Every since we discussed the definition of race in class, I have been pondering it myself quite a bit. I have come to the conclusion that every human on earth must have a unique definition of race. If we all believed it to be the same thing, there would not be nearly as much argument about it.
My own personal definition is: a combination of a person’s heritage and ancestry, which are usually observed in terms of beliefs, religion, and customs, and are often visible in more physical traits such as skin color, complexion, and mannerisms.
Out of curiosity, I asked my parents for their own personal definitions after writing my own. My dad said he thought of race as, “a categorization of human beings based on genetic differences.....I think of it as a subset of species.” My mother agreed with him.
The main difference in these two views lies in whether you believe race to be purely physical or to be a combination of physical and non-physical attributes. One perspective is not necessarily better, only different.
People use race to classify others, but also to label themselves. In the midst of a crushing population of over six billion on earth, we each need at least a few things to make ourselves seem special and significant.
Some people are defined by their race. They connect so strongly with it that they cannot develop much individually. This is not healthy because it does not allow for any growth on the part of the individual. Conversely, others do not relate to their race at all, with is also not optimal. Without knowledge of one’s heritage, you have only yourself as an individual to relate to, rather than caring about any other people.
How do you define race? Does your race define you?
To be honest, I felt hopeless, coming up with an answer to this question. Initially, I thought that race reflected your cultural heritage and nationality. When I heard that some people blandly answered: "Race is the color of your skin", I was shocked by how ignorant people can be.
ReplyDeleteI believe that race defines everyone in some way or another. Last year, I wrote my final paper on the topic of race. I discussed how race can define people to certain degrees. Some people tend to deviate away from their race due to trauma, some people embrace their heritage.
If you look at race as your heritage, what would you consider the race of people who are adopted and don't know their family history? Because such an important part of race is how people view their own personal race, I wonder if there view of what race is and its importance is different because of their situation?
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