What is the difference between a biological and social view of race?
The biological view of race believes that race is determined by biology, the genetic makeup of an individual and their innate characteristics. This can be determined b observing the genetic makeup and taking a look at the chromosomal arrangement of the people belonging to different races. The biological view of view is also influenced by the social view that views people by their physical appearance. The social view believes that race is something that is defined by the skin color of people and the way their hair looks, the shape their eyes are and any other traits that are shared by the people that may resemble each other in terms of the above characteristics. The social view puts people beyond biological beings and differentiates them on the basis of the ideas that society imposes on them and then divides itself into a superior and inferior race. This is determined by the color of the skin or area they belong to. (Newsreel.org)
Anthropologist Alan Goodman says, “to understand why the idea of race is a biological myth requires a major paradigm shift.” Do you agree with this statement?
Yes, I agree with the statement because unless the basic beliefs and misconceptions about races and the discrimination against the races are not changed, until then this notion cannot be understood. People are more concerned with the social views of others . Hence, it creates a barrier in concept rebuilding.
Did the film present anything that shifted your thinking in a major way? If so, what?
The film’s representation of how people perceive one another only on the basis of their looks and establish stereotypes is completely wrong. This forced me to think that it is more important to understand the underlying nature and minds of the people that are being discriminated against rather than going on face value and color of the skin or hair type or height and shape of their eyes.
Is it difficult to make this shift? Why?
Yes, it is difficult to make this shift because the notion of race is an old one and people are set to believe what their ancestors have believed in, and those mindsets still exist, even in the educated and the wealthy. Hence, the beliefs of the people in authority largely influence those of the common people, and they are unwilling to change their views. Hence making a paradigm shift is difficult and complex.
Works Cited
Newsreel.org. Race: The power of illusion. 2003. Web. 2 Feb 2016.
