Subject: Re: race...
Date: Sat, 30 Jan 1999 22:02:01 -0800





Hola - ashley montagu says race is a myth 

Man's Most Dangerous Myth, the seminal work of the twentieth century on
race, broke the link between genetics and culture, demonstrating that race
is largely a social construction, and not constitutive of significant
biological differences between people. 



> js,
> 
> permiso.
> 
> isn't "race" one in that series -self, family, class,
> region, ethnicity,...,  of identity constructs  constitutive of
> human existentiality; and having little or nothing to do with
> biology?

race is a myth according to ashley montagu.




> 
> ought a naive racism discredit that  construct any
> more than naive religion, a thing equally prone to
> the chauvinist pathology, disqualify religion?
> 
> pc thot police notwithstanding,
> isn't racism as necessary  as gender identity?
> 
> bob
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: heidegger-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu
> <heidegger-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu>
> To: Rscheetz <Rscheetz>
> Date: Friday, January 29, 1999 5:21 PM
> Subject: race...
> 
> 
> >
> >Jim;
> >interesting comments and actually I agree with a lot of them. I do
however
> >think there is a question here, and maybe I can use the example of "mix"
> that
> >was cited. I see nothing in the word that would lead directly to
assuming
> >something perjorative and implying "pure race" . Is it simply in your
mind
> >impossible and not acceptable to discuss "race"? If I say that I'm part
> German
> >and Polish, what am I saying? Only that my parents were from those
> countries.
> >Now if one of them was of Indian descent and I said Polish, but of
ethnic
> >Indian origins...what then? I see how ludicrous the discussion of race
can
> >become, and usually how meaningless, but if I wanted to communicate my
> parents
> >ethnic and cultural background...how should i do it? Is it wrong to say
Im
> a
> >mix of Polish and German, those were two languages spoken in my house as
a
> >child, along with English. Where is the problem? I would argue that
"mixed
> >race' does not mean "mix of pure race"...not at all. If I say my Mom was
> >Polish...that only means she was born in Poland, spoke Polish, and grew
up
> >with Polish cultural conditioning...NOT that she belonged to some
imagined
> >pure race of Poles (the last people by the way who would sugges anything
> like
> >that). It does not grant legitimacy on regressive notions of "purity".
If
> one
> >cannot make the distinction in one's language and vocabulary (and hence
in
> >thinking) between pure race hate mongering and scapegoating, and the use
of
> >useful terms like "mix' in the discourse of everyday life (as Marcuse
put
> it)
> >then that person has a seriously impaired speech condition. I think I
know
> >what you wnat to say with this, and I think i was guilty in my remarks
of
> >sounding offhand and cavalier, which is a wrong tone to take about a
topic
> >this serious. So I apologize for that, but I think you must not create
> these
> >hard line positions where people who probably share your (at least to
some
> >degree) positions on matters of rascism and intolerance are going to be
> >attacked for using words like 'mix"...and I guess I still find nothing
> >offensive in that word.  Anyway, thanks for your thought out
response...I'm
> >still thinking on it. js
> >
> >
> >     --- from list heidegger-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu ---
> >
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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