Introduction
Race has long been used as a biological explanation for the differences between groups of people. A more detailed study of race led to the conclusion that race is a social construct. It is not race that affects people, but the environment in which they were developed. Despite the biological unimportance of race, it plays a significant role in the formation of identity. Understanding race as an explanation for human differences tends to overlook the importance of human diversity and the development of systematic racism.
The Role of Race in Society
The issue of race is of particular debate in the medical field, which traditionally collects data on diseases, classifying them according to race. The latest research proves that race as a medical indicator is an erroneous determinant in healthcare (Wright et al., 2022). However, race, or what might be called social or cultural background, influences how identity is formed. Based on visual signs, racial identity can imply both the internal self-identification of a person and the external reaction of others.
Under the influence of the social environment, each person is assigned a certain racial identity, regardless of their awareness. Understanding one’s belonging can be important in shaping one’s outlook on life, and a sense of community contributes to mental health. Awareness of how an identity is formed is critical to human well-being, as it allows one to understand the causes of societal attitudes and factors in shaping life attitudes.
Race also matters because of the existence of systematic racism. Race allows one to build a particular hierarchy in which a whole community can be considered worse than others. Race matters because racism based on this classification cannot be ignored on the path to a stable society.
The idea that race has a biological basis may be to the advantage of racists who are unwilling to admit that their ideas are wrong. These may be people who are at the top of society and benefit from using unskilled labor, and do not follow the policy of declaring equality. This untenable theory can be beneficial to all people in power since oppressed people are easier to control.
Racism can be beneficial to the white population, as it allows them to receive more privileges from the very moment of birth. Racism is also beneficial for people who use the concept of race as a way of self-affirmation through the oppression of people who are different from them. The fact that race can still be recognized as a biological factor of difference leads to the flourishing of racism. The consequences of this phenomenon are expressed in the development of inequality, the oppression of the rights and freedoms of citizens, and the decrease in the general standard of living.
Racism hurts society as a whole, reducing the availability of education and career choices, and increasing the level of violence and intolerance (Braveman et al., 2022). At the same time, the idea that people differ in their ethnic origin lies at the basis of the formation of racism as a discriminatory ideology (Wright et al., 2022). Understanding race as a means of defining man leads to ignoring human diversity. The attribution of certain labels and patterns of behavior limits the importance of individuality.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the concept of race is a social construct that allows people to be conditionally classified into several groups. The theory of the biological significance of race leads to the flourishing of racism based on ethnic discrimination. The consequence of adhering to the idea of the defining value of race is inequality, which hurts social development. Recognizing the theory of the biological significance of race as untenable will be an essential step in the fight against racism, discrimination, and prejudice.
References
Braveman, P. A., Arkin, E., Proctor, D., Kauh, T., & Holm, N. (2022). Systemic and structural racism: Definitions, examples, health damages, and approaches to dismantling. Health Affairs, 41(2), 171-178. Web.
Wright, J. L., Davis, W. S., Joseph, M. M., Ellison, A. M., Heard-Garris, N. J., & Johnson, T. L. (2022). Eliminating race-based medicine. Pediatrics, 150(1), 1-10. Web.