Theories on Race: The Idea of Racial Classification

I had a great discussion in my English class today. We're talking about identity because we have to write a paper about it, so race is a big part of that. Today we were discussing how race really isn't a good way to classify people because it bases its differences on minor physical traits like skin color, hair texture, and facial features. These things aren't major characteristics that classify people as being more or less human, they're more of an over-time development (people in Africa would procreate with other people in africa so their traits mixed and got passed down). In theory a 'black' person with straight hair could have had children with a 'black' person with coiled hair and the coiled hair trait got passed down. Not because its a determining/ difference-making physical characteristic, but an evolutionary one.

Anyway, I digress; People were saying that categorizing is inherently bad and it only excludes people, but categories are necessary for human interaction (this is in direct relation to schemas if you've ever taken a psych class). The world is too big for us to understand it in its small parts so we put things together and understand them as groups. So I came up with the theory that the categories aren't the problem, its the definitions of the category. If you define your categories using stereotypes and assumptions, your view of the group becomes very limited. If you define your categories with facts then you can add all of the individual characteristics of a person in order to define them by their terms, and understand them better.

Now that brings up the question of what are the facts that should be used to define your categories? What facts are there about race? Because race isn't a biological thing, there are very little facts. So I'll break it down..

*I'm focusing on black and white only because they're where i have my general knowledge (the facts of any other races can be determined on your own by my list)

The Facts About the Black Race:                    Facts About the White Race:
   more melanin in their skin                                          less melanin
    of African roots                                                     of European roots

These are facts. Everything else you think you know, or you think is a fact about black or white people is a result of culture, evolution, assumptions, or stereotype.The assumption that all white people have straight hair, that all black people have coiled hair is a result of evolution. The assumption that white people are wealthy and black people are poor is based on inaccurate representations of blacks and whites in media, and disproportionate interactions between the groups.

So this is where we are. If you see white people as just another human, with less melanin and European roots you set the ground for a good basis to learn and be completely open. This way your categories give you a very broad outline; you can still classify someone as white or black therefore satisfying your need to categorize, but your definitions for the category are not so limited that you impose traits on people who may not have those traits (the basis of stereotyping).

This would be a totally new approach to race relations, begining with an open mind. But I actually think its closer to us than we think. With the rate of biracial people booming and the need for more classifications (in order to appease our natural need to classify) we have the chance to change the way we think about all races.



Another thing my professor was saying was how sometimes the things that should be for benefit are the most detrimental to a group of people, and its made that way so the group in power keeps their power. She told us she was a spanish translator in a hospital, and how for immigrants knowing there are translators helps them out, but it sort of gives them a crutch. And it not the translators per se, but the fact that that's the only option. They have translators but no schools so the immigrants can learn english. So this thing that seems so great 'the people can communicate w/ doctors and vice versa' is actually the people in power giving the immigrants just enough so that they keep needing them. Like we can understand you, but when you need something else you'll have to come back and need me some more.

In some situations this is a greed thing. Like I read about a man who built hospitals in Kenya (? I think) and the people giving him money were like 'cool build the hospital, and we'll fill it with American doctors'. Dude building the hospital was like 'no, the Keynan's can do it'. Because if there were American doctors that money paid would be coming to America rather than the Kenyan economy.

And I'm like true shit. If the 'powers that be' in a country keep the masses at bay through helping them, but string them along just enough to keep them forever coming back for more, the masses are doomed.

Sound familiar? It should because the first thing I thought of was Welfare. But I never saw welfare in that light before. I never really had an opinion about welfare, and I don't wanna be all gung hoe for this without research but at face value its truth.

But the thing is no one would be willing to attack welfare because its face value is so good. And 'the powers that be' probably eat that shit up. They can continue using black/ poor/dependant people for parts in their machine, while seeming like they're doing such good by 'upping money for welfare'.

I will definitely have to research that more, but now every time I hear someone talk about upping welfare I will think twice.