Re-read pages 328-331 (‘Race: Myth and Reality,’ as well as ‘Can a Plane Ride Ch

Question

Re-read pages 328-331 (‘Race: Myth and Reality,’ as well as ‘Can a Plane Ride Change Your Race?’), then answer the following: What is the takeaway message from all of this material? What does it mean to say that ‘race’ is a social construction? Be specific, using information from the videos and chapter twelve. Keep in mind that until the 1940s or so people of Irish, Italian, Polish, and Jewish heritage/ethnicity were not considered white, but were said to be of different races. Imagine in the year 2014 hearing someone refer to the Polish race or the Italian race! I am of Polish and Italian heritage/ethnicity. Am I white? I define myself as white, you define me as white, and my society defines me as white; there is no debate or question about it in the year 2017. However, my ancestors in the Metro Detroit area in the 1920s were not defined as white. Rather, those of Irish, Italian, Polish, and Jewish heritage/ethnicity became white through a social and political process.

Explanation / Answer

RACE: It is defined as a group of people who belong to same group with similar physical characteristics and to mention just skin colour is not a race. In other words race is defined as a group of people who are similar in some way.

IS RACE A REALITY OR A MYTH?

YES of course race is a reality. Identifying a person with some particular race is acceptable but trying to degrade the opposite person race and trying to be superior for all the other races is really not a good idea.

At present RACISM is a part of our daily life and in my view race is just a social construct(as per books). There are huge psychological differences between Blacks and whites. We are living in this advanced technology world where we all must agree that there is only one race i.e HUMAN RACE.

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