The Validity of Racism from a Genetic Point of View - Essay Example

Essay Name Date Course Introduction The issue of race has generated a lot of debate as some believe that race is genetic while others do not. Some scientists also believe that race is a scientific and biological issue. To most people however, race is a matter of black and white. Anyone who is of African origin or has a dark skin is considered black while those with light skin are considered white. It is thus a visual and psychology among most people. However, the scientific issue of race has seen some drugs that have emerged for certain races only due to various perceived health risks (Azoulay, 2006). The fact that a certain race is prone to a certain disease may be an indication that race has some genetic element which makes it scientific. Race has also been used in different parts of the world for the purposes of exploiting a certain group of people (Hauskeller, 2014). This may further indicate that race has nothing to do with biology or science but it is in the human mind. The issue of race has also generated a lot of social problems in the society. The paper thus discusses the issues of race in relation to the argument that race has some genetic and scientific aspects. Discussion According to research by geneticists, human are 99.9% alike regardless of their race. This leaves 0.1% to speculations that race is related to genetics (Smedley & Smedley, 2005). However, there is a lot of difficulties in terms of establishing the race of an individual through the use of scientific means. In most of the medical experiments, the issue of race is quite common. It is usually normal for a research to indicate that people from a particular race are susceptible to certain diseases as compared to the people from another race. This is an indication that scientists still believe that the issues of race are scientific. This can be used to explain why a certain race is not prone to a certain diseases as compared to the other races. However, the idea of one race being prone to certain diseases is still of contention. On the other hand, since a certain race is susceptible to a certain disease, it means that there is some genetic differences which play a role and hence the leading to the argument and justification that race is scientific. However, it is also difficult for the scientists to determine the race of an individual if provided their samples (Fuller, 2005). This further complicates the issue of race as scientific although the argument cannot be dismissed. Race based drugs are also available in the market and they are intended at curing certain diseases and conditions among a certain race. The drugs are usually manufactured by the scientists after carrying out some research. The medication has worked in some instances and it has prevented loss of life. This is an indication that there are some aspects of science surrounding race. In America, most of people are turning to DNA tests for the purposes of determining their identity. This process has been quite successful and it has lead most of the black Americans to know their ancestral lands (Skinner, 2007). Most of the test that have been carried out usually revel unique details which are common in particular races although it may not be 100% reliable. This is an indication that at least there are some scientific issues regarding race. However, some people have argued that the issue of race has been used for the purposes of protecting the interests and privileges of the white people in the society. This is considering the historical information indicates the black Americans have been discriminated due to their race. In the United States of America, there was a legislation that barred the black people from giving evidence against the white people in court. However, there were a lot of difficulties in determining who is white and who is black as it was usually assumed that Africans are black. The concepts of genetics have however brought about some changes due to the rise of mixed race (Henderson, et al, 2012). This is an indication that science has some relevance when it comes to the issues of race. Some differences are also common among people from different races. The difference like skin colour and hair texture is governed by genetics. This is therefore an indication that science is involved in the aspects of race. This is also considering that it is scientific evidence that is used for the purposes of explaining the differences in the skin colour and hair texture. Scientific racism is a genuine possibility due to the differences that science has been able to highlight among different races. Although science tends to highlight the variations among different races, it also plays an important role in promoting equality. This is because the scientific evidence indicates that the similarities are higher as compared to differences when it comes to the human races. The definition of race through social means has attracted a lot of controversy since it tends to emphasize that some races are more superior to other races. The whites in most cases are usually considered superior to the blacks (Jumonville, 2002). The scientific aspects play an essential role on terms of providing an explanation to the issues of race where other methods have failed to provide explanations. The issue of biology and science has however resulted to problems in some of the societies. The society has considered some members of different races as biological discrete. This may be due to their skin colour, eye shape and other facial features. Science has however played an important role in defining some of the concepts of culture that has been of contention. According to scientific evidence, culture is not confined to a particular group or individuals but it is usually learnt (Erwin & Maré, 2013). This eliminated the belief that each race has a specific culture that is linked to their biology. This is an indication that the claims by the scientists are not meaningless. DNA has been used by people in South Africa who believed that they were from the Jewish ancestry (Morning, 2014). Some of the people have been able to identify themselves as being Jews after carrying out the tests which is an indication that science racism is a genuine possibility. In an ordinary situation, it is usually difficult to determine the races of such individuals. Science therefore plays an important role in ensuring that any gaps are filled in terms of the issues of race. The assumption that a particular person is black since they are Africans can therefore be disproved through the use of scientific evidence. The way people think of themselves in terms of their race has also been changed through the scientific facts. In the United States of America, most of the Latino immigrants do not identify themselves as white (Fuller, 2006). This is despite the colour of their skin being white to any ordinary person. However, due to the scientific evidence and the concepts of genetics, not everyone who is white considers themselves as white and the same applies to the blacks. Some members of the Indian tribes have black skin but they are not considered black. This is because the use of genetics which involves scientific methods can prove that they are not Africans who are mainly considered black. Potential consequences in Australia The issues of scientific racism can lead to the rise of nationalism In Australia which is a diverse society. The rise of nationalism is usually common when people want to be identified with a certain race (Jalata, 2001). This in turn has negative impacts on the people from the other races as they may end up facing discrimination. The dominant races may also consider themselves to be superior to the minorities and hence impacting negatively on the peaceful coexistence among the people. The rise of nationalism may have negative impacts on the minority who may end up being oppressed. In the current situation where the immigrants from different places still seek refuge in Australia, nationalism may prevent them from doing so. The laws and policies of Australia may also be influenced by nationalism. The establishment of national culture requires policies that support it and it may end up affecting the people from other races. It is the rise of nationalism in Germany that led to Nazism that was responsible for the deaths of millions of people from other races (Smart, et al, 2012). Intolerance among the members of different races may also result from nationalism. The rise of racism may be witnessed in Australia in case of people are to identify themselves with a particular race. The systems may also end up being racists as was the case in the United States of America. This is because the majority may develop laws that are aimed at protecting the interest of their race. Injustice in the society may be witnessed in case of nationalism as the minorities may not be seen as part of the society and do not deserve certain privileges (Fuller, 2006). The population may end up with a lot of confusions incase the issues of racisms continues to emerge. This is because Australia also has a population of indigenous population which may end up with a lot of confusions. The unity of the people in the country will also be affected as a lot of suspicions will be build among the people. It is for this reason that the issues of racism are complicated topic. The division of the society may impact negatively on the productivity of the country. Conclusion In conclusion, it is evident that the issues of race are complicated. Scientific racism is a genuine possibility that should not be ignored. It is evident that the use of scientific experiments is important in determining the unique characteristics between members of different races. The concepts of genetics play an important role in terms of creating a distinction between the different races. The use of science therefore plays an important role on terms of eliminating doubts associated with racism. It is evident that the issue of race may bring about some complications in Australia. The rise of nationalism may have negative impact on the society as the relationship between different members may be affected. List of References Smedley, A, & Smedley, B, 2005, Race as Biology Is Fiction, Racism as a Social Problem Is Real, American Psychological Association. Vol. 60, No. 1, 16–26. Azoulay, G, K, 2006, Reflections on ‘race’ and the biologization of difference, Patterns ofPrejudice, Vol. 40, Nos 4-5. Jalata, A, 2001, Ethno-nationalism and the global `modernising' project, Nations and Nationalism 7 (3), 385-405. Fuller, S, 2005, The New Sociological Imagination, SAGE Publications, London. Fuller, S, 2006, The New Sociological Imagination, SAGE Publications, London. Skinner, D, 2007, Groundhog Day? The Strange Case of Sociology, Race and ‘Science’, Sociology, Volume 41. Jumonville, N, 2002, The Cultural Politics of the Sociobiology Debate, Journal of the History of Biology 35: 569–593. Hauskeller, C, 2014, Race and the genetic revolution: science, myth and culture, Ethnic and Racial Studies, 37(10), 1946-1948. Henderson, B, et al, 2012, The influence of race and ethnicity on the biology of cancer, Nature Reviews Cancer, 12(9), 648-653. Erwin, K, & Maré, G, 2013, Theorising Race: Imagining Possibilities, Theoria, 60(136), v-x. Morning, A, 2014, And you thought we had moved beyond all that: biological race returns to the social sciences, Ethnic and Racial Studies, 37(10), 1676-1685. Smart, A, et al, 2012, Race” as a social construction in genetics, Identity politics and the new genetics: re/creating categories of difference and belonging, 30-52. Read More