Ruth Benedict and Racial Groups in the US - Report Example

benedict                   1887-1948 Ruth Benedict is best known for her book Patterns of Culture which was read widely in college es for a long time. At the end of that book she wrote the often quoted sentence: ........ But there were limits to what anthropologists thought respect for other cultures demanded.  She wrote Races of Mankind together with her colleague Gene Weltfish, who was also in the Anthropology Department at Columbia University.  They wanted to acquaint the public in the mid 1940s, which was when Hitler still had Europe in his grip, with the facts of science about race.  Please do these questions on that pamphet: BENEDICT QUESTIONS: 1. What fact did World War Two teach Americans? (169/170) World War Two has taught Americans that no matter how different we all are, we all basically live in one world, no matter how big it is, or how different we all look. It has also taught us that though we come from different races, we are all the same. We are all human beings. We all have our differences but there is nothing which is irreconcilable. The key is unity and understanding … compromise. We must all learn to live together or perish together, if we will not be able to learn to put up with our differences. Man must believe in his good nature that a certain kind of world understanding would be reached, that he has his virtues and is capable of putting them into practice. 2. What does science teach us about race? (170) Do you think that this general answer (from the 1940s) has changed much between when Benedict wrote and our own day? Science has taught us of the unity of the human race and that we are all the same. Our superficial physical differences are just a by-product of the region where each group of people lived. Just like what is stated in the text “the world’s small population was dispersed into different places and they slowly developed physical differences”. This fact has changed in a way that it has been made stronger. More nations are now united. Technology has paved the way for this. Now, the world seems to be geared into acquiring a universal language in the form of the English language. 3. How is the fact of the unity of the human race proved? (171) Aside from the bible truth that we were all born of Adam and Eve, science also proves that all human beings are all the same. The differences are just all superficial. The anatomy of the human body just basically proves that we all just have one makeup. We have the same number of bones, the same set of organs, eyes, ears, teeth, etc. One could break down every living cell in our body, everything would point out, and taxonomy affirms that the human race is just one big family. Our bodies are undeniable proofs of the brotherhood of men. 4. List all the typical features that are usually associated with racial differences. (173ff.) According to Benedict: The Negro has dark skin while the white men’s skin is considered too sallow. The shape of the head is also a racial trait. People’s hair is often the same over great areas: frizzy hair, lank hair, wavy hair. Europeans remained quite hairy, but in some parts of the world body hair almost disappeared. Blue eyes appeared in the north. In some places in Asia, a fold of skin developed over the inner corner of the eye and produced what we call a slant eye. Some noses were too flat or too pointed. The body structures are also different. 5. What did Europeans do with these differences? (172/3) Do people still do that today? In a way, these differences prompted men, not only the Europeans to discriminate. Appearances were used to set standards and eventually judge people not for who they are, for their abilities and the worth of their existence but on how they look. The Europeans categorized people into many different races. Each race was described according to skin color, kind of hair, kind of lips, height, and head shape. People still discriminate. Some are quite blatant while some do it covertly. The point is people could look different or could be different but that doesn’t mean that we have to treat them differently. 5. Can scientists tell from just looking at someones brain or blood to what racial group the owner of that brain or blood belongs? What is the connection between your answer and political theory? No. Not even the best scientists in the world can tell to which group of people somebody belongs to just because of his brain or blood. There are four types of blood, but all races have all these blood types. This basically affirms the premise that our similarities far outweighs our differences and that our intrinsic human nature compensates for our seeming physical differences. 6. How are the three primary races classified and located on the world map? (176ff.) What caused these differences? Men have been classified into three races; the Caucasian race, the Mongoloid race, and the Negroid race. The Caucasian race can be found in Europe and a large portion of the Near East and India. The Mongoloid race are said to be of Chinese descent. While most blacks or Negroes are to be found in Africa and America. If we are talking about skin color as the primary criterion in this type of classification, then the differences could only be attributed to the chemical called melanin. Our skin color is proportionate to the amount of these chemicals in our skin. 7. How did Hitler misuse the term "Aryan"? (177/179) Hitler uses or misuses the term “Aryan” in so many ways. Technically, Aryans are people who speak Indo-European languages. He employs the term “for blond Europeans, including the Scandinavian; sometimes for Germans, whether blond or brunet; sometimes for all who agree with him politically, including the Japanese“. As a result, the term almost lost its meaning. 8. Why cant we find any pure racial groups? (178/9) Why is it not accurate to say that any country in the world is inhabited by a race? Think of a country today that comes (in your view) as close as any to being populated by one racial group? What is the effect of multi-culturalism on political theory? One of the reasons why we really can’t find one pure racial group is mobility. Man continues to move about the world. They did not only travel. Some of them even settled in the new territory. They also intermarried. On this day, there are more and more reasons for this like globalization, transportation, and technology. The level of communication and the kind of interaction that people from different places can do now does not only produce a mixture of race but also of culture. This makes it easier for all men to understand and accept the real concept of race or even the possibility that we could belong to only one race, the human race. 9. One theorist recently wrote a book stressing the thesis that in our 21st. century world politics will be dominated by wars and clashes between the worlds major ethnic, religious, and cultural groupings. He listed these eight major contending groups: What do you think of that? This could be possible especially if prejudice would prevail over world understanding. Peace could only be attained through understanding. If reason, specifically the highest form of reasoning, that is wisdom, would not win over pride and our being clannish or racist, conflicts and wars will turn out to be inevitable. 10. Why cant science handle and settle the question of racial superiority? (180/181) The discussion of racial superiority requires a lot of explanation and is subject to a lot of debates. Webster defines the word superior as anything, which is of higher rank, quality, or importance. The bigger question is if racial superiority goes beyond the truth that based on human standards, some group of people has superior looks and if superiority also talks of superior genes. Then, let’s just leave it at that. If we would equate racial superiority or race with the worth of a certain group of people, then this just proves how shallow humankind has been. There is also the question of which is of greater merit, virtues and abilities versus physical appearance and genes. Moreover, no group or race has exclusive claim to virtues, intelligence, and abilities. What is ironic is that superiority is also synonymous to arrogance. Science has not settled the question of racial superiority because this is not just a simple question of genes nor appearance but a puzzle, a challenge to humankind. Everybody seeks equal rights and everybody deserves fair treatment. Science actual do not need to settle racial superiority but to shed light on the merit of each racial group and what could be gained from such differences. We must understand that though we are different but equal. 11. Why are customs not racial? (181) Customs are not racial because we are not born knowing these things. Just like what was written, they are all learned behavior. These things were either taught or enforced to us. Even in a particular group of people, someone is bound to turn out different or act differently from what is expected. 12. What example does Benedict use to show that intelligence is not racial? (182) Benedict used the studies conducted among Negroes and Whites, Northerners and Southerners. According to the study, the Negroes made a lower score on intelligence tests than Whites. But the tests also showed that Northerners had higher scores than Southerners regardless of color. Benedict further writes: The differences spring from differences in income, education, cultural advantages, and other opportunities not heredity. 13. What is the origin of character? (183) Why is this important for political theory? The formation of characters is almost similar to the formation of man’s other faculties. Man is born with certain things but they are always made whole, affected, and modified by experience and environment. The careful analysis of character is relevant to political theory because politics is about man. It is about relations and influence with other people, people who are driven by their character. 14. What evidence do B & W give to argue that civilization is not caused by racial superiority? (184) Benedict suggests that our civilization is not just a product of those races, which were considered superior. Each race had its days and its own contribution to humankind. She talks about the Chinese inventions, the Irish potatoes, and Boston beans which were developed by the American Indians. The things that the world enjoys did not only come from the Europeans nor Americans. They came from different places. 15. What is race prejudice and why do the authors say it is not inevitable? (187) Race prejudice is the unfair treatment, discrimination, or hostility against an individual, a group, a race because of their supposed different characteristics. They say that racial prejudice is avoidable because there are so many things that could be done. The first thing that we must do something to prevent and stop these things from happening. Racial prejudice would discontinue if we could uphold the right of every individual in our laws and our society, respect other people the way we respect ourselves, recognize the good that other people can do and that we can do, and learn to welcome differences. 16. If race prejudice is avoidable, then what do you think might be the main causes for the genocides and ethnic cleansings we have seen in our own life times? Can you break down the word "genocide" into its component parts? Do it. These killings happen for the very same reason that racial prejudice existed … our differences, this time of opinion, understanding, and values. They happened because of our failure and because of human failings. We failed to stop them, because everyone has the freedom to choose their own beliefs, whether right or wrong. But the burden of society is to correct or educate those who do wrong. Now, they must be prepared to suffer. 17. According to BW what has Russia shown since 1917? (188) Do you think that is true? 18. Read the Resolutions and the Declarations at the end of the pamphlet and select the one you "like" best and state why you chose it. (195-199) The biologists and psychologists did a good job presenting the facts, proofs, and evidences. However, I chose the manifesto of the American Anthropological Association because they summed up whatever needs to be done and that is to serve the cause of truth and to uphold what is good. This is what really matters. 19. ASSIGNMENT: Print out these addresses and then explore some 20 of these hate groups in the United States. What characteristics do these hate groups select for their hatred? Are the hated characteristics physical, cultural or both? Do any of these groups actually quote Hitlers Mein Kampf? What is the significance of your findings for political theory?     Read More