Posted on 03/14/2005 3:10:30 AM PST by Pharmboy
Nice to see the Times trying to undo the pseudo-science about race that they have been promulgating for so many years. This will bring a firestorm of letters.
*Ping* for something new from the Times...
Since the point they make repeatedly is that we are all an amalgam of many peoples many time over, even the negritos they mention, I fail to see how this is a statement that races exist. It is abundantly clear to any reasonable observer that there may have once been races of humans but now there is only one, the human race.
Anytime the NY Times says Lewontin or any other lefty was wrong about anything, it's big news.
The Times has discovered that the world isn't flat. Maybe, in another century or so, they'll figure out the Marxism doesn't work.
DNA says you are wrong. There is unquestionably more people that are "mixed-race" than ever before, but it will be hundreds of years before humanity is sufficiently genetically "homogenized" to be considered a single race, if ever.
Exactly,.....where are those Three (3) Mystery Ships of SH and all the 'dead' micro-biologists...??
/Marxism
If one is beta blocker candidate, it matters.
We are the human species, with many local variants called races.
Virtually any species with a wide geographic distribution will have races, except for a few like dandelions.
Races increase the survival potential of a species.
This is a philosophy and social issue as much as a scientific issue. It is the sad misuse of the concept of race that has created the problem. In a country that once had a system of slavery and discrimination based on skin color this is a hot button issue. The Romans used to talk about race as a bloodline or lineage which is closer to the truth. As we have become more sophisticated in our knowledge of genetics it is possible to trace descent in populations for thousands of years. I think a return to the concept of race as a family line is a valid concept. While we are as humans often of mixed origins, often there is preponderance of common bloodlines in particular areas of the world. I think that given time and less immigration there will emerge a new race in any given area. The people most suited to their environment will thrive and those less suited will not. You can see this in any rural area, there are often huge numbers of people descended from a few hardy souls. Any farmer can tell you that particular varieties of animals and plants do better in different areas. Certainly a person's genetics influence who they are as a person, even down to character. I am happy to see important issues being discussed, even when they are sensitive issues./p>
interesting stuff
I wonder when they'll be able to trace beginings of MAN back to 8 individuals......
Shocking, just shocking! Next thing you know, the NYTimes will be providing space for people to claim that the differences between male and female people aren't just social constructs!
But paradoxically, the idea that even the slightest detectable variation within any other species constitutes a distinct "subspecies", in need of separate protection under endangered species laws, has also been the "consensus" (in certain circles) for about the same period of time.
The problem as many anthropologists see it is that the word "race" represents a group of characteristics, but depending on which area of the world you are in the characteristics shift. So the idea of what constitutes a race (using the old race taxonomy) is a social construction. Race doesn't fit within the Scientific Classification - being "Caucasoid" isn't a Kingdom, Phylum ,Class ,Order, Family, Genus or Species. If you think about dog breeding , for example, the standard of what makes up a "good" breed was established by people for practical or aesthetic purposes. I'm not against classifying humans but I think the old taxonomy is dated and in reality we could probably make up tens of thousands of groups to put people in. But as humanity is increasingly mobile and not tied to geographic areas, one wonders if such a pursuit is in vain. Heck, I’m as Heinz 57 myself – what race would someone stick me in?
Good comment...esp. related to a culture with a race-based slavery history being sensitive to the racial thing. Yes--we as Americans need to be sensitive, btu we cannot ignore the fact there are are races and it makes things more interesting. Wouldn't it be boring if we were all clones of, say, Al Gore? Hardly a reason to live...
Interesting point...perhaps this is a set-up for a gender difference piece from the Times.
I had my genes removed. I only wear slacks.
The concept of "race," whatever the science behind it, is a useful one from an informational standpoint. When a victim describes her rapist, for example, she is likely to say he was Black, or White, or perhaps Hispanic. Whether or not these are truly races in an anthropological sense is not very important in this instance. The liberals would prefer to have the police put out an All Points Bulletin for a male who has 62 parts melanin per milligram of exposed skin, or some such gibberish.
I recall watching a boxing match in the 1960's that Howard Cosell was announcing to the television audience. Both of the fighters were wearing the same color trunks. Cosell, in an effort to identify who was who, initially tried to say that "so-and-so" was the fighter on the left. Of course, with the boxers dancing and moving, this became counter-productive. Finally, Howard said (rather defiantly) that "so-and-so" is the Black fighter and "such-and-such" is the White fighter. Useful information was thereby rendered, and no great broadcasting crime was committed.
"but it will be hundreds of years before humanity is sufficiently genetically "homogenized" to be considered a single race, if ever."
Human DNA consists of about 3 billion bases, and more than 99 percent of those bases are the same in all people.
http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/info=basics/show/dna
What percent do you think it will be?
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