It's obvious that you have access to the internet, look it up!

No I dont have access to the internet :D
can you tell me please??
I was always wondering
but I always forget to ask my teacher

ummmmmmmmmmm honey you are on the internet now!!!!

The term race refers to the concept of dividing people into populations or groups on the basis of various sets of characteristics and beliefs about common ancestry.[1] The most widely used human racial categories are based on visible traits (especially skin color, facial features and hair texture), and self-identification.[2]

Conceptions of race, as well as specific ways of grouping races, vary by culture and over time, and are often controversial for scientific as well as social and political reasons. The controversy ultimately revolves around whether or not races are natural types or socially constructed, and the degree to which observed differences in ability and achievement, categorized on the basis of race, are a product of inherited (i.e. genetic) traits or environmental, social and cultural factors.

Some argue that although "race" is a valid taxonomic concept in other species, it cannot be applied to humans.[3] Many scientists have argued that race definitions are imprecise, arbitrary, derived from custom, have many exceptions, have many gradations, and that the numbers of races delineated vary according to the culture making the racial distinctions; thus they reject the notion that any definition of race pertaining to humans can have taxonomic rigour and validity.[4] Today most scientists study human genotypic and phenotypic variation using concepts such as "population" and "clinal gradation". Many anthropologists contend that while the features on which racial categorizations are made may be based on genetic factors, the idea of race itself, and actual divisions of persons into groups based on selected hereditary features, are social constructs


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Race


Race is antiquated idea we cling to inorder to define ourselves and others. I think one day we will not use it any more.

it is the biggest and stupidest excuse that powerful and greedy human beings have used throught out history to gain more power.

Next to religion!

And a false arrogance that leads to self made assumptions of moral perfection!!!

Race is a genetic, not a social construct. Race is just a way of subdividing humans by physical characteristics, as breeds are a way of subdividing dogs by physical characteristics. Members of the black race are more susceptible to sickle cell disease than members of the white or oriental races. Forensic scientists can tell the race of a murder victim simply by looking at the skeletal structure; even if the body is destroyed. That’s science, not bigotry. It’s sick how our society would rather turn a blind eye to the facts of how things really are, than be labeled a certain way.

Ethnicity, on the other hand, has more to do with culture. Take for example the Protestants and Catholics in Northern Ireland. They are members of the same race and live in the same country, but two separate ethnicities.

I would stop and insert a disclaimer about how I’m not a racist, but that sort of kowtows to the idea that it’s somehow wrong or immoral to even mention that certain biological differences among human beings exist, so I’ll skip on that.

carolina, that is true, there are definitely biological differences between races. and i do see the distinction you're making. i think society is primarily afraid because in the past those arguments have been taken to a much more extreme degree.

To me, this part is key:

"race definitions are imprecise, arbitrary... have many exceptions, have many gradations,"

Inconvient ideas for people who place a lot of importance on race.

OTOH, the fact is, your DNA is probably more similar to your parents than to a random person. Race is a recognition that this similarity extends, partly, to much larger groups who have traditionally intrabred - whether for cultural reasons, or lack of mobility/access, or other.

It seems to me that if one pretends the delineation of race is precise & not arbitrary & does not have gradations, etc, then you have to choose between different false views - either embracing an overstatement of the importance of race, or rejecting that overstatement -along with- the reality of sub-groups having genetic similarities.

Since the first error is obviously tied to evil acts we are all familiar with, the tendency is to make the second error.

Either way, with modern transportation, trade, the net, I think most of the world is on its way to becoming genetically 'one race'. Isolated groups (like the amish) may not partake in this for the indefinite future, I'm talking about the majority. I expect my hypothetical great-grandkids to have genes from 3 or 4 continents.

Lonely Walker, what you said

"it is the biggest and stupidest excuse that powerful and greedy human beings have used throught out history to gain more power."

Kinda says it all to me.

what is race? erm... the only race i really recognise is the human race! colour, religion, creed, culture, etc are just variations of the original. there to mix things up and add a bit of diversity.
i don't define anyone by their beliefs or what they look like. judge each person on their own merit IMO!

why is everyone telling her to look it up?can people not ask questions on here anymore?are people not allowed to ask for other peoples opinions on here anymore?geez....

and politics...lol

Yes JT, but don't you think her Q is one simple one that all she need to do is type it in a search engine and up it pops up different links to look up?

If she can create a post like this, she can do the same looking up the definition to her word. Now if she is a student,there's a dictionary she can go look it up. Different if she asks for our interpretation to the word, fair enough. Some people are just too lazy to look it up.

yes but i think it is more of a "what is your idea of what race is?"question.different people have different meanings of what race is and i think that's what she was asking

Beautiful Smile has it right.

There is no sound biological genetic basis for race. It’s an entirely social construct. While it’s true that humans who have lived in various parts of the world have interbred to the point of changing their appearance relative to people from other areas, these differences are neither significant enough, nor genetically consistent enough, to be used as a dependable biological taxonomic classification..

Racists will argue otherwise of course.

But most highly respected biologists will confirm that race is not a valid scientific classification.

That’ll be $5 Manami

OMG.. what ARE you all thinking???

RACE: a contest of speed, as in running, driving or sailing!!
RACE: a ginger root!

well THAT's what WEBSTER says




seriously though..
I agree with lilwriter.. HUMAN RACE.. encompassing ALL of humanity!! no barriers.. no segregation!! we are ALL connected in ONE form or another!

Abra,

As Caolina pointed out, it is not only appearances which have been effected.

You are arguing, rightly, against a -particular- concept of race. The same one I was arguing against. It is not the only use of the word.

Just like you are more or less at risk to a heart attack depending on your family tree, membership in the not-precisely-delineated "very large families" also says something about your risk of various genetic afflictions.

One thing I find hilarious about this conversation is that the taxonomic classifications are often equally inadequate in nonhuman animals, but since it does not touch on justice issues, people are more accepting of laziness of thought re: animals. But this is good: we should not tolerate laziness of thought when it comes to justice in the human sphere.

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Caolina,

your first sentence is only true for some people. There are many uses of the word, and for too many it IS a social construct. We can attack it as irrational and immoral, but we can't deny that this is how some use (or abuse) the term.

Agreed.