It was really a class distinction at first, the landed gentry used it to justify and explain their position in society. As empires expanded and exploited more territories it gained power as an explanatory framework for why some people were just destined to be worse off.
Iirc, there was a black American woman whose land sat on an oilfield. I think either she got royalty or sold the land for profit. She was then led to sit in the train with other whites, as she deserves such treatment for a “white woman” according to the conductor.
The world is a lot more shit yet nuanced at the same time than you’d realise.
I would like to get a source on that, I have never heard of it before. In any case if that actually happened then it was A) a pretty extreme statistical outlier, or B) some scheme to get her to sign the papers.
Race has power even if it doesn’t really exist, just like God. It’s been reified/made real through the practice of racism. Barbara and Karen Fields call this Racecraft, in their book of the same name.
“In biological taxonomy, race is an informal rank in the taxonomic hierarchy for which various definitions exist. Sometimes it is used to denote a level below that of subspecies, while at other times it is used as a synonym for subspecies. It has been used as a higher rank than strain, with several strains making up one race.”
I think the debate should instead be about which strain we belong to.
You’re right. And before anyone rebuts, Irish and Italian weren’t considered “white”.
It was really a class distinction at first, the landed gentry used it to justify and explain their position in society. As empires expanded and exploited more territories it gained power as an explanatory framework for why some people were just destined to be worse off.
Ok, well I’ll just tell this to the next black kid in my town who’s shot at because they rang the wrong doorbell. “Have you tried meditation?”
Iirc, there was a black American woman whose land sat on an oilfield. I think either she got royalty or sold the land for profit. She was then led to sit in the train with other whites, as she deserves such treatment for a “white woman” according to the conductor.
The world is a lot more shit yet nuanced at the same time than you’d realise.
I would like to get a source on that, I have never heard of it before. In any case if that actually happened then it was A) a pretty extreme statistical outlier, or B) some scheme to get her to sign the papers.
Race has power even if it doesn’t really exist, just like God. It’s been reified/made real through the practice of racism. Barbara and Karen Fields call this Racecraft, in their book of the same name.
My mind immediately pictured a racist version of minecraft.
I think the debate should instead be about which strain we belong to.
“Race is bullshit!”
“Oh ya? Then how do you explain this bullshit about Race?!”
I’m saying race has a very real effect on people’s lives. It exists.
“Race is a construct” and “race doesn’t exist” are two very different statements.
FTFY