Race Is a Social Construct, Scientists Argue - Scientific American

We studied social constructs and the like in my sociology, anthropology, and communications courses.

Race is one of the more nefarious of these constructs.

Originally Posted by Guest

Race Is a Social Construct, Scientists Argue - Scientific American

We studied social constructs and the like in my sociology, anthropology, and communications courses.

Race is one of the more nefarious of these constructs.

This is also very interesting--

What We Mean When We Say 'Race Is a Social Construct' - The Atlantic

The scientific article you cite ignores the following reality?

As of 2015 about 4.4 million people have sickle-cell disease while an additional 43 million have sickle-cell trait.

About 80% of sickle-cell disease cases are believed to occur in sub-Saharan Africa.

It also occurs relatively frequently in parts of India, the Arabian peninsula, and among people of African origin living in other parts of the world.

In 2015, it resulted in about 114,800 deaths.

so how does a physician ignore the fact that a patient making certain medical complaints doesn't say, "well we are dealing with an African-American and they are very susceptible to sickle cell.

methinks the authors that constructed this article have the same agenda in mind as do those who believe we should also ignore gender.

One wonders what adjectives nouns, etc a person will be able to apply if we continue to eliminate race gender, etc
I mean there are many men with the name John Smith..which John smith the banker, the baker the Indian chief. Oops can't use the term Indian

Personal Best Regards:

What do these "scientists" hope to prove with their assertion that Race Is A Social Construct?

Is it an effort to convince people to ignore race? Is it an effort to convince people to ignore the utility of using "descriptive racial characteristics" in certain specific situations?

I'll give you the most common utilization of using racial descriptors in the United States. When a crime has been committed and a police call goes out, it is commonplace to describe the perceived sex and race of the person being sought. The most usual descriptions are "White male," "Black male," etc. using the generally accepted convention that any trace of Blackness in the subject's appearance makes him "Black" regardless of how light his skin might be. (Within my lifetime the terms "Quadroon" and "Octoroon" were still in use.)

The search for a criminal can be quickly narrowed if you can eliminate all possible suspects who are not of the described race or sex.

Another, less well known use, is in the field of medicine. As has already been pointed out, Sickle-cell Disease is a genetic disease that tends to be concentrated in people whose origins are in sub-Saharan Africa. For this reason, it is important for Black Americans to be screened for this disease.

Similarly, there are a panoply of genetic diseases that are shared by Jews. Even more interesting is that there are three different groups of such diseases. Some are seen in all types of Jews; others only in Ashkenazi Jews; and even others only in Sephardic Jews.

The utility of screening for certain diseases known to appear primarily in a particular race, based upon the perceived race of the patient, cannot be denied.

So, again, I ask. What is the point of denying the value of acknowledging genetic racial differences, and what are the "scientists" trying to accomplish?

Carl in Tampa

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Originally Posted by Guest

The scientific article you cite ignores the following reality?

As of 2015 about 4.4 million people have sickle-cell disease while an additional 43 million have sickle-cell trait.

About 80% of sickle-cell disease cases are believed to occur in sub-Saharan Africa.

It also occurs relatively frequently in parts of India, the Arabian peninsula, and among people of African origin living in other parts of the world.

In 2015, it resulted in about 114,800 deaths.

so how does a physician ignore the fact that a patient making certain medical complaints doesn't say, "well we are dealing with an African-American and they are very susceptible to sickle cell.

methinks the authors that constructed this article have the same agenda in mind as do those who believe we should also ignore gender.

One wonders what adjectives nouns, etc a person will be able to apply if we continue to eliminate race gender, etc
I mean there are many men with the name John Smith..which John smith the banker, the baker the Indian chief. Oops can't use the term Indian

Personal Best Regards:

Do more research on sickle cell anemia. Sickle Cell Anemia: It's Not a 'Black Disease'

Vin Diesel - Wikipedia

And check out the first movie Vin Diesel was in. Multi-Facial - Wikipedia

Originally Posted by Carl

For this reason, it is important for Black Americans to be screened for this disease.

Can you please identify any differences between these Black Americans and African Americans?

Not trying to split hairs, just curious what race are you referring to exactly.

genetic racial differences - Google Scholar

The science is a lot more complicated that he or she looks like an African American or a person from European ancestors.

Originally Posted by Taltarzac725

genetic racial differences - Google Scholar



The science is a lot more complicated that he or she looks like an African American or a person from European ancestors.

Not really. Occam's razor applies here.
Two peoples living apart for 200,000 years will yield substantial differences. AKA race differences.


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Originally Posted by Guest

dirtbanker

Can you please identify any differences between these Black Americans and African Americans?

Not trying to split hairs, just curious what race are you referring to exactly.

Now, I am going to treat your inquiry as if it were a sincere inquiry, and not a smart alec remark, although I've got to believe that anyone old enough to reside in The Villages knows the answer.

Quite simply, "African-American" is a politically created description that emerged in the 1980s when certain Race Hustlers voiced their objection to the racial designation of "Black." It has no anthropological connotation.

At the time of the change the term Black had evolved from the generally used term in the United States of "Negro," which had been in use since the early 1900's until the 1960s. It was in fact a popular self-description in the context of Black Pride and Black Power. The term used prior to that was "Colored."

When I was young in a segregated America, both terms Colored and Negro were used, and there were separate facilities of all kinds, such as water fountains, restrooms, dining rooms, waiting rooms at train and bus stations, and seating areas on buses and trains, which were designated for either "White" or "Colored."

The "Black Race" was understood to be people whose racial origins were sub-Saharan Africa. By the time that the new appellation of African-American came along there were so many millions of police records using Black as a racial descriptor in computer records that it was impractical to make another change.

Thus Black is still the established racial descriptor in police use. As a career law enforcement officer, my use of Black as a racial descriptor continues.

So, the short answer is the reference was made to people whose genetic roots are in dark skinned racial groups of sub-Saharan Africa.

Carl in Tampa

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Originally Posted by Guest

genetic racial differences - Google Scholar

The science is a lot more complicated that he or she looks like an African American or a person from European ancestors.

The "races"...the "species" are really quite different. We can't transplant organs among the different races. Even major blood transfusions should be race/species specific.

Originally Posted by Carl in Tampa

Now, I am going to treat your inquiry as if it were a sincere inquiry, and not a smart alec remark, although I've got to believe that anyone old enough to reside in The Villages knows the answer.



Quite simply, "African-American" is a politically created description that emerged in the 1980s when certain Race Hustlers voiced their objection to the racial designation of "Black." It has no anthropological connotation.



At the time of the change the term Black had evolved from the generally used term in the United States of "Negro," which had been in use since the early 1900's until the 1960s. It was in fact a popular self-description in the context of Black Pride and Black Power. The term used prior to that was "Colored."



When I was young in a segregated America, both terms Colored and Negro were used, and there were separate facilities of all kinds, such as water fountains, restrooms, dining rooms, waiting rooms at train and bus stations, and seating areas on buses and trains, which were designated for either "White" or "Colored."



The "Black Race" was understood to be people whose racial origins were sub-Saharan Africa. By the time that the new appellation of African-American came along there were so many millions of police records using Black as a racial descriptor in computer records that it was impractical to make another change.



Thus Black is still the established racial descriptor in police use. As a career law enforcement officer, my use of Black as a racial descriptor continues.



So, the short answer is the reference was made to people whose genetic roots are in dark skinned racial groups of sub-Saharan Africa.



Carl in Tampa



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I can't imagine what it would be like to be alive and experience legal segregation in every day life. I grew up in a lily white suburb. I never interacted with anyone "black" until I was in the military at the age of 19.
At the time I was curious and conflicted. My father was a racist and my mother taught me to be tolerant. While on gunboat duty me and a black third class were talking about our differences. He asked me to feel his hair. I was taken back but my curiosity had me touch it. It was soft ! I was so surprised and he knew I would be. White boys think kinky hair feels like a wire brush, it's not.



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Originally Posted by Guest

Now, I am going to treat your inquiry as if it were a sincere inquiry, and not a smart alec remark, although I've got to believe that anyone old enough to reside in The Villages knows the answer.

Quite simply, "African-American" is a politically created description that emerged in the 1980s when certain Race Hustlers voiced their objection to the racial designation of "Black." It has no anthropological connotation.

At the time of the change the term Black had evolved from the generally used term in the United States of "Negro," which had been in use since the early 1900's until the 1960s. It was in fact a popular self-description in the context of Black Pride and Black Power. The term used prior to that was "Colored."

When I was young in a segregated America, both terms Colored and Negro were used, and there were separate facilities of all kinds, such as water fountains, restrooms, dining rooms, waiting rooms at train and bus stations, and seating areas on buses and trains, which were designated for either "White" or "Colored."

The "Black Race" was understood to be people whose racial origins were sub-Saharan Africa. By the time that the new appellation of African-American came along there were so many millions of police records using Black as a racial descriptor in computer records that it was impractical to make another change.

Thus Black is still the established racial descriptor in police use. As a career law enforcement officer, my use of Black as a racial descriptor continues.

So, the short answer is the reference was made to people whose genetic roots are in dark skinned racial groups of sub-Saharan Africa.

Carl in Tampa

.

We should go back to the segregation systems again.

Make more places "black free zones" and beautiful like the villages.

Originally Posted by Guest

I can't imagine what it would be like to be alive and experience legal segregation in every day life. I grew up in a lily white suburb. I never interacted with anyone "black" until I was in the military at the age of 19.


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It's marvelous...kinda like here...we're on one side and they're on the other.

Quite an eye opener? Honestly...are they "us"? Well maybe YOU...but "us"...the smart white people. Did you find the blacks motivated? Intelligent? excellent managers and planners? Neither did I...I found them lazy, not caring, and always looking to skate.

Originally Posted by Don Baldwin

We should go back to the segregation systems again.



Make more places "black free zones" and beautiful like the villages.







It's marvelous...kinda like here...we're on one side and they're on the other.



Quite an eye opener? Honestly...are they "us"? Well maybe YOU...but "us"...the smart white people. Did you find the blacks motivated? Intelligent? excellent managers and planners? Neither did I...I found them lazy, not caring, and always looking to skate.

They have the same hopes and dreams as you and I Don. Are they different ? Yes.


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Originally Posted by Guest

Don Baldwin

We should go back to the segregation systems again.

Make more places "black free zones" and beautiful like the villages.

It's marvelous...kinda like here...we're on one side and they're on the other.

"We're on one side..........."

No, WE are in The Villages.

YOU............not so much.

Carl in Tampa