Ideas Have Power, Regardless of Moral Ground or Misconception

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In the film, Race: The Power of an Illusion, Episode 1, critics debunk the notion that race is inherently biological and provide evidence that there is no genetic marker for race. Historically, society has used race as a biological construct to divide different racial groups by distinct intellect and abilities that are unchanging.  However, this widely held misconception fuels the divide of distinct physical categories filled to the brim with even more distinct genetic stereotypes used to justify inequality.  Rather than focusing on the different genetic markers between races, which are nearly nonexistent, Pilar Ossorio stated in the film that “there is as much or more diversity and genetic difference within a racial group as there is between people of different racial groups” (Race: The Power of an Illusion, Episode 1).       

The lack of genetic evidence to support race as a biological entity is presented through out the film. For instance, high school students of various racial backgrounds participate in a science experiment to see how different or similar their genetic makeup is compared to others.  It was no surprise that one racial group believed themselves to be more genetically alike to their own racial group because the idea of race being biological has been engrained in society for centuries. Yet to the students’ disbelief, they are more genetically alike to those outside of the group to which they identify.  Similar to the student’s findings, evidence set forth by Phillip Sharp in the 1970s using Gel Electrophoresis was a precedent for the illustration as to why humans cannot and should not be divided by race because, just as Ossorio stated, there is more genetic variation within a racial group (Race: The Power of an Illusion, Episode 1).  Sharp’s findings, from separating components of DNA, undermine the long held idea of the pre-ordained natural order to which racial groups were divided by, therefore also hindering the stereotypes that have been associated with the biological view of race, like that of intellect, athletic ability, or musical aptitude.     

Racial identity is not always obvious nor is it straightforward.  I find it hard to discern my race because I have to distinguish between the physical and cultural traits that define the social construction.  I identify as white, while also identifying as Mexican –American and Native – American.  I was adopted at birth and my adoptive parents are not white which resulted in a constant battle I had of finding my racial identity and figuring out which box or boxes to check off.  I came to realize that my racial identity has been one that is quite unique and cannot fit comfortably in a category set forth by historical precedents.  Even with the physical differences, I never thought that race was attributed to genetic divisions.  This film solidifies my view of race as a social construct, endowed with meaning generation after generation.  With the lack of a genetic marker and the almost nonexistent genetic variations between racial groups, race has been socially constructed to benefit a select few. Science has debunked the idea of a scientific division between people, yet race remains an important factor in individual identity and difficult questions remain illustrating deep societal divisions. How does the information presented in the film affect the way people are seen within their racial group? Why are a number of racial groups going unrecognized?

Though questions remain, racial divisions have created a disenfranchised human race filled with stigmas and stereotypes that proliferate historical divisions in a modern setting.  Originating in colonialism and magnifying with the justification of inequality to science, historical moments that created racial divides between white Europeans and the rest of the world are evident and engrained in society today.  At the birth of the United States, all men were created equal, however that was contingent on the person being male, wealthy, and Protestant.  Before the slave codes and the idea of biological differences, distinguishing social status was based on religion and class.  However, slave codes separating the European indentured servants and African slaves created a social structure that made power relationships “have a natural quality about them” (Race: The Power of an Illusion, Episode 2).  The meaning of race in the United States is rooted in the ideology of colonialism and white supremacy in the sense that African slaves, after the slave codes were introduced, where merely seen as property with the biased scientific findings to justify such inequalities.  Coupled with the justification of race on biological lines, the civilization of peoples looked outward to the international world; coined “the white man’s burden” by Rudyard Kipling with a poem of the same title.  As a relatively young country compared to many around the world, the United States is not long out of colonialism, slavery, imperialism, and the fight for civil rights.  Though historically constructed, race persists because certain groups benefit from such social divides that are rooted in grave misunderstandings. The political, social, economic, and educational hierarchies maintain a historical importance on the perpetuation of those considered white at the top.  The ideology of the time not only hindered society then, but it continues to be a persistent player in today’s world.