Why do we still refer to race when creed or ethnicity is a more accurate term? D

1. 60

   Christopher Floydposted 14 years ago

   Why do we still refer to race when creed or ethnicity is a more accurate term? Doesn't referring...
   
   to someone as a different race insinuate the idea that said person is inferior, since we are all a part of the same race? It seems to me that identifying different ethnicities as races is in and of itself "Racist." We can't blame the biologists. Maybe the sociologists? I do not mean to be inflammatory by asking this question, but someone is bound to take it that way. Kindly note that no specific grouping of people is mentioned here, and according to my profile picture, I am blue.

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2. 58

   vmassey120posted 14 years ago

   This is an excellent question.  I generally use race when I am trying to describe a particular person not as a general term to describe someone within in a group of people.   For example if I am trying to describe who Denzel Washington is I may use Black as part of my description just as I would tall and handsome.
   
   I believe we still use race in this country because there is still a certain amount of racism when it comes to economics.  People use race as a reason someone is not making and someone else is making it.  As long as we live in a society where one race generally is more wealthy and powerful than another race we will always use race rather than ethnicity or origin.
   
   Also I am not sure the same stigma would not be there if we used a different term because ethnicity still indicates whether you are different from someone else of the human race.

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3. 59

   Alayne Fenasciposted 14 years ago

   "Race" isn't a biological reference. It is partially a reference to the genealogical and/or geographical origin of different groups of people. It doesn't denote differences within the species or physical superiority or inferiority of various groups of humans. Any physical differences between people of different races can be attributed to the geographical origin of their ancestors. More than anything else, it denotes cultures with which people can identify.
   
   "Racism" is a different type of sociological concept than mere identification of cultures. It involves biased treatment of people based on their cultural, genealogical, and geographical identities. It does far more than acknowledge differences. It bases behavior on an unfair application of those differences. Being human means seeing, respecting, and understanding the similarities and differences between the many races of people. Racism is an unhealthy and unfair application of that understanding.
   
   While the term "race" is used primarily to refer to the existence of specific and unique cultures, it can also be used to refer to all of humanity, as in the "human race." This is an inclusive term which emphasizes the commonalities shared by all of humanity. Used in this sense, it represents unity, rather than division.

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