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Mandy Tran

Maya Silver
Intermediate Writing 2010
February 24, 2016
Identifying Our Race is Offensive

Introduction

Identifying our race is offensive to some people because they are created through social

and historical processes. Throughout history, we have been labeled by the dominant group,

forcing us into these categorizes that we might not identify with. This is the base for social

constructivism, where people believe race is created by the dominant group rather than being a

part of our genetics. This results in harm to ourselves and others because of the status we are put

into. These statuses creates advantages for those who are seen as worthy and disadvantages

others. Although race is seen as a social construct, they can be explained through biology,

linking us to our ancestors and generalizing us to those who we look alike.

When we fill out papers to choose between a list of races and pick which one defines us

the most, we never stop to think why it was created. Some believe we are living in a society

where the dominant group can socially construct our identities. People believe this because race

has always been an issue, ever since the European colonists set foot onto this land in 1492. The

issue in the past, was when the Americans forced the Native Americans and African Americans

to be their slaves. Today we still have a similar issue with race that includes every ethnicity.

In the years before, we only determined someone as Black or White but as the years go

on, we redefine and create different races. The racial classification was created by Johann

Blumenbach in the eighteenth century. He categorized Russian Caucasians at the top because he

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believed they were the most beautiful and sophisticated people and any others who are darker

skinned are placed at the bottom. Racial classification is new and ever changing. In the 1860s,

the only races that existed were White, Blacks, and mulattoes. Thirty years later, quadroon,

octoroon, Chinese, Japanese, and Indian were added to the list of races. A decade later, they

shortened the list to White, Black, Chinese, Japanese, and Indian. While this was happening

Latinx were being considered as a race, it was not until the 2000s Hispanic was an option. As

the years go on, there is a more ethnic and racial diversity, creating more options for self

identifications. (Andersen & Collins, 58-59)

The Social Construct of Race

Social constructivism are characteristics and identities created through the results of

social and historical processes. What is socially constructed are race, class, ethnicity, and

sexuality because they are intertwined with our experiences and identities. These have binaries

that are a part of ones identity and is not a fixed category. (Andersen & Collins, 51-53)

Although there are these statements and claims being spoken, there are studies that show these

characteristics can be biologically proven to differentiate ourselves from others. As we identify

those who are different and those that are similar, it can result in harm.

Race is seen as a social construct but some believe it can be biologically proven. What

we do know, race is a part of our society and is socially real. As we are identified, race affects

our status and how people perceive us. These are the results of the social constructs created by

the dominant population. This shows us the privilege that they have and how it disadvantages us,

resulting in harm.

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Race is more socially constructed than biologically constructed because scientist has not

found a race gene. (Andersen & Collins, 57) A race gene is a theory where each race has a

specific gene found in those of a certain race. In the article by Gannon, she quotes Pbo there is

no single variant where all Africans have one variant and all Europeans have another (1)

Although there is no race gene, we cannot think race is not real because it is real in society and

affects how we see others and how others see ourselves. (Lusca, 1) Therefore, race cannot be

biologically proven, but there are some who believe otherwise.

As Sesardic quoted from another author, they state that there are three grades of modal

involvement, meaning there are three ways race is biological, According to the article Three

Grades of Modal Involvement, Quine, race has 3 ways biology has to do with race: 1) race

implies that there a common ancestry so they are genetically similar, making them genetically

different from other races. 2) Different races will differ in morphological characteristics (skin,

hair, facial features, etc.) 3) Races can differ by psychological characteristics. (144) This proves

there can be a biological look on race.

People believe race is socially constructed because there are no known genes that

differentiate us from others, but there are differences that are found in some people and not

others. Sesardic says, Dobzhansky states, when we define race, it delimit races as exact, non

overlapping, and discrete entities. Meaning, races will not exist because we would have distinct

species instead. (147) Gannon also agrees with this statement because there is not a single

absolute genetic difference meaning when we determine a race, we cannot just look at one

characteristic, we have to look at multiple characteristics. (1) As the authors concluded, race is

complicated to define and explain.

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Race on Status

The authors Andersen and Collins says there are systems of inequality ...that are built

into the very structure of society. These systems create systems of power, working to advantage

some and disadvantage others. (51) The article by Jeffers agrees, saying these characteristics are

political, they separate people into dominant and subordinate groups. (410) Those who have the

privilege to create these systems of power are the dominant group. They use these characteristics

that we use to identify ourselves to unequally distribute power. The article from NCHPEG, says

they separate us through our ancestors, phenotypical characteristics, cultural practices, economic

need, and political affiliation. (1)

Being categorized by the dominant group is an issue, but how we are categorized is an

issue itself. People categorize us through our differences and they usually do this through our

origin, skin color, face structure, hair texture, our blood, or any of our physical features.

(NCHPEG, 1) Based on your skin color and culture people grouped you into a certain race.

(Lusca, 1) One way to put people into different groups was to define who is and is not white. In

the article by Jones, they defined white as a person who is Armenian born in Asiatic Turkey and

if they had any trace of other blood, they are excluded. (1) This definition was also used to

differentiate who was and was not a slave. Why they decided to define who is considered as

white was to separate those that are considered as worthy to be represented in the dominant

group and to put those who are unworthy in another. This shows how the systems of inequality

works. They categorize people who they believe is fit to represent or become a good image for

the white supremacy. This is the issue with race, we create groups as a hierarchy. As the

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dominant group, they are privilege to define our race and our status. (Lusca, 1) With these facts,

people perceive race as a social construct.

Biology and Race

As stated above, race can be biologically proven. There are three factors the article by

Sesardic, proposed biology and race are connected. They said race has a common ancestry

through genetics and there are physical and psychological characteristics that are different from

another. (Sesardic, 144) The author also quotes Appiah, ...there are heritable characteristics,

possessed by members of our species, that allow us to divide human beings into a small set of

races, in such a way that all the members of these races share certain traits and tendencies with

each other that they do not share with members of any other race. But as we look into what

Appiah states, it is not true because this would create a different species, another type of person

because he is stating there are only one type of people who have these creatin types of

characteristics and other people will never have those characteristics found in them. As explained

by Sesardic, ...all members of group A would have to share certain characteristic F, and that

characteristic F would also have to be absent in all members of group B. (Sesardic, 146-147)

Conclusion

People's belief in race as either socially or biologically constructed, can cause harm in

both ways. Becoming socially constructed by the dominant group, we are labeled as a certain

race. This category that we are forced being into is something that can cause us harm by hurting

our identity. This also separates us from those who are advantaged and those who are not. The

dominant group has the privilege to define and put people into certain categories whether it be

race, class, gender, sexuality, and ethnicity. Through the biological lense, race can become a tool

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to harm. The belief that there's a genetic makeup that distinguishes people from others can cause

misinterpretations and physically divide ourselves and the people around us.

Race is considered as subspecies, through genetics and morphological differences, it

cannot be applied to humans says Machery and Faucher. (1208-1209) They state this because

race can overlap within each group, intertwined with many factors that make us all the same

human species. Realizing that we all are made up of the same way, we can start to be socially

conscious. Becoming aware and conscious, can create an environment of understanding and

maybe race will become a way we can identify ourselves without status and privilege

intertwined.

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Works Cited

Andersen, M. L., & Collins, P. H. Systems of Power and Inequality. Andersen, M. L., &

Collins, P. H. (Eds.), Race, Class & Gender An Anthology. Cengage. 2013, pp. 51-73

Gannon, Megan. Race is a Social Construct, Scientists Argue. Live Science. 6 February, 2016.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/race-is-a-social-construct-scientists-argue/

Jeffers, C. The Cultural Theory of Race: Yet Another Look at Du Bois's The Conservation of

Races". Ethics, 123(3), 2013, pp. 403-426.

Jones, Brian. The Social Construction of Race. JACOBIN. 2015

https://www.jacobinmag.com/2015/06/racecraft-racism-social-origins-reparations/

Accessed 15 Feb. 2017

Lusca, Emanuel L. Race As A Social Construct. Anthropology. 2008

https://anthropology.net/2008/10/01/race-as-a-social-construct/ Accessed 15 Feb. 2017

Machery, Edouard & Faucher, Luc. Social Construction and the Concept of Race. Philosophy

of Science, 72 December 2005, pp. 1208-1219.

NCHPEG Social Construction of Race. Genetics and Social Science. 2012

http://www.nchpeg.org/bssr/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=102:social-const

ruction-of-race&Itemid=137 Accessed 15 Feb. 2017

Sesardic, N. Race: a social destruction of a biological concept. Biology & Philosophy, 25 (2) ,

2010, pp. 143-162

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