Race...why is this word still used?

[Rev.Reverence]

NO STABS AT PEOPLE WHO USE THE WORD...

I'm just on a mission fro GOD...to set the semantics straight...

I heard they are more tolerant of interracial marriage as in white lady, black guy...

THIS...is the great problem I have decided to take on ANY TIME I see it...

...Race......NO!..this word is fuckin' out dated...

.....this world needs to speak correctly.....Ethnicity.....that is what they are describing...

FOLLOW ME.....

A dog can not breed with a cat...

A Doberman can breed with a Dalmatian...but one is white & one is black/brown.....are they different RACES??

NO...

They are called breeds...

Why then is Man refered to as seperate RACES???

...seems really ignorant to me...

[Msterbeau]

Humans are human. That is all.

[Rev.Reverence]

Humans are human. That is all.

YES...that is what I'm saying...

What I'm asking is WHY!?!??*flails arms*?...do people go around perpetuating division??

[jynxxxedangel]

I find it equally as annoying when people try to pretend others cultures, ways and colours are NOT different.

We should learn to embrace all cultures, and empower them with PRIDE in their differences-- rather than trying to pretend we are all the same, and there are no differences.

[Rev.Reverence]

...on this point I think we should simultaneously look for the similarities & celebrate the differences...

[jynxxxedangel]

Agreed.

[odims_sphere]

The two word, often misused, do hold two different definitions:

Definition: Race (n) a human population considered distinct based on physical characteristics.

It is important to note that race is predominantly a social construct - in other words, scientists have discovered that only 2 percent of our genes are ultimately responsible for the visible differences such as skin color. Although it is not an exact science, social groups play a very important role in defining the rules of race. For example, in some cultures a light skin mulatto who is also upper class may be considered White, while in others, this same individual would classify as Black.

A lingering relic - depicting our history of legislating race - is the "one drop rule" which stipulated that a person with any amount of Black blood was to be classified as Black regardless of appearance. More recently, however, celebrities of mixed race backgrounds, such as Tiger Woods and Mariah Carey have challenged us to adopt less of a black or white approach to the concept of race.

Despite the ongoing challenges with racial classification, race nonetheless continues to hold significant social implications across the globe.

Definition:

Ethnicity (n) a term which represents social groups with a shared history, sense of identity, geography and cultural roots which may occur despite racial difference

Let's consider Puerto Ricans as an example of an ethnicity. Many Puerto Ricans represent various blends of White, Red and/or Black races and yet they refer to themselves collectively as Boricuas

. Despite color difference, Puerto Ricans share an ethnicity. Ethnicity shapes a group's culture - the food, language, music, and customs.

Many Whites do not consider themselves to be "ethnic" or to have an ethnicity although all of us do! Whether you come from an Italian background, an Irish background, or a combination of the two, these ethnic cultures have most likely played a very important role in shaping how you view, interpret, and interact with the world.

A Black man and a White man may be completey the same in every respect except for the fact that one is black and one is white, They can even have the exact same ethnicity, it is because of that reason that the word race must exist. The ignorant part comes when people apply stereotypes and prejudices to the races. The word and definition of that word have value, its the stereotypes and prejudices that do not.

[Gaf The Horse With Tears]

There you go recklessly wielding logic... you are going to put someone's eye out.

[phee]

The two word, often misused, do hold two different definitions:

A Black man and a White man may be completey the same in every respect except for the fact that one is black and one is white, They can even have the exact same ethnicity, it is because of that reason that the word race must exist. The ignorant part comes when people apply stereotypes and prejudices to the races. The word and definition of that word have value, its the stereotypes and prejudices that do not.

+2

[Gaf The Horse With Tears]

I find it equally as annoying when people try to pretend others cultures, ways and colours are NOT different.

We should learn to embrace all cultures, and empower them with PRIDE in their differences-- rather than trying to pretend we are all the same, and there are no differences.

When compared to say... Europe or... well, the rest of the world... the US is doing that. Not perfectly, but we do it. Individuals may vary on their approach, or not even try, but as people we do pretty damn well.

The problem comes with balance. Where exactly do you drawn the line between total integration as a society and respect for ethnic identity?

Look at Europe... total respect for a peoples ethnicity is clashing with the need to be an integrated society.

Think of it as a getting a new room mate. You have to make allowances for how they live... they have to respect how you live. Neither person's way of life can overbear the others.. or there is isolation followed by conflict.

[Simon Bar Sinister]

YES...that is what I'm saying...

What I'm asking is WHY!?!??*flails arms*?...do people go around perpetuating division??

Because most people need to feel superior to someone.

[Fledermaus]

YES...that is what I'm saying...

What I'm asking is WHY!?!??*flails arms*?...do people go around perpetuating division??

...and, to complete SpammerOvTheGods comment, its easier to live in a managable and bordered Situation together with people, who are like-minded and as a result won't unsettle with different ideas

Fledermaus

[chEmo]

A brief history of the word RACE:

"people of common descent," c.1500, from M.Fr. razza "race, breed, lineage," possibly from It. razza, of unknown origin (cf. Sp., Port. raza). Original senses in Eng. included "wines with characteristic flavor" (1520), "group of people with common occupation" (c.1500), and "generation" (c.1560). Meaning "tribe, nation, or people regarded as of common stock" is from c.1600. Modern meaning of "one of the great divisions of mankind based on physical peculiarities" is from 1774 (though even among anthropologists there never has been an accepted classification of these). Klein suggests these derive from Arabic ra's "head, beginning, origin" (cf. Heb. rosh). O.E. þeode meant both "race" and "language;" as a verb, geþeodan, it meant "to unite, to join." Racial is first attested 1862. Race-riot attested from 1890.

Definition: The American Anthropological Association’s statement on race states: “physical variations in the human species have no meaning except the social ones that humans put on them.”

social construct, a social mechanism, phenomenon, or category created and developed by society; a perception of an individual, group, or idea that is `constructed' through cultural or social practice – Webster’s Dictionary

Rev is right!

[Homicidalheathen]

Heard a news report where they said Blacks (in this country) are worse than whites now...

But I figure, a tribe does pay for its ansestors karmic debts in a way...I do believe that...and we kinda deserve it.

Here are some reports...its been my experience that most of my black friends don't like Arabic persons.

CNN) -- Most Americans, white and black, see racism as a lingering problem in the United States, and many say they know people who are racist, according to a new poll.

But few Americans of either race -- about one out of eight -- consider themselves racist.

And experts say racism has evolved from the days of Jim Crow to the point that people may not even recognize it in themselves. (Watch how many blacks are still afraid to stop in a Texas town )

A poll conducted last week by Opinion Research Corp. for CNN indicates that whites and blacks disagree on how serious a problem racial bias is in the United States.

Almost half of black respondents -- 49 percent -- said racism is a "very serious" problem, while 18 percent of whites shared that view. Forty-eight percent of whites and 35 percent of blacks chose the description "somewhat serious." (See the poll results)

Asked if they know someone they consider racist, 43 percent of whites and 48 percent of blacks said yes.

But just 13 percent of whites and 12 percent of blacks consider themselves racially biased.

The poll was based on phone interviews conducted December 5 through Thursday with 1,207 Americans, including 328 blacks and 703 non-Hispanic whites.

Blind to bias?

University of Connecticut professor Jack Dovidio, who has researched racism for more than 30 years, estimates up to 80 percent of white Americans have racist feelings they may not even recognize.

"We've reached a point that racism is like a virus that has mutated into a new form that we don't recognize," Dovidio said.

He added that 21st-century racism is different from that of the past.

"Contemporary racism is not conscious, and it is not accompanied by dislike, so it gets expressed in indirect, subtle ways," he said.

That "stealth" discrimination reveals itself in many different situations.

A three-year undercover investigation by the National Fair Housing Alliance found that real estate agents steered whites away from integrated neighborhoods and steered blacks toward predominantly black neighborhoods.

"Racism here is quite subtle," e-mailed CNN.com reader Blair William, originally from Trinidad, who now lives in Lexington, South Carolina. "I think that the issue is twofold. I believe that white America's perception of blacks is still generally negative based on their limited interaction with blacks, whether this is via the media or in person. ...

"On the other hand, black Americans need to stop devaluing themselves and their people," he added. "Another race can only respect you if you respect yourself and currently, I find that blacks still devalue and disgrace each other and themselves."

Applicants' names may sway employers

Racism also can be a factor in getting a job. (Watch how poll respondents feel about race and the top job in the U.S. )

Candidates named Emily O'Brien or Neil McCarthy were much more likely to get calls back from potential employers than applicants named Tamika Williams and Jamal Jackson, even though they had the same credentials, according to a study by the University of Chicago.

Racial bias may even determine whether you can flag a cab.

New York Times writer Calvin Sims recently wrote about his experiences in the city.

"If a cab passes you by, obviously it is frustrating, it's degrading and it's just really confusing, because this is akin to being in the South and being refused service at a lunch counter, which is what happened in the '60s and '70s," he said.

'Differences ... make this world exciting'

The Opinion Research poll shows that blacks and whites disagree on how each race feels about the other.

Asked how many whites dislike blacks, 40 percent of black respondents said "all" or "many." Twenty-six percent of whites chose one of those replies.

On the question of how many blacks dislike whites, 33 percent of blacks said "all" or "many," while 38 percent of whites agreed -- not a significant difference statistically because of the poll's 5 percent margin of error.

About half of black respondents said they had been a victim of discrimination because of their race. A little more than a quarter of whites said they had been victims of racial discrimination.

"I am a firm believer that racism is rampant in the United States," wrote another CNN.com reader, Mark Boyle, of Muncie, Indiana.

"The concept of 'race' is flawed," he added. "Our differences as human beings are what make this world exciting and interesting. If we were all of the same culture, how boring would that be? The world needs to take a page from the atmosphere in Hawaii -- the most racially diverse place in which I have lived."

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http://thoughtmerchant.wordpress.com/2008/...st-than-whites/

http://plancksconstant.org/blog1/2007/05/b..._more_raci.html

[Rev.Reverence]

The two word, often misused, do hold two different definitions:

A Black man and a White man may be completey the same in every respect except for the fact that one is black and one is white, They can even have the exact same ethnicity, it is because of that reason that the word race must exist. The ignorant part comes when people apply stereotypes and prejudices to the races. The word and definition of that word have value, its the stereotypes and prejudices that do not.

But...is there no other way to tell these two men apart..?

Can we not use names..?

Ancestral tribal origin??

[odims_sphere]

But...is there no other way to tell these two men apart..?

Can we not use names..?

Ancestral tribal origin??

If that then is the case, why have physical descriptions for anything at all?

It's like saying all chairs are the same, which essentially they are. They're all designed to be sat on, and all, (for the most part), serve that purpose. So following your logic there should be no other physical defining factor for chair, other than, "chair"

Or, if it helps, different species of dogs can breed, just as different races of human can breed. Again following your logic there is no need to classify the different species of dog, as they are all "dog"

What you are trying to get at is the unjust and negative implications that ignorant people put on the word race. The reason and need for the original intent of the word is valid.

[phee]

If that then is the case, why have physical descriptions for anything at all?

It's like saying all chairs are the same, which essentially they are. They're all designed to be sat on, and all, (for the most part), serve that purpose. So following your logic there should be no other physical defining factor for chair, other than, "chair"

Or, if it helps, different species of dogs can breed, just as different races of human can breed. Again following your logic there is no need to classify the different species of dog, as they are all "dog"

What you are trying to get at is the unjust and negative implications that ignorant people put on the word race. The reason and need for the original intent of the word is valid.

Exactly... and if race were strictly a label that is outdated entirely, why are certain "races" lactose intolerent more often? Why are certain "races" more prone to heart attack? Those are not ignorant descriptions, but they are accurate with the term.... When a doctor says that "race A" is more prone to skin cancer then "Race B" that is not racism, and the term still works.

[Rev.Reverence]

A brief history of the word RACE:

"people of common descent," c.1500, from M.Fr. razza "race, breed, lineage," possibly from It. razza, of unknown origin (cf. Sp., Port. raza). Original senses in Eng. included "wines with characteristic flavor" (1520), "group of people with common occupation" (c.1500), and "generation" (c.1560). Meaning "tribe, nation, or people regarded as of common stock" is from c.1600. Modern meaning of "one of the great divisions of mankind based on physical peculiarities" is from 1774 (though even among anthropologists there never has been an accepted classification of these). Klein suggests these derive from Arabic ra's "head, beginning, origin" (cf. Heb. rosh). O.E. þeode meant both "race" and "language;" as a verb, geþeodan, it meant "to unite, to join." Racial is first attested 1862. Race-riot attested from 1890.

Definition: The American Anthropological Association’s statement on race states: “physical variations in the human species have no meaning except the social ones that humans put on them.”

social construct, a social mechanism, phenomenon, or category created and developed by society; a perception of an individual, group, or idea that is `constructed' through cultural or social practice – Webster’s Dictionary

Rev is right!

That's some hardcore etymology...ALWAYS bring me such gems of coolness...ok freind!

Hold on...I'm..still chewing.....

So the word itself is seeming to come up out of the late middle ages/early renaissance.....IRONIC.

BUT.....the ideal goes back to the stone age.....can I get a consorted agreeableness that (until quite recently) there were few to no people working toward integration...secularly or spiritually...physically & on a philosophical level I'll throw in the Olympics.....I can see some of the philosophers of the ancient world knew integration is the key to evolution...??

[Rev.Reverence]

Heard a news report where they said Blacks (in this country) are worse than whites now...

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http://thoughtmerchant.wordpress.com/2008/...st-than-whites/

http://plancksconstant.org/blog1/2007/05/b..._more_raci.html

I did not know that the #'s were quite that high on either side...hmm..disparaging...

[hunhee]

I've gotta agree with Odims and Phee on this one. You may think it's being "racist" to even THINK of the word, but words are there for purpose. You have to differentiate somehow, and that will always be one of the easier ways to do it.

I couldn't even tell you that I even identify with most of the people who share the same "race" as me. I am more often than not considered a "banana" (for those of you who don't know what this means, it means that I'm yellow on the outside and white on the inside, it's meant as a derogatory comment from Asians who have a shared ethnicity, to Asians who share more of a cultural similarity to white people), trust me, I do not take offense to this, I embrace it, because it makes me who I am, and that's quite simply, ME. I have almost no Asian friends, all my friends are pretty much of the white/black persuasion, this does not bother me.

I remember some medication on the market for women to help them with their gastrointestinal issues, it was on TV, and one of the conditions of which you shouldn't take the medication was if you were Asian. As if being Asian was a condition, but *shrugs*, it's serves as a way of easy warning to those who ARE Asian, that this medication is not right for you. It's easier than saying.. whatever it is you want to make up to make it all P.C.

I don't see race being an issue most times, I see it as an excuse..

[Rev.Reverence]

If that then is the case, why have physical descriptions for anything at all?

It's like saying all chairs are the same, which essentially they are. They're all designed to be sat on, and all, (for the most part), serve that purpose. So following your logic there should be no other physical defining factor for chair, other than, "chair"

Or, if it helps, different species of dogs can breed, just as different races of human can breed. Again following your logic there is no need to classify the different species of dog, as they are all "dog"

...maybe if more people used my logic...there would be less neighbors hating each other ...

..I call it breed often..instead of race...because the I see a dogs race as dog it's breed as dalmatian...

..My race is human...my breed is Roma.

Know my logic before supposing it...

I have no argument against the statement that people need words to define things...so; to speak of things and on things becomes possible...

My only argument is to change the words people have been using for appearntly about 600 years that seriously are getting old & dusty in light of scientific discovery.

What you are trying to get at is the unjust and negative implications that ignorant people put on the word race. The reason and need for the original intent of the word is valid.

No...the ignorant people will seriously fuck up ANY words that they use...I'm talking about the{ scientific / government / religious / spiritual / media }bitting their tungs...and putting the words down right..and the intellectual elite actually being the intellectual elite instead of sitting around and talking about how warm or not it is...maybe lead the masses to some sort of enlightened state instead of trying to trick us that we are free{ie. 'stinky-peace-nik-shit-beat-poetry" you would say "hippy-shit"}...but in actuality we are all slaves..to corporation or another...

[JaneDead]

I couldn't even tell you that I even identify with most of the people who share the same "race" as me. I am more often than not considered a "banana" (for those of you who don't know what this means, it means that I'm yellow on the outside and white on the inside, it's meant as a derogatory comment from Asians who have a shared ethnicity, to Asians who share more of a cultural similarity to white people), trust me, I do not take offense to this, I embrace it, because it makes me who I am, and that's quite simply, ME. I have almost no Asian friends, all my friends are pretty much of the white/black persuasion, this does not bother me.

banana- i've never heard this term before. learn something new every day!

i've heard mexicans called "tacos". which i hate.

where's MY food name?

all i am is a mcdago. but, i kind of like that one.

not that i'm just a "mc" and a "dago" but it is what i mostly am... as far as i know.

i do THINK i MIGHT be part english? i have no idea.... if i am, i guess i could be a mc english spaghetti muffin.

oh wait i think it might be that i am french.

sorry, off topic... i have nothing to add to this actual topic/conversation... carry on...

[odims_sphere]

My only argument is to change the words people have been using for appearntly about 600 years that seriously are getting old & dusty in light of scientific discovery.

Happy, that word is pretty old too, lets change that one too! Hey while we're at it isn't "the" a pretty old word? lets change it too! Hey Changing words just because they are old is fun!

Ok, so what can "the" be? hrm... How 'bout "fleorg"

From now on "the" is no longer used, it's to old, fleorg has taken it's place, please update your spell checkers.

eg.. OMFG! This is seriously fleorg best idea ever!

or

Fleorg cat ran right in to fleorg door!

[Rev.Reverence]

mc english spaghetti muffin.

sorry, off topic...

..well worth it...

[Rev.Reverence]

Happy, that word is pretty old too, lets change that one too! Hey while we're at it isn't "the" a pretty old word? lets change it too! Hey Changing words just because they are old is fun!

Ok, so what can "the" be? hrm... How 'bout "fleorg"

From now on "the" is no longer used, it's to old, fleorg has taken it's place, please update your spell checkers.

eg.. OMFG! This is seriously fleorg best idea ever!

or

Fleorg cat ran right in to fleorg door!

I don't honestly see where 'the' or 'happy' caused a city to burn.

I don't think I'm being absurd here.