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Dr. Dorothy Height motivates with a story from her experience during the Civil Rights Movement.

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THE QUESTION
Why use the term race?
The term race is ubiquitous. If there is a black race and a white race, then black people are different and being different is one of the roots of prejudice now called racism. As long as we keep using the terms race, racial, racist, and racism I see little hope. The fact is race is a myth (J. Graves). In 1940 (or possibly earlier) my father Lancelot Hogben wrote, "Thus human beings of whatever nationality, "race," or creed are representaives of the species Homo sapiens, of the family Hominidae, of the genus Homo. Spencer Wells has very accurately said that, "the term race is socially divisive and scientifically wrong." How the hell can we progress when virtually evrybody is using a term that is socially divisive and incidentally scientificall wrong. Recentally race has become a social construct with no validity. We must stop using the term race. If we mean color of skin, then say color of skin. If we mean nationality say nationalisty and don't be ridiculous, as Dr. Phil was, and refer to the Mexican race. If we mean prejudice/discrimination, then say prejudice/discrimination and not racism.

Dr. Cosby you used the term race on Meet The Press yesterday. You have a doctorate in education. I pray you start an education movement to eliminate the term race, recognize that we are all of one race and all of us had ancestors 20K years or so who came from Africa regardless of whether we are "white" or "black." As Dr. Graves has pointed out, color of skin is nothing more than a genetic sunburn.

David Hogben, Ph.D.

Asked by drdavidh 1 year, 1 month ago
Community: General
Topic: Race

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TheTick says:
Race does exist. To claim it does not is delusional.

Wolves, dogs, coyotes, foxes - they are all the same species, they can all breed fully with one another, should we stop categorizing them as different types? Pit Bulls, Great Danes, German Shepard's, they are all breeds of dogs. Should we call them all one breed?

If you want to eliminate race then you need to force everyone of every race to marry and make children with other races constantly to blend the genetics so much that there will be no geographic differences in groups of people; - that is not going to happen. Would you rather use the term 'breed', as in dog breeds or cat breeds?

Racism is a very bad thing and it needs to be eliminated by teaching people that all human beings are to be treated equal, not lying by saying that all people are the same; just that they need to be treated the same. I am sorry, but when I look at my friends I can tell them apart because they are different. I am not always asking them who is who because they are all the same and I cannot tell them apart. Some are black, some are white, some are Chinese, some are Kenyan - most are American, being in America... Some are short, some are tall, some are male, some are female... Politically Correct mind sets have little to do with reality and are hindering progress more than they help.

Your mind set would simply eliminate the term 'race' in News broadcasts, but otherwise would have no impact on improving race relations.

Answered 1 year, 1 month ago
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