideasofrace,orevidencethatmaybeweasaspeciesarentso
differentfromoneanother.Throughevidencepresentedbythisvideowecanseehowearlyracialand
eugenicscientistsusedtheirstudiestopushtheiragendasofrace,andhowtodaymanyarefightingto
erasetheseharmfulteachingsofdivision.Oneofthemostimportantpartscanbeseeninhowsciencein
earlyAmericanhistorywasusedtosupportracism.
RacismdidntoriginatewhenthefirstpeopleofcolorcametoAmerica.Onthecontrarywelearn
inthevideothatearlycolonialAmericayourstatusinlifeandyourreligionwasmoreimportantthan
yourrace.However,thetideschangedaslaborshortageduetoalackofEuropeanlaborworkersledtoan
influxofAfricanslavestobeusedinAmericanlaborsettings.Soon,peoplebeganregardingoneanother
aswhiteandblack.IndividualssuchasThomasJeffersonwhowereseenasbenevolentmadeclaims
alongthelinesthatanAfricanmindisinferiortothatofawhitemale.Soonscientistswerecalledto
investigateclaimsofracialdifference.ScientistssuchasFrederickHoffmancreatedbooksthatclaimed

AfricanAmericanswerementallyandphysicallyinferior.OtherscientistssuchasSamuelMortonbegan
toclaimthattherewereinnatedifferencesamonghumans.Thesescientistsclaimswerethenusedby
racistsslaveownersandlawmakerstosupporttheiracts.LawssuchastheJimCrowlawscreatedwere
justifiedasmanysawthisasasocietalorderthatshouldbeinplaceduetogeneticpredispositionofa
whiteracetosomehowbesuperiorandatthetopofthesocietalfoodchain.Manytimesthesescientists
suchasHoffmanhadaracistbias,andexhibitedconfirmationbiastothehighestdegree.Anynew
evidenceseenwaspurportedtosupporthowwhiteswereasuperiorrace.Inthevideoweseehowevery
bodypartofablackindividualisinvestigatedandusedinstudiestoprovehowwhitesaresuperior.
Whatthesescientistsfailtomentionistheirdata.Notthattherewasalackofdata,farfromit,
therewasplentyofdataforscientiststouseintheirstudiesandresearchprograms.Theproblemarosein
thefactthatscientistsdidnottakeintoaccountotherfactorssuchasenvironment,andothersocio
economicfactors.Thedatainthesestudieswasskewedfromthebeginningbecauseofcourseindividuals
livingatalowerstandardhadworsehealthstatisticsthanthoselivingatahigherstandard.Anyalternate
explanationwasnotconsideredsolongasthecurrentanswerwasthewhiteswerefrombirthasuperior
racethatwasdestinedtoruleoverothers.Scientistsearlierinthe19thcenturyfellvictimtobelieving
inacausationthroughacorrelation,whichledthemtoerroneousconclusionswheretheywoulduse
loadedlanguage,whichislanguageheavywithconnotationsandimagesthatwouldcompareblacksto
primatesandothercomparisons.Theybelievedthatbecauseslavesandlaborersweremostlyblackand
minorities,thatthenminoritieswereborntofilltheseroles.Theyneverconsideredthatoutside
circumstancesmayaffectwhyorhowtheseminoritiesendedupintheconditionstheywerein.Through
thesethoughtprocesseswasaclearprobleminconsideringalternativeexplanationsbecausenonewere
consideredfromthestart.However,whenscientistsandathleteswerestunnedbyoutcomessuchasJesse
OwensvictoryintheOlympicstheyweresubjectedtocognitivedissonance.Howcouldapersonthat
wasinferiorphysiologicallytowhiteswininasportingevent?PeoplesuchasatthetimeUSAcoach

DeanCromwellthenbegantodownplayachievementsbecauseitwasntsolongagotheywererunning
fortheirlives.Sofocusonareasthatheldupwhitephysiologicalsuperioritywerethendownplayed.
ItsobvioustheaffectsracehadinsportingeventstoindividualssuchasJesseOwensandin
labormarkets,buttherootcausesofhowwegottosuchasadstatewastheinfluenceofpoliticsand
societyandsciencesroleintheseagendas.Fromthebeginningoneofthepointsofthevideoisthat
Scientistsareinfluencedbysocialcontext.Ifaresearcherhaslivedalifewhereheissubjectedto
hearingthesuperiorityofawhitemanhebeginstobelieveinafallacyandthenhisresearchmaybe
affectedbyit.Manypoliticiansandlawmakerswhowishedtocreateracialbarriersusedthesescientific
studiestosupporttheirlaws.Manytimesthesesocial/politicalaffairsarebasedinwarandlandgrabbing
affairs.Invasionsofcountries,andmanifestdestinybothusesciencetosupporttheircauses.Theyuse
studiesthatdepictthenativecountriesasinferiorandweak,andmanyscientistsandpoliticianspointto
flawedscientificresultstoenablethemtokeeppaintingthisnarrativetothepublictodrumupsupport.
Furthermore,manyofthesepoliticaldocumentscontainedloadedlanguagesimilartothatoftheresearch
paperscomparingpeopleofcolortoanimalssuchasprimates
Throughoutthisvideoweveseenevidenceforyearspastforflawedstatisticalstudies,needless
andsuperficialmeasurements,andbiaseddatagatheringthatpointstoaconclusionthatsaysthereisa
biologicalconceptofrace.Itisclearthroughmoderndayanalysisandsciencethatpeoplewhoare
presentedtheseflawedanswersarefallingintoalogicalfallacy.Theyarebelievinganswersthatarenot
true,andmanytimesthesepeoplefindtheseconclusionsbecausetheyfailtoleaveafilterbubble.
Becausetheybelievetherearedifferentracestheyarepronetosearchforevidencesupportingtheir
claimsthroughlikemindedpeoplesuchastheirown.Manytimepeoplearetooafraidtotakeanoutside
perspectivetoseewhatistrulyinfrontofthem,thatraceisnobiologicalconcept.Thatracewascreated
tocategorize,andlabelhumanbeings.Inthebeginningofthisvideoweseehowschoolstudentsofall
differentbackgroundsandoriginscansharemoreDNAstrandswithsomeonewithcompleteopposite

skintonesyetsharefarlesswithsomeonewithmoresimilarskintoneandhistoricalbackground.Inolder
daysscientistsrationalizeddatainincorrectwaystodefendtheirstandofwhitesuperiorityanduseitasa
tooltohamperthelifestylesofthosewhoarentwhite.Today,raceisstillusedasawaytolabelaperson,
howeverhowthatlabelisusedcanvarygreatly.Sometimesitcanbeusedforbeneficialstudiesanddata
gatheringsuchasacensusorexperiment.Othertimesitcanbeusedasadivider,andaharmfultoolused
topointfingersatagroupofpeopleasascapegoatforevents.Wemusttakecareinspreadingawareness
thatinfactwearethesamepeople,weareallhumans,andthatshouldtaketoppriority.