>I don't think many people presume
>that races have huge genetic
>differences. Most folks think races
>have *cultural* differences (as in
>"Asian people do this", "White
>people do that"), but I
>haven't met anyone yet that
>things white people are a
>different subspecies of human being.
>That's outdated and considered psycho
>by most regular people.

True. The main difference between your school and mine is our definition of race... that's why u and kolo got crazy about definitions for a minute. If we all used the same def's, i think we'd see each other's points better.


>Right, and these biological differences became
>the basis for racial classification.
>If we all looked alike,
>there wouldn't be racial categories
>as we know them.

OK...

>
>>At the root of the matter,
>>yes there are differences between
>>people, but no racial classification
>>can be scientifically approved.
>
>Sure it can, by means of
>looking at the occurrence of
>biological traits associated with certain
>racial groups.

So you define a "race" such as the "white race" by a series of characteristics unique to it: medium height, light skin, thin long nose, straight, wavy, or curly hair, possibly light hair and/or eyes, prone to skin cancer.

Okay... and then once you define "white" like that, you can very easily scientifically verify that "white" people are more prone to skin cancer, have thinner longer noses, blonder hair and greener eyes, than black people, who are defined to not have those characteristics.

Like I said, racial classifications are their own evidence and their own consequence.

If someone makes a scientific hypothesis like "White people have lighter skin than black people," and then proves it by classifying "whites" as those with light skin, what exactly are they proving?

Scientific experiments have proven that Japanese people are Japanese.

>>You say a Spaniard is
>>different from a Moroccan,
>
>did i?

Oops. No, you didn't.

>
>> but
>>people have traveled back and
>>forth ever since the times
>>the first hominids crossed the
>>straight between them. The
>>genetic difference between two Spaniards
>>(who are not relatives) is
>>just as great as the
>>difference between a Moroccan and
>>either of the two Spaniards.
>
>i concede this point.
>
>still, this just means that classifications
>are arbitrary (nationality, ethnicity, etc)
>as none of these groupings
>place people together by genetic
>makeup (only family could, actually).
>

see, we don't think that different from each other. Your definition of race is just less strict than mine.

>
>>It's not as if Africans and
>>Europeans were ever at any
>>point isolated from one another.
>> People always traveled.
>>So did genes.
>
>Have to disagree here. Africa is
>a rather large continent. In
>the absence of relatively modern
>modes of travel, getting from
>South Africa to Sweden is
>a pretty arduous task. So,
>there was some degree of
>isolation.

Okay, then let's not talk about Sweden and S.A. Let's talk about Spain and Morocco.

>
>All this said, everyone seems to
>agree that physcial traits between
>races can be distinguished.

Only as those races are defined by those physical traits. You paint the door red in order to prove that it is red.

> Any
>tendency which can be observed
>can be scientifically proven
>And
>so it goes with racial
>difference. Someone just set up
>random demarcating points (if you
>possess these characteristics, you are
>____), but it's still based
>on observable phenomena. Why not
>argue for a breakdown of
>ALL categorizations. Because, honestly, there's
>not much difference b/t any
>randomly chosen group of people.

You're marchin right up my alley.

>As such, arguing against one
>form of classification while supporting
>another appears arbitrary and illogical.
>There is no genetic basis
>at all for cultural groups.
>So why hould people call
>themselves French or German?

because that's a part of their life. if you're from Germany and you speak, live, and breathe German, that's pretty damn significant to you no matter what way you look at it. How important is your long thin nose and your pasty white ass?

To answer your question with another question: Is it okay for someone to be proud to be German? How about proud to be "white"?