Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Eracing (sic) Knowledge

Let us begin with the assumption that we respect and value one another despite (and indeed because of) our differences.  What if one or more of those differences disappeared?  And what if that disappearance was the result of a conceptual change rather than a change in those that we see as different?  Before you return, refreshed and reinvigorated by break, please read this article and post a comment reflecting on the ideas therein and on your own responses.  Does this information change the way you view race?  What is the relationship between genetic makeup and views on race?  Between facts and their implications and our assessment of objectivity (our own and others')?
Please complete your first post by the morning of Monday 26 March.  By 8am on the following Monday (2 April, our next class day), please respond to one another's comments and compose a Knowledge Question that applies to the article.  Thanks and have a wonderful March.  Oh, and if you find yourself running low on awesome spend a little time here.

32 comments:

  1. After reading the article, my view on race has not really changed so much. Race is a differentiation mechanism that will never go away, and I believe this article emphasized that. While the article beat the myth of a biological racial barrier, it certainly did prove the powerful impact race has on the world.

    I must say that racial profiling/labeling restricts us in many ways. Not only racism itself, but the medical field also (as the article pointed out). When a cure, sickness, or illness is restricted to a race, the limitless path for that medicine is canceled. My favorite part was when the article explained the problem with racialized medicine: " with racialized medicine is that it tends to overlook the evidence that discrimination, poverty, stress and restricted access to education and health care underlie the health disparities between ethnic groups in the United States".

    Views on race have a direct relation to genetic make up, specifically the presence of melanin in a human. Race is sometimes isolated to the color of the skin. Black (African American),white (European Descent),and yellow (Asian) are a few examples of this. A color used to be just a color, but it is now and always will be a race identifier.

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  2. I agree with NahFeeSah2's post above me. I also believe that no matter one, race will always be an issue that is inevitable no matter how much people will try to change it. This article does show how race affects each of our everyday lives, and in almost everything we do- people will always have different views on race, as much of it stems from the different ways we have been raised.
    While I already knew that races tended to have some genetic differences, the statistics showed even more how races are different simply based on common blood types and diseases that occur more in certain races. This leads to one of the main things this article addresses: racialized medicine, which the post above me explains a bit. This shows that race now has a lot more to do with science, like in a science experiment where there are a multiplicity of dependent variables.
    Race does have a direct relation to genetic makeup because people are constantly described by the color of their skin, and their ethnicity. Many of times when filling out a form, one must check the box indicating their race, which to me seems unnecessary in certain cases, like applying for a job. As I earlier mentioned, some diseases occur more in certain races,which is a clear relation to genetic makeup.
    Race is something that is apparent in each and every person's life, and I believe it will constantly be something used by people to define not only themselves, but also others.

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  3. Race has always been a complex concept to me. Since the young age, I considered people having different races as just the simple way of how "it has always been and it will always be". But what grasped my attention, and what this article really made me realize is that: yes, there are different races today, but all came from the same origin which is Homo Sapiens. So when younger, I used to think people have always been white or black, but this racial changement was caused due to migration of species; so the one thing that thing article made me keep in mind is that all the human races came from one decent; Homo Sapiens. So like the article argued that race really has no evolutionary or biological meaning, i would most certainly agree. Because, i also believe that no human race has been isolated for enough time to avoid-cross breeding with any other race. So this leaves us to all ultimately be connected to one another. So, my question to my fellow peers is: Do you also believe that race is a myth? Why or why not?

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  4. I as well as many others in this world have always said that despite our racial, ethnic, or cultural differences, we are still the same. Whether one is from Asia, Africa, or Europe, we are all human beings. That being said, after reading this article I am amazed at the scientific evidence that supports this belief. Like the three girls have previously said, race has been used as a 'man-made' instrument. Someone a long time ago must have sat down and said, "alright, you all have dark skin, so you are one group and you guys have light skin, so you're in another group," and so on. Race has become such a factor in our culture, that even certain modern medicines are being issued to specific races, with the belief that it will help supposed race related ethnic health problems. But this article explained it all in a nut shell, that just because there are similarities in a specific group, it does not mean that everyone in the group has everything in common when it comes to biology. An interesting point was made in the article in which the author wrote, ' Race is little more than skin deep in biological terms, and individuals are frequently more genetically similar to members of other so-called races than they are to their own said race.' So this article strengthens my belief that we are all human beings and not groups of different races. Genetically, race is not in fact the way society has said it to be. Similarities of skin color or background should not be labeled in distinct groups. As mentioned in the quote, we are all genetically related in some way or another. For indeed millions of years ago we, the Homo Sapiens, rose from the continent of Africa and set out into the world. No matter how our society today defines who we are and where we belong, in the end we can all be labeled as one species.


    Knowledge Question: Does the idea that race is non-existant and is in fact an instrument constructed by man overtime, change the way you view yourself (your own culture or ethnicity)?

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  5. I do not think that the information I have gathered from this reading as necessarily changed my views on race. The article definitely was informative and I learned something new about race and I find it almost reassuring that it is more than just exterior impressions- language, skin color, etc as I had originally thought. I still view race as being something that can bring people together or unnecessarily divide them.
    Specifically in medicine, there is a strong relationship between genetic in makeup and views on race. In the rest of society, the relationship is not as prominent. Because researchers have found links between one’s race and their racial makeup, medicine has been changed and generalizations can be made. I’m guessing that a smaller percentage of the population is aware of genetic makeup and for that reason I believe it is less prominent.
    There is a very strong connection between facts and their implications and our assessment of objectivity. Not all things are fair, but someone somewhere decided it was and that it must be so. For example, from the article, suspects have their DNA kept on file regardless of their innocence. That may not see to fair but it can be rationalized- It may take a lot of time to process the material and therefore, would be easier to keep it- just in case but if the person is innocent and would never commit a crime there would never be a “case”. So the fact that the information is kept implies that everyone who has his or her genetic material taken could commit a crime in the future. That is not fair- it is not giving the person the benefit of the doubt and is false labeling them.

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  6. I for one never went too deep into the world of race and the influence science has on it. But as I read this article, I found myself asking questions that both contradicted and agreed to the article. Both traditional thoughts on race and the new idea that race might be myth really got me to answer the question what really is race? Can the constructs of one’s socioculture be a factor to indicate one’s race? The article gave an example of medication created for mainly African-American with high blood pressure but the medication were not 100% affective on that group of people and also worked on other races. The article also added that “high blood pressure may be as much a social disease as a biological one.” From this data, I concluded that more African-American than other groups are diagnose with high blood pressure in America. My question is why the African-American group? And many races have been, in history put into certain groups due specific traits that a majority of the race seems to comply to. This article, to my opinion suggests that everyone in a specific race must have the same genetics make up. No one is exactly the same and science is not 100% correct, as the article seems to agree to. Race will forever be a source for differentiation as Nafisatou said. It is not a coincidence that the majority of African-Americans have high blood pressure. I’m not suggesting that all races are created differently, just that there seems to be a connections between genes and race and the connections the article stated is not something I agree with.

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  7. This article does not change the way I see race, because race for me is not the thing to determine one’s personality and manner, and genetic has even lesser effect on one’s personalities due to the great influence that every individuals get from their background. When talking about race, culture is the thing that is actually been discussed, rather than the physical appearance, and the culture that every individuals have will change once they have different background, but the genetic and physical appearance still remain the same. To conclude, race (and racist) for me, is the personal bias on one’s culture, but to consider one’s personality, it is the background that one has effect the most.

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  8. After reading the article, my view on race was not changed necessarily, however there was information presented in the text that either helped me reassure what I think I know about race, or there were ideas that I already agree with that I could not articulate. There were a few new concepts about race but they did not change my views I would say. The relationship between genetic makeup and views on race, is that many people try to determine our genetic makeup by the exterior of our skin, when really what is on the interior determines the true genetic makeup and more accurate. Not everyone’s race can be determined by the exterior, so that makes a huge connection to the scientific view on race, rather than the social views on race. I feel like more people view race in a social manner, such as using colors as labels (like Nafisatou said), rather than the scientific views which seem to be almost forgotten about.

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  9. LolaTOK says: This article showed me new ideas a perspectives of how other people view race, in ways I wouldn’t have thought of. It brought up the connection between race and socio-culture and said that “human races are sociocultural constructs”, which is something I agree with. I wouldn’t say this idea is something I agree with to the point where no other idea matters, but it’s an idea that I always had. While reading, I also saw something that I agreed a lot with. The quotes is “But race is little more than skin deep in biological terms, and individuals are frequently more genetically similar to members of other so-called races than they are to their own said race.” This is another concept that I had before reading the article. I always thought that some people looked very much alike with another person who is of a different race.

    The information provide within the article didn’t change my view of race, but it did give me new concepts to think about. In the world, I know of some stereotypes of how people of different races and ethnicities should look and be genetically.

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  10. SaskiaTOK writes: Before I respond to the article, I would like to look at Mary’s question, as it is enticing and interesting. The idea that race is non-existent is something that I never thought about prior to reading this article and the comments that my peers made. I strongly believe that over time race has morphed into something much more than just appearance. It has become combination of appearance, ethnicity, religion, and much more. And that combination has grown to be a large part of me. It is as if each of those things are pieces of a puzzle that I am made of. I believe that it would be very difficult for me to view myself in any other way. My brain has been trained to think in a very structured manner. I know my roots, religion, where I am from, and all of that is supposed to give me meaning. But that brings me to the question: Are origins (including ethnicity, religion, race etc.) basis for meaning in life, and does that then limit one’s ability to form meaning? For example: with origins such as mine (with a Lebanese/Muslim background) I have found it very hard to be seen as someone that does not prove as a threat. Be it in an airport, or even in every-day conversations. Just because of my race- people assume I am involved in some pretty horrible things. Racial profiling and all the consequences that come with it are far beyond my control, but I still find it dumfounding that in a world such as today people still judge others based on appearance, skin color, and even last names.
    This article was very interesting because it discussed some of the thoughts I mentioned above. It discussed the every day issues faced by people just because of racial profiling. One of the things I found most interesting was “racialized medicine” (as mentioned by Nafisatou). The fact that race is scientific is something I never considered. It is a new-found concept that race can be seen as something involving genetics and science rather than appearance. To me, race was always something that one spotted by sight, but this article has demonstrated that it is something far deeper than that. It has proven that race is in our blood, meaning that the acceptance of race will always be something that the human race will have to battle with.
    Although the article did not necessarily change the way I viewed race, it slightly changed the way I looked at the human race as a whole. I decided to take a look at the world. Differentiation is not only seen in the people of the world, but in countries themselves. The world is separated. Wars based on race or religion are fought every day. Instead of cherishing differences, we highlight them and then fight about them. Humans do not present a united front, and that causes everyone to notice the differences. In some cases, those differences are accepted and encouraged, but major issues such as racial profiling are not disappearing. This article forced me to look at the fact that we are not moving forward as a human race, and that that has caused a people to view each other in a superficial manner.
    Ultimately, I believe that a person is a person. Race, origin, ethnicity, religion and everything of the sort will not make you superior in any way, shape, or form. People are equal, and whether we choose to accept that or not- it will always be a fact that cannot be denied.

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  11. Anna writes: I, like Ami, and much to my own surprise, discovered upon reading the article that these are things I'd never spent too much time thinking about; I had no pre-formed ideas about genetic vs. racial differences and everything else because I hadn't posed myself these questions before. This article has changed my views of race in that it asked and answered these questions (causing me to ask them of myself), but it didn't change my views because I agreed with its answers. In short, it affirmed ideas I hadn't thought to have.
    I accept the proof presented to me which suggests race is no more than a sociocultural construct; however, I also agree with my classmates that though it therefore has no 'biological foundation,' it will still remain a source of perceived difference. I hesitate to say 'always' or 'forever,' especially taking into account increased interbreeding, and seeing as race is becoming more and more a matter of self-identification, bordering perhaps even on choice. Today, however, objectivity and freedom from prejudice are hard to come by: all of us are prejudiced. If we are to rid ourselves of the socioculturally constructed concept of race in the future, we must begin where these prejudices begin. Ironically, when I was a child, MLK Day was the first time I heard of the distinctions 'black' and 'white'. (I was shocked.) To me, there were light brown kids and darker brown kids and pink kids, like me, in my class. Without being told there had to be a distinction, I didn't make one. This, along with learning there is no biological foundation for the concept either, solidifies for me the constructedness of it all. Like Mary, I'm relieved to have proof that humans are more similar than racial boundaries would cause us to think, and, at the same time, that the differences we do find occur even more within a certain race than between races.

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  12. I agree with most of the class in saying that the reading has not really changed my views on race. Although, the information provided strengthened my view on race, and I found many of the things mentioned to be very interesting. I will now post the following Knowledge Question in response to the reading (posted it last week and didn't realize it was really meant for this week):

    Does the idea that race is non-existant and is in fact an instrument constructed by man overtime, change the way you view yourself (your own culture or ethnicity)?

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  13. I agree with Mary in that a lot of my classmates seem to have the same opinion as I do. I was intrigued by some of the posts though. I found it interesting that Anna and Ami both never really thought about racial differences. While growing up, I was always told that people were not different just because of the color of their skin; that everyone was the same. But when I started learning about apartheid in school, and race discrimination, it was as if I was learning the opposite. For a younger child, it gets to be confusing. But as I grew up, made friends and learned about race in depth, I reserved the right to believe that everyone was the same. That is why this article was so interesting, it agreed with some of the things I had thought but also argued with some of my opinions. I learned things I never knew about, and I found it incessantly fascinating.

    Knowledge Question: To what extent does society play a role in one's perception of race, culture, or ethnicity?

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  14. I agree with everyone’s comment about the fact that this article doesn’t change how I view race especially TO’s comment that, “This article does not change the way I see race, because race for me is not the thing to determine one’s personality and manner.” I also noticed that many people spoke about the relationship between race and medicine.

    Knowledge Question:
    How does one view ethnicity, and how does it shape the way one thinks of socio-culture?

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  15. Since the class is more or less unanimous on the impact the article had on our thoughts, I have little to say there, but found some girls' comments interesting regardless. SaskiaTOK hit on what I think is the main question here, talking of human differences. The article pointed out how technically there is more biological discrepancy between individuals within a race than between races, as I already remarked last week. This applies, in my opinion, across the board. Differences are most easy to spot, though they are inevitable. I think the reason for many prejudices, stereotypes, and assumptions is the fear that comes naturally to humans in the face of the unknown and the unfamiliar. It's quite easy to hide behind fear and separate the world like a dichotomous key - ESS connection! - by one main criterion (race, religion, nationality, class, anything) and work from this division. It's an unfortunate and unproductive tendency fueled by discomfort and ignorance. The great thing about this race - the human one - is that we are not all the same, and cannot be split into fair groups unless each of us is a unique group. Understanding one's areas of ignorance and working to bridge differences is most important if we are to overcome these fears and their consequences.
    KI: What makes a legitimate way of knowing? Can, for examples, fears and stereotypes be a way of knowing?

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  16. I never really thought about racial difference- I too, like SaskiaTOK was raised thinking that everyone was equal but I was also raise in an area where almost everyone was the same race to begin with. I also, like Ami and Anna had never though about race as having anything to do with genetics and found it incredibly interesting that it is connected. I also really like what LolaTOK extracted from the thread- specifically the quotation from TO about judging someone not by their race but by their character.

    How does the idea of race also being connected to genetics change how it is viewed?

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  17. After reading my classmates opinion on the article, I feel as though the article has hit me in a different way. I do agree that skin color doesn't shape the interior (personality) of a person but from observations people in the same race seem to have more in common with each other (in some cases). People born in the same culture would have more in common with someone who has not. It is most likely that the majority of these people will belong to the same race.
    KI: To what extend does habit influence the ways of knowing?

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  18. I can conclude that my peers have more or less agreed on the fact that this article has in no way radically changed their view of race. But what particularly captured my attention is what Anna said: Stereotypes and assumptions is the fear that comes naturally to humans in the face of the unknown. I woud most certainly agree with that, when we as humans see a different type of race that does not look like ours, and one that we do not necessarily relate to, we are quick to conclude two things: First, that i is either dangerous and harmful and secondly that it must be lower in standards and or simply have lesser knowledge than us. This brings me to my knowledge issue which is:
    To what extent does opinion shape how society views one race in comparison to the other.

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  19. When I saw Mary's post, I thought that if the racial differences could be proven and find out by using science and experiments, then, the racists that we talked about could be totally wrong at some point, therefore the racial differences that one says is either science or pure bias, but is it really that simple? Since the technology improved and countries have more connections between each others compare to thousands of years ago, people from different environment work together and have influence in each other, and along with the improvement and the relationships, racist aren't as strong and radical as before, instead, so much more people accept and respect different race and culture then it was before. Does race just means the different appearance that we have, or it is something that involves culture, background and emotions? If it is, then could we still say that every individual is still the same even our races are different?

    In what way does race involved emotions and cultures rather than just the scientific results?

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  20. alyshamarie:) writes: It's interesting that Saskia brings up the issue about he last name, and people making assumptions about her background at the airport. I know someone who has the last name "Malik" and everyone assumes he's Muslim, but he's actually not. The only connection is that the last name "Malik" is a common name that many Muslims have. Also to comment on Anna's response,when she was shocked when it was the "first time I heard of the distinctions 'black' and 'white'." Many people use 'black' and 'white' as a way to describe actions, saying if you are black you act a certain way or if you're white you act a certain way. What if you're both? :) I strongly dislike when people define others using COLORS.

    So for you all, my question is: How can we verify assumptions that are made based on the exterior?

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  21. Sara-Sara writes: I believe that it is fair to say that the majority of the class. I found Anna's post particularly interesting- and truthful in many ways, as her post forced me to think even more about distinctions and prejudice in races especially when she wrote about her experience with MLK day. Where I was raised, I constantly saw the prejudice and racism between people. Yes, there were light brown, dark brown, and pink kids in my classes- of course we all played together, but we all heard of the different views on each race from what was told to us by peers and what we picked up hearing on the streets. This was probably where I started to subconsiously see the ways in which race was used as an identifier.
    My Knowledge Question is: How does experiences within societies shape one's perception of race?

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  22. NahFeeSah2 writes: Emilie's point on the idea of humans coming from one origin was fantastic. She mentions that we all come from Homo Sapiens, which is a physical way of looking at this situation. As I am religious, I cannot help but to think of God. As a believer that there is one creator of all life, Emilie's point is only common sense to me. No matter what the race may be, we are all coming from one decent as Emilie puts it, but further one creator is how I would put it.

    I find the amount of weight put on race to be very fascinating, even if there isn't even a biological separation between the races. Actions speak louder than words, so my question is:

    What do these extreme measures that we have taken to establish race tell us about humans?

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  23. Revised knowledge question:

    To what extent does society play a role in one's perception.

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  24. KQ: To what extent does habit influence the ways of knowing?

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  25. KI: To what extent do facts shape knowledge?

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  26. KI: How do new ideas change the way you see yourself?

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  27. My new and improved Knowledge Question: How much can one's perception affect happenings around them? Is there a limitation? If so, what?

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  28. KI: How do concepts and the ways they relate change how they are viewed?

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  29. KI: How does experience shape perception of others?

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  30. Knowledge Question:

    Does a change in ones perception change their experiences? How?

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  31. KI: What makes a legitimate way of knowing?

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  32. To what extend can a scientific defination also be bias?

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