Is race a socially constructed concept? I was asked this in
English class this week and before I could answer it, I had to decide what I
considered race to be.
Particularly, I thought about how the concept of race
originated, and I was reminded of a time when I was babysitting.
My Caucasian 2 year old cousin once went to the park and saw an African
American 2 year old girl. He stared
at her, in awe of her dark skin. He didn’t
mean to be rude, he just
didn’t have the words to articulate what he was seeing. But he knew that they
were different. Not that he was better
than her or she deserved special treatment, just that they were different. So, they continued to play alongside each other.
I imagine this exchange would perfectly model how cavemen acted
when they first encountered cavemen who looked different. They probably saw a difference, and didn’t
have words to label it, so they all hunted together, fought together, and died
together.
So the differences have always been there. Different skin, hair, eyes, heights; there’s
no denying that we are different. It’s
our biology.
However, there came a point in history when some “good guys with
big guns” went “looking for a reason” (Atlantic Journal http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2013/05/what-we-mean-when-we-say-race-is-a-social-construct/275872/).
These guys gave differences a meaning. They picked which difference should define a person, (not height or weight, but skin color) and used that as their reason to be greedy and cruel, to take everything and anything they wanted from someone else.
So basically, race, how
we view ourselves in contrast to others, is an idea predisposed by society that
is simply passed down from generation to generation. But at the end of the day, race isn’t real.
When Ms.Valentino asked us, "how many races are there?", we eagerly
responded with answers like "100!" and "too many to count!"
But then she said, "trick question, there is only one race: the human
race."
We all felt stupid for failing to grasp that universal truth. Instead, we were seeing the obvious differences between
people who live in Sweeden and people who live in India. We were counting the many divisions that have
been drawn to separate us by our differences.
We were only regurgitating what our parents and our presidents and
anyone who uses the words “black” and “Asian” and “white” to classify any human
being have engrained into our minds.
Because race isn’t real.
It only exists through the eyes of the beholder. Someone considered dark-skinned in Michigan
may be considered light-skinned in South Africa. And an Italian in America may be an American
in Italy. Our race is defined by those
around us.
Just like in Maus, the Germans saw the prisoner as a Jew, even
though he claimed he was a German. The Nazis
enslaved several Germans and Poles alongside Jews because in their minds, the definition of “Jew” was expanded
to contain anyone who resisted their rule.
Race is only words created by society to divide us.
I love how you tied our discussion in class to your blog! Like I said in class, I particularly like the quote on "good guys with big guns". It's interesting that you note how an Italian in America can be considered an American in Italy and how that is related to race as a socially constructed concept.
ReplyDeleteGreat post!
Wow I could see you making so many connections in your post. My favorite part was when you told about your personal story, which added so much persuasiveness to your argument. If race was created by the society to divide us, why did we feel the need for classification of people? It happened simultaneously in all parts of the world, so it wasn't necessarily to claim that one is superior to another.
ReplyDeleteI love how you included your own story about being at the park with your little cousin. It really brought me to the thought that racism is something that must be taught. My little cousin is adopted from Ethiopia and she attends a school of mostly white children. Her mom has often mentioned moving to troy to avoid any discrimination. My little cousin's best friend was told by her mother that she was no longer allowed to have play dates with her since she was black. This is the problem with our growing society. This is what the children are being taught.
ReplyDeleteI really like the quote that you used about the "good guys with big guns", I remember talking about that in class with you! Also, I really enjoyed how you incorporated a story about you and your cousin. It makes the whole blog much more personal. It also shows how racial differences are only taught throughout time and not cultivated from your own knowledge. Great blog!
ReplyDeleteWell thought-out analysis! I particularly liked all the connections within your post- connections to our class discussion, connections to your anecdote, connections to Maus. However, I do disagree when you say race isn't real. I believe that race can be strictly defined in biological terms. Our genetics help determine physical characteristics. I'm not saying that the stereotypes and stigmas based on race which have allowed for discrimination aren't real, because they definitely are. After all, they have led to many mass genocides.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this! I was a big fan of how you used your own experience to justify your point. Even after that you used that and connected it with other things we talked about in class which was really nice.
ReplyDeleteWonderful post, Madeline!! The anecdote you used here fits perfectly with what you were saying and I really like the ideas you presented, especially the line, "Because race isn’t real. It only exists through the eyes of the beholder". Overall, I really enjoyed reading it (I also liked how you connected the "fluidity" of race to your blog theme, how clever!)
ReplyDelete