How Many Races Are There?

Answer? One.

Wherever I go, I hear people using the word 'race' as if it's a fact that there are seperate races. I hear it on the nightly news, in movies, on the radio, in conversations and even here on ATS. If we're going to try to deny ignorance, then we should at least attempt to understand where the notion of seperate races originally came from.


The Idea of Races

"Race" first appeared in the English language around the 17th century. North Americans began to use the term in their scientific writings by the late 18th century. Racism was developed and popularized by scientists in the 19th century, as they were regarded as purveyors of truth. At the time this ideology also explained political and economic conflicts in various parts of the world and legitimized the dominant role of British capitalism in the world economic system. Racism is universal and is evident in many different ethno-racial groups. It is not limited to white groups.
By the mid-19th century, there was general agreement that the worlds population could be divided into a variety of races: groups of people who shared similar phenotypical attributes, eg, skin colour, hair texture. This process of race categorization is referred to as racialization and is necessary for the emergence of racism as an ideology.

www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com...

So there you have it. There are no different races at all and it has its roots in the false notion of superiority. What makes people different, one from the other, is diet, geographical location and society. There is no white race, no black race, no yellow race and no red race either. There are only human beings.

Recently I read a thread where a poster declared a particular race was prone to criminal activity. The member was adamant that this was so and all one had to do was look at the prison population or crime statistics.

That is textbook racism

1 : a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race
2 : racial prejudice or discrimination

www.merriam-webster.com...

It has nothing to do with biological differences and everything to do with societal inequality. Suppression through discrimination is what causes poverty and poverty is the primary cause of criminal activity.

Awesome post. S & F

I to have noticed this appalling name calling and stereo typing trend.
The more people educated themselves the better off the world will be.
Here is part 1 of 13 of a very good eye opening video series. Well worth the time to watch. Follow the link later to watch the rest.

Come meet the Family

The Journey of Man is a documentary that talks about our evolution, our recent history, and how we came to be to the way we are today. It looks at the Y chromosome, that's passed down from male to male, and tracks the marker mutations to map our ancestors' journey. It's how we conquered the Earth in just the last 59,000 years

[edit on 5-6-2009 by SLAYER69]

AMEN to that. I agree wholeheartedly. I think for us to move forward as a species, we ALL need to come together as "the HUMAN race", and start loving one another, instead of killing eachother.

Just think what could be accomplished if we all strived for the same goal. WOW, thats all I can say...Wake up world, lets get this ball rolling.

I read your title, thought ONE, clicked on it and am pleased to find an enlightened mature post, well done you!

You may want to check this out:

www.abovetopsecret.com...

I'm going to post a link to this thread, so maybe the so and so's can get educated on the human race!

[edit on 5-6-2009 by kiwifoot]

too many , and too many humans ... thats for sure ...

When we stop caring we just shouldnt care about any thing else either, some dumb Race else where , what , who cares, they are prolly smarter than us any hows , amoeba or not.

two americans are in trial and used for Bargains with US and no one frggn cares ??? they are Hostages by North Korea , and lets talk Pingiuns FFS :!

Let them die, just worthless americans ....

Yes, we are all human. If we can get past this whole 'race' thing, and drop all religions (accept Bhuudism), and lower all the borders we will be at peace.

Scarcity = Fear

Fear + Ignorance = Prejudice

Racism is one of many forms of prejudice.

Like masqua said ...

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/7deca25a1a19.jpg[/atsimg]

One people.

reply to post by schrodingers dog


I prefer this picture of the Earth taken from Voyager-1

It puts it into a proper perspective of how stupid the perceived differences really are.

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/baf616253574.jpg[/atsimg]



[edit on 5-6-2009 by SLAYER69]

I think this clip says nearly all that is needed to be said on the matter.
Very much worth watching. www.youtube.com...

Thanks for all the positive replies.

I seriously doubted that anyone would actually disagree with the OP and those that do would be very slow to publicly say so. That's a good sign, imho.



Kiwifoot... thanks for linking into your thread to make a point.

People would be surprised if they ever had a genetic blood test done. They would likely find that their distant relatives had all skin colours covered.

Pidgeon holes are for pidgeons, not people.

reply to post by masqua



Well, I might disagree just a tweak. If we look at in within context of taxonomy, we might have the species Homo sapiens sapiens, and Homo sapiens ignoramus --- the latter being those that require us to put anything other than "human" on applications where it says _________ (race).

Excellent thread masqua. It's always disturbed me to have someone write in "white" or "caucasian" where I've refused to fill in the tidy little blank. I think of myself as an icy beige.

Originally posted by argentus
I think of myself as an icy beige.

Well put.

A mix of white, red and brown myself. Great for flag colours, eh?

Come to think of it, there's quite a range of hues out there. Canada is a place where (pardon the racist term) 'inter-racial marriages' are becoming the norm these days. If this were the case worldwide, I wonder what the end result would be? I'm betting on a nice permanent light brown complexion.

No more worries about tan lines then.

I strongly and passionately disagree

Seriously, I've been taking issue with the need for equalization for a long time. Being of mixed race myself I have great appreciation for differences in color, culture and abilities of various races. And my use of the word race has nothing at all to do with racism or a "feeling of superiority".

I travel a lot and on my travels I want to experience people who are different than those people of my race and culture. When in Asia, I eat Asian food, enjoy Asian customs, get into Asian mentality. When in Africa, likewise. In the process of doing this I have discovered that there are huge differences, and that there are different races and cultures of people.

As I see it there are two mainstream viewpoints and both are false:

1. We are all the same

2. We are all different and thats bad or We are all different and some are superior to others.

The third viewpoint, which does not get much airtime is:

3. We are all different and thats great!!!!

The third viewpoint allows for a unity without suppressing diversity.

The idea that oneness requires sameness is the cause of many problems we've faced throughout history. I can be different than someone and even in total disagreement with anothers lifestyle and beliefs but still respect and appreciate that difference.

The pressure of equalization promoted by the "politically correct" lacks such a distinction. It will try to make women be like men or blacks be like whites and vice versa.

Black people...and yes they are black...are different. But that does not mean anything negative. It means that if they honor their roots, their culture, their way, their style, their passions, they will integrate much more easily than if they are forced to behave like the white american. And vice-versa. Unfortunately, nowadays it is almost forbidden to see differences.

In the analogy of oneness, every puzzle piece is unique. No puzzle piece is the same as another. And yet, placed properly, they all form ONE puzzle.



[edit on 5-6-2009 by Skyfloating]

reply to post by Skyfloating


I agree with the diversity part but when one group tries to dominate another in some sort of false since of superiority based on skin, hair and eye color then I would have to disagree.

I'm of three different European and one native American bloodlines. So I can identify with the diversity idea.


[edit on 5-6-2009 by SLAYER69]

reply to post by SLAYER69


Good. And yet, in your post and also in the OPs post, seeing difference is automatically associated with domination/superiority:

There are no different races at all and it has its roots in the false notion of superiority.

I´ve encountered that notion often. But its just not so.

[edit on 5-6-2009 by Skyfloating]

reply to post by Skyfloating


OK please elaborate.

I'm curious where you're going with that.

reply to post by SLAYER69


Seeing differences in race and culture does not have its roots in superiority. How do I know? Because I see difference...huge difference...without being compelled to look down at others because of them.

reply to post by Skyfloating


If you are referring to human adaptation due to their environmental requirements as a form of superiority to other non indigenous groups to that same region. I'll accept that they may be superior in their unique environments.

But in time they will change and also adapt to suit the environment so in time the "Race" issue is mute IMO.

Edit spelling.

[edit on 5-6-2009 by SLAYER69]

reply to post by SLAYER69


No, what I meant is less complicated. What Im saying is that seeing difference does not automatically mean one sees one as superior to the other.

Example: I see the color red and blue. I see the difference but that does not automatically mean one is superior to the other in an absolute sense.

I say so because the OP...and many others...claim that seeing racial differences = seeing superior vs. inferior.

Now back to red and blue: One is not superior to the other, but may be more appropriate than the other depending on whether Im painting an ocean or a red dress.

reply to post by Skyfloating


I think I just said the same thing.


They are uniquely adaptive to their own indigenous environments.

Red or Blue painting a sky or fire.