The term “race” is a real problem. The term has no real definition other than the implication that some group of folks have inherited properties that make them very different from other groups. Let me compare “race” to two other related terms .. “species” and “breed. ” Is anyone stupid enough to suggest that we are not all one species or to want to cmre the “races” to breeds of dogs?
The KKK and the Nation of Islam use “Black” and “White” to say that somehow “Black” people are genetically different from “White” people.
Racist groups take pride in these terms, frosting their cakes with all sorts of goodies as in “Black” people are stronger or “Yellow” people are smarter. Of course the good frosting always goes on the cake being eaten by one’s own race .. the other races is stupider, nastier or less favored by God. “Color” is not the only definition of “race.” The Europeans .. calling themselves “White,” looked down on the Jewish, Slavic and Gypsy “races.” Hitler took this to its ultimate conclusion .. expressing his pride in the “Aryan” race. Hitler went so far as to start breeding pure Aryans … something he probably could have done since we, humans, have doe a great job of breeding all srt of dog races.
The racists argue either that God created the human “races” or that the “races” evolved to take advantage of the environment some of us lived in. These arguments imply some huge, heritable distinction between races. Whether the cause of races is God or Darwin, the racist ascribes a whole lot of special properties to the Jews, the Blacks, the Japanese, etc.
Even medical research joins this effort. for example, studies of disease treat “Hispanics” as a race. I suspect that medical studies would find many “racial” differences between Republicans and Buddhists as they do between Whites and Hispanics.
Racism is not only the province of bigots and religious fanatics. Darwinian racists claim that races evolved to take advantage of different environments. This is essentially a scientific version of the view that God created the races by differentiating between the sons of Noah. The Darwinian racist, for example, claims that Black people have evolved to be stronger, taller, and retaining salt .. all properties that adapted them to Africa.
Ancient human DNA from Europeans, ling before the ages of exploration, can be found deep in “darkest Africa.” The idea that “Blacks” and “Whites” are distinct genetic groups ignores the fact that humans are a very young species and any local variation .. e.g skin color ..says little about other properties that vary immensely amongst us .. whether you group us a Republicans and Democrats or Jews and Bantus. Moreover modern genetics shows that we humans are very good at migrating worund and spreading our sperm as we go!
Part of the problem with Darwinian racism is that its politically correct adherents do not understand that not all evolution is adaptive. For example, if a small number of people are isolated from others (e.g. by migration acreoss a desert or being enslaved and transported across an ocean) their children will inherit properties specific to the group .. eg a birth mark, eye color , etc, This happens even if the adaptation has no adaptive value.
Even with slavery, too few generations have passed ot create a new kind of human. The term scientists use for a truly new kind of human would be “species.” “Species” is defined as a group of animals different enough from another so as to be unable (or nearly unable) to breed. Humans and macacques are different species of primate. Salmon and halibut are different species of fish. Sometimes the defintion gets fuzzy .. … dogs and wolves can breed but are different enough (and breed infrequently enough) that we all them species.
Anyone who thinks Africans and Euroes are different species needs to tell that to Strom Thurmond.
“Breed” might be a better term than race. “Breed” is defined as a group of members of a species that have been selected BY HUMANS to be distinct from other members of the species. Most dog breeds can still breed with each other. However, as a result of HUMAN selection, dog breeds are evolving and some breeds are now speciated.
I do not think even Strom would want to define “race” as another owrd for breed.