Muslims Aren't A Race, So I Can't Be Racist, Right? Wrong.
If Muslims are not a race, than which group is? Some people might immediately point to Black people, and say, "that is definitely a race. Look at their skin color." But, to be exact, Black people are not a race either. Neither, for that matter, are White people.
Okay, now you might wonder about Jewish people? Certainly they are a race, right? Science proves they -- like White and Blacks -- are not a race either.
And what about Asians? Are they a race?
Nope. Asians are not a race.
The Indigenous People of America, a race?
Nope, not a race.
You see, there is no such thing as race or races, traditionally understood. Scientists long ago proved that race is not a biological reality but a myth, a socially constructed concept. Yet, despite the data, human beings have been programmed to associate specific things to certain "racial groups"; things like intelligence, work ethic, family values, and behavior. As such, we have been brainwashed to think that some groups are inherently better than others, and that the White race -- to be frank -- is better than all.
Race -- as one of my favorite sociologists, the late (and great) Stuart Hall put it - is a "floating signifier," meaning that it is a fluid concept which has specific connotations during certain moments in history. Races, in short, have never been exclusively biologically determined but rather politically constructed by powerful people, usually dominant groups in societies.
If Muslims are not a race, than which group is? Some people might immediately point to Black people, and say, "that is definitely a race. Look at their skin color." But, to be exact, Black people are not a race either. Neither, for that matter, are White people.
Okay, now you might wonder about Jewish people? Certainly they are a race, right? Science proves they -- like White and Blacks -- are not a race either.
And what about Asians? Are they a race?
Nope. Asians are not a race.
The Indigenous People of America, a race?
Nope, not a race.
You see, there is no such thing as race or races, traditionally understood. Scientists long ago proved that race is not a biological reality but a myth, a socially constructed concept. Yet, despite the data, human beings have been programmed to associate specific things to certain "racial groups"; things like intelligence, work ethic, family values, and behavior. As such, we have been brainwashed to think that some groups are inherently better than others, and that the White race -- to be frank -- is better than all.
Race -- as one of my favorite sociologists, the late (and great) Stuart Hall put it - is a "floating signifier," meaning that it is a fluid concept which has specific connotations during certain moments in history. Races, in short, have never been exclusively biologically determined but rather politically constructed by powerful people, usually dominant groups in societies.
