The Myth of Fingerprints

I've been thinking lately about how race and culture are often confused.

Let me explain...

If I understand world history correctly the human race has developed thusly. The human race originated in the area of Iraq now known as "The Cradle of Civilization". At some point in time, groups of people began to emigrate to different parts of the world. Due to factors such as the amount of sun, the degree of isolation from other groups, diet, and other factors the people in these groups adapted physically to their environment. The result was that some groups had very dark pigmented skin and some very fair skin. Not only that but many other aspects of physical appearance changed (over time) in response to environmental factors.

But that's not even the end of the story. The various people groups migrated further over time. Some Asian people groups migrated to the South Pacific and possibly to South America. Some people groups migrated over the Bering Strait to North America. The various tribes in Europe also migrated North, South, East and West. (The history of England is a great example of how various peoples migrated and intermixed over history.) In other words, there really is no such thing as a "Pure" race. The faulty logic behind the existence of a so-called pure race is what leads many to oppose interracial marriage. (See here and here for some related explanation of this.)

Race is a very fuzzy concept and those who discriminate on the basis of race are misleading themselves that there is any such thing as a pure race. Culture, on the other hand, is a little different. (Technically, what I'm really referring to here is called sub-culture.) Culture is self-defining and based on norms (mores) established within a group. Any set of people with a common identity will develop a unique culture. Culture helps the group to recognize others in the same group and, among other things, helps the members to protect themselves from those perceived as outsiders.

Culture is amoral, not inherently good or bad. There is a discriminatory purpose to culture but that doesn't necessarily make it good or bad. People should have the right to freedom of association. The main question then is this: When does discrimination turn from something relatively benign and natural to something that is insidious and evil?

Part of the answer comes down to our identity and how it's defined. First and foremost, we are Americans. As Americans there are some basic rights that should be accorded to all who are members of this overarching group of citizens. However, beyond that we are free to define ourselves any way we choose whether it is as Baptists, Left-Handers, Red Staters, or Midwesterners. As long as our associations in our sub-cultures do not violate any of the rules we've established as Americans, we should be free to do as we choose.

The problem comes when, in the name of political correctness, we are prohibited from holding certain beliefs or engaging in certain practices. An example of this type of legislation is so-called "hate crime" laws. (Not that it's okay to murder someone of another race. Just that murdering someone is already illegal and to try and define what someone was saying or thinking as a hate crime is really beside the point.) These types of laws confuse the issue between discrimination based on race or gender or whatever and allowable discrimination based on the freedom of Americans to associate with those whom they choose.

Racial discrimination is wrong. Discrimination that violates our shared rules for how we should treat fellow Americans (as defined in the Bill of Rights and Constitution) is wrong. Discrimination based on personal beliefs, our ethnic identity, religious beliefs or any similar type of criteria is okay and may even serve a noble purpose.

Now before anyone comments let me add a few disclaimers. I'm not an anthropologist therefore I admit I may be wrong on the particulars of the development of the various races. The main point is that Race is by and large an artificial and arbitrary due to the great intermixing of peoples over time and the fact that we all descend from the same set of ancestors.

Also, I'm not a sociologist, therefore I may be wrong on some of the particulars regarding culture and how cultures develop. The main point is that development of culture isn't inherently good or bad and that it's a normal part of being human.