Genetics and Race

Feminists have done their level best to hide this video, but something that good doesn't remain hidden for long. Seeing as I'm now fully immersed in American "blonde" culture, I've dined out on that clip. It reminded me of the American trait of not laughing at someone's misfortune (like us British), but instead laughing at their lacking intelligence. As if the world didn't expect a stupid "Miss South Carolina". While we're on this issue, her little spiel was almost as misinformed as Elliot Lewis' essay on "The Science and Folly of Race", which I was told to read by my equally as bias ethnicity lecturer. Lewis argues that 'race' is something very difficult to categorically define. I agree. Lewis argues that 'race' is a socially created construct. I agree. Lewis argues that 'race' establishes boundaries and plays into the hands of discrimination. I agree. Lewis also argues that 'race' has nothing to do with genetics. I disagree. Although our concept of race may be something that society has engineered, it is fundamentally dictated by our genes: whether we have black skin, white skin, yellow skin, brown skin, mixed skin, blue eyes, brown eyes, narrow eyes, dark hair, light hair, ginger hair, heavy bones, efficient lactate systems, etc. Why is it so difficult to accept. We analyse and dissect people's gender, background, religion, and ethnicity all based on their appearance (coded for by their genes). Lewis even somewhat resigns himself to defeat: "like many Americans, my understanding of DNA, the human genome, and scientific phenomena in general is rather fuzzy". (It's also worth pointing out here that scientists haven't even got close to mapping the entire human gene sequence.) He then contradicts his own argument by citing bone marrow transplants as an example - to achieve a good bone marrow match, one should be of the same ethnic background to maximise likelihood of the replacement marrow taking to the patients already established tissue. Race is an accepted norm. Everyone's definition of race differs through personal stereotypes and experiences. I acknowledge that genetic differences are largely superficial. However, we should begin to harness the diversity of our race as a whole - the Human race, rather than attempt to orchestrate equality in a society already brimmed with prejudice.