The ideas of race science may have been appealing to so many Europeans and Americans in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries for a wide variety of reasons including the benefits and justifications for certain actions. The majority of europeans and americans were white people and the idea of being superior to another entire group would look enticing as they would then be treated differently and receive benefits over the inferior groups. It would give them the status that they would seek. The other aspect, the justification, would allow them to fix any cognitive dissonance from the colonies that they benefited from at the expense of others. It would give them justification for the entire idea of colonizing and forcing ideas on them. In other words, it would play into the white man’s burden to civilize the inferior groups they deemed savage and uncivilized. Some of the main socio-psychological ideas that help explain its appeal are mentioned already, cognitive dissonance, the white man’s burden, and in a way group think as well. Once the ideas of race science started, the everyday person would feel pressure to believe in race science because not only is everyone else but well known scientists are also active in race science. The everyday person would see credibility in race science because well known scientist who have spent their life learning also believe in it. There was also money to be made in the growing race science, so even if somebody did not genuinely believe in it, they played into it for their benefit. Once these ideas of race science made their way into policies and laws in the United States they became even more legitimate. It was no longer just an idealogy but it was now law that can be enforced. Some laws were passed that so obviously kept the minorites at a disadvantage such as the grandfather clause which restricted african americans from becoming US citizens because most african american’s grandfather were not citizens as they had been slaves. In combination with a growing United States, it began to be built surrounding those laws influenced by race science. Although much progress to minimize the impacts, these impacts are most reverberating today in the perception of certain minorities by people in the US. While no longer law, many people still hold the belief that these minorites are inferior and treat them differently. They are also present in things such as imprisonment and impoverished places and many other places. The ideas of race science and racial differences are still with us in society although on a much minor scale. These ideas remain because of how long they have been around. The amount of time they have been around allowed them to really establish ground in people's minds. Some of the impacts of these ideas still remain in society such as minorities being offered less opportunities in life. The outcome of this is that the part of the minorites with less opportunities may resort to desperate choices that are looked down upon. For people who still believe in the ideas of race science, this would be the justifiation for their beliefs. Overall, the people who benefitted from these ideas of race science ended up in a better situation than the people who were negatively impacted leading to feelings of superiority. Acknowledging and learning about history with race science and racism would be the best way to counter this new racist ideology.
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100 Years of Race Science
Ideas of race ‘science’ appealed to so many Europeans because they received immense benefit from the indirect effects of the ‘science’ put into practice. When members of the scientific community in each European country put out their explanations for a lack of European style society in other parts of the world, even if they didn’t understand or believe in the ‘science’ behind the claim, they accepted it to reduce their cognitive dissonance and justify their actions of colonialism and imperialism. Furthermore, once an idea was popularized, such as the “separate but equal” doctrine in the United States, it was much more comfortable for others to go along with it and not challenge its basis, thanks to the principles of groupthink.
Much of the long lasting impacts of race ‘science’ policies are too difficult for one to remove with simply a policy shift or even a regime change. For example, the long lasting effects of the Gentlemen’s agreement can be felt in the generations of Asian Americans living after the fact who may have complicated parental relationships as they grapple with maintaining their traditional culture from the moms side and at the same time try to fit in with the already assimilated european americans. Another example of this is how the convict lease system was used to keep African Americans in some form of slave labor following the 13th amendment. Though in this instance, the lasting impact is that the United States still practices the policy, as it was never found to be unjust officially (probably because it makes the US a lot of money that they don’t want to give up).
The ideas are still with us today because we never got rid of them. Even when a practice such as redlining became unpopular and outlawed, there remained at least one of two problems. One, the components of the policy are maintained under a different name or without being said out loud, such as how redlining is still somewhat practiced just, instead of there being actual economic maps to find the most stable, usually white, families, an area can simply be judged based on income since race tracks with it. Or two, the damage is already done. Although redlining is illegal nowadays, the amount of people denied access to insurance or mortgages is innumerous. Our current urban/suburban dynamic can be attributed to the actions of our ancestors not even that far back in the past. One last factor still exists that may drive the spread of race ‘science’ ideas. According to Ramin Skibba in the article The Disturbing Resilience of Scientific Racism, “plenty of racist, young white men continue to promote concepts of scientific racism”. So of course, the ideological side needs to be dealt with. We must stop the spread of the ideas of race ‘science’, and one of the biggest ways we can do that is through education and activism. However there is another side to the mess that needs to be addressed, and that is the physical impact on the millions of lives that were worsened on behalf of these policies. Apologizing alone won’t do any good if racism is ingrained into our societal system. One way to make amends for the tangible damage caused is to increase public investment. Since most communities reliant on government facilities and services happen to be the same as those unfairly impacted by these policies, further investment into those facilities in place of, say, the war economy, which seems only to feed the richest of the rich in our society, not to mention ruin countless lives in the process.Learn to Question Post 3: Impacts of Race 'Science' in the United States Then and Now
In the nineteenth and early twentieth century, race science was used as a way for white Americans to reduce their cognitive dissonance with their beliefs regarding race. The idea that people with other skin colors were inferior stemmed from their desire to keep control over the population and remain in power. As a post mentioned earlier, race science gave white people a ‘scientific’ justification to oppress people of color and to provide themselves with more power. They needed a reason to discriminate against people of other skin colors without just plainly stating that they were inferior, and their idea was using science which was trusted by the majority of the population. Because of race science, many of their goals were achieved such as the deportation or detaining of many non-white people. They thought this was necessary because their jobs were taken away by people of different color so instead of using their labor to benefit the economy, they decided to remove them from the country and take away their jobs. In is Race Science Making a Comeback? it states, “The people who hardened these categories wanted us to believe that we are fundamentally different. We are not fundamentally different.” We can see an example of a way white people try to brainwash others into thinking people of color were different through the term “yellow peril”. This term deemed Asian Americans unclean and unfit for citizenship in America, but they were essentially the same people as everybody else. Another appeal for race science could be wanting to keep the country “clean” which we can see by the term yellow peril as describing people as dirty if they weren’t white.
The pervasive ideas of race science are still with us even today, where everyone is aware of how flawed the methods were back then. These ideas still persist because there has never been an impactful effort to address them and remove them. For example, ideas about Asian Americans being a model minority are still lingering even though it is proven that everyone has individuality and doesn’t represent a group of people. There are many forms of media in society now that reinforce stereotypes of certain groups of people and it brings us backwards. Gavin Evans writes, “One of the reasons scientific racism hasn’t gone away is that the public hears more about the racism than it does about the science.” Stereotypes are a known thing but heavily disregarded when judging someone. Even when people know the science is wrong, it goes past their mind when the racist stereotypes are so emphasized throughout their lives. Countering this new racist ideology would be difficult for a big population but as other posts have stated, we can start with the current generation and it would slowly make its way into the world. It cannot be guaranteed that many people would agree that there are still racist ideologies that shouldn’t be supported so it’s best to start with the youth and their ideas would be carried onto their kids.
Race Science: Past and Present
Race science was extremely attractive to white Europeans and Americans during the 19th and 20th centuries because it legitimized two of the most important factors of their growth: colonization and capitalism. The Berlin Conference of 1884 cemented colonization as the primary way Europe would increase their power for the next century. America soon followed in the 20th century, colonizing native American lands, the Philippines, and Hawaii. Colonies were so important because they provided raw materials, free labor, and markets for goods produced at home. But people at home knew colonization was violent, messy, and unchristian, no matter how good the propaganda. This led to a lot of cognitive dissonance; members of European societies, many of them Christians, felt wrong about colonizing on the basis of economic growth. Race science was the solution for leaders. By pushing forth the idea that God had designed non white people to be servants to white people, and that the people they were colonizing were a different, subhuman species, people at home felt fine about supporting their nation’s colonization.
And at home, race science catalyzed capitalism by prolonging slavery. Capitalism relied on ever increasing profits which relied on free or very cheap labor. Enslaved people had provided that free labor for a long time. But abolition movements of the 19th century and the impending civil war threatened to remove that force. Scientific racism changed the justification for slavery from economic grounds to religious and cultural ones. Americans believed that the enslavement of Black people must continue, not because of economic necessity, but rather to fulfill God’s desires and follow biology. This is why Louis Agassiz’s works were cited by southern plantation owners. Once the 13th Amendment was passed, race science still appealed to capitalists because it was a way to placate mistreated white workers and continue churning profits. Laws like the Black Codes, Plessy vs Ferguson and Jim Crow laws which, as we learned from classmates' presentations, upheld a “separate but equal" doctrine, reinforced a superiority complex for white people. This meant they were more willing to work in crappy conditions because of the sense of confidence gained from “knowing they’re better than Black people”. Essentially, the rich class prevented class-consciousness and solidarity among the working class across race lines by using policies influenced by scientific racism.
By 1950 white Americans had internalized how the dehumanization of Black people and other POC led to success for white people. Therefore white supremacy became baked into the mythology or “sense of origin story”, as Angela Saini puts it. This mythology continues today. In the classical music world, there’s a lot of racism towards Black musicians. A pianist on Instagram, Jamal, (@jianissimo) often shares how people are very surprised at his skill and wonder how he got so good. Though this is usually a compliment on the outside, it’s tinged with race science views that different races have different aptitudes for various skills, like music. As Angela Saini reflects in the article “Is ‘Race Science’ Making A Comeback?”, “our societies still “play on these assumptions and stereotypes and the lack of education that we have around these issues, and they make us believe that identity is biological''.
It seems like in 2023, many people feel that because “full equality” has been achieved, therefore any differences in performance among “races' ' are “proof' ' of our biological differences. First off, there’s not full equality; policies like redlining continue to place POC in food deserts at higher rates, as mentioned in the presentation on Jim Crow. Secondly, it takes more than a generation or two to reverse hundreds of years of systematic oppression.
In response to this negative influence of race science in 2023, highlighting racial differences and how they become essential to our identity can be a healing force. For example, groups like Outdoor Afro exist as safe spaces for Black people to exist in normally white-dominated environments. They aren’t saying “we hate white people” but rather “we deserve space to just be outdoors, and not have to be “the Black person” outdoors. Because as souplover mentions, race is so ingrained in all areas of life now that it needs to be addressed for its negative effects to be overcome. And to counter new racist ideology, there needs to be some restriction on users spouting hateful information online, which is where a lot of it spreads. Once people are outside and interacting with each other, everyone sees how false race science is and how human we all are.
Lasting Impacts of Race 'Science'
For hundreds of years, humans have tried to use race “science” to justify acts of violence against certain racial groups. This has been present around the world, but most notably in America and Europe. The reason it was so appealing to these groups was because these teachings allowed for their racist acts to be excused and accelerated, all while hiding behind the word “science”. Significant people in the science world like Louis Aggassiz, who previously established themselves as remarkable in their field, used their platforms to say that non-whire people were inferior to white people and therefore deserve to be treated that way. They did this as a way to reduce their cognitive dissonance by justifying their wrong actions. These race theories became more and more popular throughout the 19th and 20th centuries to the point where their principles crept into United States Law and Policy. An example of this was the Gentlemen's Agreement of 1907. This policy was targeted to Japanese Americans because of growing tensions between the two countries. It stated that “all aliens were ineligible for citizenship” which was a way to dehumanize Japanese people. The law also made for white people to stop shopping at Asian American shops which caused a great racial divide between the two. This directly mirrors the teachings of pseudo-scientist Louis Agassiz and his ideas that races should be kept separate because they are “different species”. A similar example of this was the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 which marked the ten year ban of Chinese workers coming over to America. Race “science” played a large role in this law because the United States otherized Chinese people and labeled them as not human. This made for racism of Asian Americans to be excelled and then justified. Both of these examples still have impacts on America today in the form of racism against Asain Americans, sparking nationwide movements like the “Stop Asian Hate” movement as an aftermath of the racism Asian Americans faced following the Covid-19 pandemic. Even though it is known that the methods and the findings of this pseudo- science is incredibly flawed, the impacts still are seen today. In The Guardian, they account the people who weaponize this propaganda as “‘alt-right’, who like to use pseudoscience to lend intellectual justification to ethno-nationalist politics”. It is a perfect mirror of how race “science” was used in the past to how people still use it. Similar to the past, they justify their racism by saying “poor people are poor because they are inherently less intelligent” (The Guardian) and not actually seeing facts of things like systemic racism being the root of a lot of poverty. To combat this spreading of fake ideals, people can educate themselves about America's past and how it influences the world today. However, this can be difficult when many of the people perpetuating this misinformation blindly follow the ideology. It is important to view the world and face its difficult history. Then, look at society and begin to analyze how racism plays such a large part. Being able to identify the root of that racism in terms of United State’s law and policy, America can start pushing back against the harm they have done and continue to do.
Impacts of Race 'Science' in the United States Then and Now
Race science may have been appealing to Europeans and Americans in the nineteenth century because it allowed them to justify their imperialism. During this time these larger countries were extracting profit and natural resources from land that belonged to other groups of people. This is an immoral action that can not be justified by any government, so they needed an excuse for their actions. Even though their true motive was profit, these governments looked to race science to provide an answer to why they were colonizing and setting up trans-Alantic empires. The main socio-psychological idea that explains why these governments would do this cognitive dissonance. They were committing sometimes very brutal and unforgivable acts in the name of profit, and people needed a justification for their orders. Race-science was an easy answer since it meant people never had to question their actions and could believe in their own superiority. The ideas of race science became an easy way to justify the actions that are necessary for imperialism.
In US policy, race science was present throughout the nineteenth and twentieth century. For example in the Indian Residential schools there was a policy of “saving the man and killing the Indian.” This was clearly a policy of white supremacy and that any other culture was inherently “savage.” These schools were widely practiced and extremely abusive. These policies were used as a part of the take over of Native American land. These schools were part of ideas put forward by one of their most influential race “scientists” Louis Agassiz. These ideas can include polygenism, and “white man’s burden.” Even more connected to the ideas that races shouldn’t mix is redlining. In many cities including Boston there was an ideology of denying home ownership to people of color. This resulted in segregation that still exists today, and since school funding is based on property taxes years of purposefully not allowing people of color to own homes has resulted in underfunding schools in these communities of color.
The legacy of these policies and ideas based on race are still present, especially in Boston. These deplorable ideas have even reached the highest levels of government, with the Guardian writing “Donald Trump’s chief strategist, wrote an article in which he suggested that some black people who had been shot by the police might have deserved it.” The legacy of race science when it comes to police is ever present in people’s lives. As police were first formed in the 1700s as a means to control slave uprising in the American south, and capture escaped slaves in the north, there is a direct connection to race science. These ideas are still present, because we did not abolish these systems like slavery, police, and segregation; but American allowed them to evolve. The wording of the 13th amendment is such that once a crime is committed slavery is legal, the police were not abolished and they constantly fail us in modern society, and segregation especially in Boston in still present as a result of Redlining.
Originally posted by buttercup on October 22, 2023 14:29
The ideas of race science were appealing to Europeans and Americans because it reduced their cognitive dissonance associated with their racist actions and beliefs. White people wanted to preserve their superiority over other races (superiority complex) and they believed race science justified their actions. These white people acted so controlling over other races because they were actually insecure, and their cruel actions stem from a place of weak self-esteem and sense of identity. In other words, white people act superior because they are scared of feeling lesser than anyone else, so in order to get ahead, they create race science to give them a reason to feel better about themselves.
There was a wide variety of different impacts each policy/law had on society. For the Gentleman’s Agreement and the Chinese Exclusion Act, they led to a decrease in the immigration of Japanese and Chinese people to the US. They isolated Asians already in the country from the rest of American society based on the idea of polygenism and/or being separate but equal. The annexations of Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines were all based on the idea of the white man’s burden. This idea was published only a little over a century ago, and it is the belief that white people have the duty to civilize the other races because they are savages and not as developed as the white race is (they are not capable of governing themselves). It is connected to race science in that it believes all non-whites are inherently inferior to white people and their race is the cause of their lower intelligence and skill levels. The convict lease system, which was essentially a continuation of slavery, is also connected to race science in that they used the white man’s burden and arguments of race science to justify their actions (ex. Black people are completely different species, they are inferior to whites, and they need to be kept in check).
Although they have been “debunked,” the beliefs of scientific racism and differences between races are certainly still with us in society. Racial discrimination can be seen all over the world, such as police brutality targeted towards Black people, sinophobia during the COVID-19 pandemic, racial profiling/stereotyping, bullying on the basis of race, and microaggressions. These ideas remain prevalent in society because it is propelled by the instinct to categorize people as “us versus them.” They begin to think about how the “us” is superior to the “other,” which establishes a hierarchy, so then they begin to dehumanize and treat the “other” badly in order to affirm their belief that they are superior. Applying this to the idea of race, white people identify with their own race, then classify everyone else as inferior and as completely different species of human (the main idea of race science). This helps them justify their actions of segregation, enslavement, colonization, etc. Although this is not the common belief in the present, the effects of these beliefs and the actions of white people are knitted into the fabric of American society (systemic racism, wealth gap, etc.).
One statement I resonated with was “recognizing privilege and using that to uplift people of color, as well as hearing and listening to their stories, is one way that white people can help,” which was stated by pigeondrivesabus. I agree with this because white people should not be speaking on behalf of minorities and should instead use their privilege to spread the voices of people of color. In order to help counter racist ideology, critical race theory should be taught in schools, and issues concerning race need to be discussed with clear definitions. It should be a working discussion with real action involved. Also, race, racism, and the history of it all should not be swept under the rug to rush in a new era of color-blindness and a non-racial society. Saini says in Is Race Science Making a Comeback? “... race is real in society. It's real in politics. It's real in the ways that we treat each other. It's visceral because we have made it visceral in our everyday lives, and it has a biological impact because of that.” I agree with her statement because although race is a social construct, it matters because we have made it matter, and has devastating effects that are hard for privileged people to see. The hierarchy we have constructed has led to racial disparities in basically all aspects of society. So really, we have fallen into our own trap, and this complex issue is something that takes everyone’s strength and effort to fix. But I believe we will be able to fix it, even if it does take a long time!!
Post your response here.I think your response is great, and connects with what I have in my work as well. This is seen through the topic of the Chinese Exclusion Act, and the impact it still has on Asian Americans today. You also brought up the racial biases and sterotypes brought about after the Covid-19 pandemic, which I find incredibly important since it suggests race 'science' is still previlent today.
Originally posted by Dak Prescott on October 23, 2023 08:39
Race science may have been appealing to Europeans and Americans in the nineteenth century because it allowed them to justify their imperialism. During this time these larger countries were extracting profit and natural resources from land that belonged to other groups of people. This is an immoral action that can not be justified by any government, so they needed an excuse for their actions. Even though their true motive was profit, these governments looked to race science to provide an answer to why they were colonizing and setting up trans-Alantic empires. The main socio-psychological idea that explains why these governments would do this cognitive dissonance. They were committing sometimes very brutal and unforgivable acts in the name of profit, and people needed a justification for their orders. Race-science was an easy answer since it meant people never had to question their actions and could believe in their own superiority. The ideas of race science became an easy way to justify the actions that are necessary for imperialism.
In US policy, race science was present throughout the nineteenth and twentieth century. For example in the Indian Residential schools there was a policy of “saving the man and killing the Indian.” This was clearly a policy of white supremacy and that any other culture was inherently “savage.” These schools were widely practiced and extremely abusive. These policies were used as a part of the take over of Native American land. These schools were part of ideas put forward by one of their most influential race “scientists” Louis Agassiz. These ideas can include polygenism, and “white man’s burden.” Even more connected to the ideas that races shouldn’t mix is redlining. In many cities including Boston there was an ideology of denying home ownership to people of color. This resulted in segregation that still exists today, and since school funding is based on property taxes years of purposefully not allowing people of color to own homes has resulted in underfunding schools in these communities of color.
The legacy of these policies and ideas based on race are still present, especially in Boston. These deplorable ideas have even reached the highest levels of government, with the Guardian writing “Donald Trump’s chief strategist, wrote an article in which he suggested that some black people who had been shot by the police might have deserved it.” The legacy of race science when it comes to police is ever present in people’s lives. As police were first formed in the 1700s as a means to control slave uprising in the American south, and capture escaped slaves in the north, there is a direct connection to race science. These ideas are still present, because we did not abolish these systems like slavery, police, and segregation; but American allowed them to evolve. The wording of the 13th amendment is such that once a crime is committed slavery is legal, the police were not abolished and they constantly fail us in modern society, and segregation especially in Boston in still present as a result of Redlining.
Post your response here. The sentiment that pseudo-scientific policies are not abolished, but evolved is a great way to put it. In my LTQ post, I wrote that while outward racism is generally no longer sociably acceptable, subtle racism has taken over. This is the reason why racist policies had to evolve, and become not racist policies, that are used disproportionately or under different reasoning.
Originally posted by pigeondrivesabus on October 22, 2023 13:02
The ideas of race ‘science’ were appealing in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries because they gave white people a ‘scientific’ justification to oppress people of color and to provide themselves with more power. In every single law that was presented, and that is attached to the United States governmental system, there is racism weaved in between the lines, no matter how hard we have worked to eradicate that. This is traced all the way back throughout history, but one of the reasons that the laws continue to favor white people is because they believed, and were given reason to believe, that they were superior. People of color were seen as animals, told that they did not belong in the United States, and that they were physically wrong. Putting this ideology into the heads of people significantly lowered their self-esteem, but also left them little opportunity and thus they were pulled much farther behind than white people. For example, in the Chinese Exclusion Act, the Mexican repatriation, and many more, white people dehumanized and oppressed them because they thought that they were “taking jobs.” In reality, many of them were born in America and were just trying to help their families. However, this is still seen in our country today. All the time, immigrants face racism and xenophobia with the claims that they are taking “American jobs.” Trump used this idea and was a major contributor to the xenophobia in this country. To counter this, it is essential that we remain educated, doing assignments like these in school, but also implementing what we have learned and viewing our communities through this lense. In addition, there is a significant amount of redlining in Boston, where the idea that “black people are not capable of managing loans” has been carried through the years, and is rooted into the system of loans and insurance today. During the presentations, there was not one presenter who did not mention that the oppressed group was being targetted because white people throught they were an inferior species. Race ‘science’ was what led them to do such horrific things to them.
Recognizing privilege and using that to uplift people of color, as well as hearing and listening to their stories, is one way that white people can help. According to Angela Saini, race has a “biological impact” because it “impacts people’s bodies, minds, [and] affects how they live and how they grow.” The ideas of race ‘science’ are still implemented because there are still scientists who have biases, and these biases are incredibly hard to get rid of, especially when it is a bias that someone has grown up with throughout childhood. This is why it is ever so important that we, as a society, reverse the effects of Agassiz and other race ‘scientists’ as much as we can, starting with recognizing the effects that it has had in our neighborhoods and communities and checking our own privilege.
Post your response here. I completely agree with all of the points you made. I thought it was a very good point how you used Trump and his policies as an example of how immigrants are viewed as taking jobs because it provides a very good example of how these problems are still very prevalent in today's society even if we think we have gotten better. I also agree with the statement you made about biases, because everyone has biases no matter what group they belong to, and that is something we can't escape. Because of this, it is better to try to understand how to keep our biases in check so that they do not alter our appreciation of other people and our views of science and the way we percieve others.
Originally posted by pigeondrivesabus on October 22, 2023 13:02
The ideas of race ‘science’ were appealing in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries because they gave white people a ‘scientific’ justification to oppress people of color and to provide themselves with more power. In every single law that was presented, and that is attached to the United States governmental system, there is racism weaved in between the lines, no matter how hard we have worked to eradicate that. This is traced all the way back throughout history, but one of the reasons that the laws continue to favor white people is because they believed, and were given reason to believe, that they were superior. People of color were seen as animals, told that they did not belong in the United States, and that they were physically wrong. Putting this ideology into the heads of people significantly lowered their self-esteem, but also left them little opportunity and thus they were pulled much farther behind than white people. For example, in the Chinese Exclusion Act, the Mexican repatriation, and many more, white people dehumanized and oppressed them because they thought that they were “taking jobs.” In reality, many of them were born in America and were just trying to help their families. However, this is still seen in our country today. All the time, immigrants face racism and xenophobia with the claims that they are taking “American jobs.” Trump used this idea and was a major contributor to the xenophobia in this country. To counter this, it is essential that we remain educated, doing assignments like these in school, but also implementing what we have learned and viewing our communities through this lense. In addition, there is a significant amount of redlining in Boston, where the idea that “black people are not capable of managing loans” has been carried through the years, and is rooted into the system of loans and insurance today. During the presentations, there was not one presenter who did not mention that the oppressed group was being targetted because white people throught they were an inferior species. Race ‘science’ was what led them to do such horrific things to them.
Recognizing privilege and using that to uplift people of color, as well as hearing and listening to their stories, is one way that white people can help. According to Angela Saini, race has a “biological impact” because it “impacts people’s bodies, minds, [and] affects how they live and how they grow.” The ideas of race ‘science’ are still implemented because there are still scientists who have biases, and these biases are incredibly hard to get rid of, especially when it is a bias that someone has grown up with throughout childhood. This is why it is ever so important that we, as a society, reverse the effects of Agassiz and other race ‘scientists’ as much as we can, starting with recognizing the effects that it has had in our neighborhoods and communities and checking our own privilege.
Post your response here.
I agree 100% with this idea. The key to actually succeeding in lowering opportunities for people is to tell them they don't have any self-worth. Backing up this idea with "science" is the best way to reduce the dissonance of those who oppress the people. The systemic idea that you're born with the social privileges given to people tells the world that there's no way up the social ladder. Your place in society will always be your place because of who you are and how you were born.
Something I found interesting was the quote by Meraji, where she highlights that kids didn't throw rocks at her because of genetics, but rather because of her skin color. Just because we have made it clear that the 'science' originally implemented was not real, those ideas have been transferred through generation, and are intertwined with laws and within societal values. For example, with Plessy vs. Ferguson, the "separate but equal" idea is still seen in BLS, for example. There is a heavy weight of white people while there are not as many POC, and considering that this is "the best public school in MA," it is concerning that they haven't fixed the issue of race equity.
Originally posted by behappy19 on October 21, 2023 14:33
Europeans and Americans believed that they were part of the superior race of the world. This was obviously false; however, the ideals of race “science” supported their beliefs. Along with being the “superior” race, Europeans and Americans felt as though they were “obliged” to “civilize” groups of people who were deemed inferior to them. This was seen with the creation of The Indian Residential School System in America as well as Canada. The objective of these “schools” were to assimilate Native American children into society, but this was false. The actual truth behind the creation of this system was that it wanted to erase native American culture completely. Europeans and Americans blindly believed in race “science” because it benefited them as it gave them a “valid” reason to colonize other countries and blatantly ignore their rights as human beings. The Berlin Conference is a prime example of this since it was a discussion between the western countries about the partitioning of Africa. This conference led to the mistreatment of many African tribes specifically the genocide of the Herero people by Germany. Race “science” gave these colonizers “justification” for their terrible actions and further incentive to “civilize” the world.
The United States of America prided itself on being a land of freedom, but this just was not the case. People of color were treated as second class citizens and were forced to endure policies and rulings such as Plessy vs. Ferguson. Plessy vs. Ferguson was an important Supreme court case that legitimized the “separate but equal” doctrine for public facilities. The public facilities offered for people of color were inferior in service and accommodations which appealed to the idea that white people were the superior race. Although the United States claimed that all citizens were equal their laws proved that this was not the case. Segregation emphasized the pseudo-science belief that people of different races should be classified differently. Race “science” gave white Americans “justification” for going against the Constitution. In modern America people of color continue to be segregated through the separation of neighborhoods. People of color are often affected by redlining which favors lower class white neighborhoods over lower class black neighborhoods. Furthermore, the lack of opportunities and privilege are still precedent in today’s society for people of color. An example of this is how people of color are more likely to be wrongfully imprisoned. This can be tied back to the Convict Lease System. This system used a loop hole in the 13th amendment to gain free labor. Those who were targeted were people of color because they were viewed as “sub-human.” Today there is a higher percentage of people of color incarcerated because they do not have the privilege of being able to navigate the justice system.
Believe it or not, race “science” ideals are still prevalent in society, although the methods used to prove these differences were incredibly flawed. White supremacist groups continue to be active today and even perform protests. Although the KKK may not be as prevalent as it once was there are still people who are part of the far-right terrorist organization. These ideas still exist because there are still major divides between races. In the article, “Is 'Race Science' Making A Comeback?” Shereen Marisol Meraji states, “I've read genetics textbooks on race that say race is all silly — we should all let it go and live in this kind of colorblind world. Well, no, because that's not the world that we live in. These things matter, because that boy when I was 10 years old did not throw rocks at me because of genetics.” Racism has been embedded into society for so long that it will not just fade away even though this “science” has been debunked. To counter the revival of this ‘new’ racist ideology is to keep it from infiltrating politics. Race and politics should not be intertwined because everyone should be treated equally. If this is not done then racist rulings and laws can be passed and the United States will go back to how it was in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
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Originally posted by asdfghjkl;' on October 22, 2023 17:18
The ideas of race ‘science’ have been appealing to so many Europeans and Americans in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries due to the exploitation of other races. Due to race science there was justification to finding others “inferior,” and white people were able to use this to their advantage. The ideas of race science are described in the article by Jess Kung, Gene Demby, and Shereen Marisol Meraji titled, “Is Race Science Making a Comeback?” In the article it states there were “different species or different breeds as humans” and there might be a “racial hierarchy between us.” Tying into the white people feeling superior, and allowing a type of “justification” of the oppression of other races. This leads to the justification of imperialism, because white people perceived other races as “subhuman.”Meaning, in their eyes, these races should be cared for. The ripple effect of race ‘science’ is still prevalent in today's society. This can be seen in many laws and policies including the annexation of Puerto Rico. This country was annexed in 1898 during the Spanish-American War, and was justified through this race ‘science.’ The Puerto Ricans were forced to assimilate to American Culture, and their smaller farms were taken over by big sugarcane industries. The Americans believed they could do more with the island because they thought of the inhabitants and inferior to them. They believed they needed to help those who were not white because they could not thrive on their own. Tying into the ‘science’ because they believed white people had bigger brains and therefore were smarter than the other races. The work at the sugar plantations was also deplorable, and this was justified through white people believing other races were “subhuman” and they were the superior species. As mentioned before there was justification for imperialism and colonization, so the United States thought they could “help” Puerto Rico. This ended with Perto Rico gaining a bad economy with no sovereignty which is still prevalent today. The United States allows this to continue, even though the justification was from the pervasive ideas of race ‘science’ society, because these citizens pay federal taxes and give goods to the mother country. Another example of this is the Chinese Exclusion Act in the United States, which gave justification for deporting Asian Americans. The ‘science’ helps exclusion because they were believed to not be of the same intelligence. Therefore, the white people should not have their jobs taken by ‘inferior’ competition. This still echoes today as well with the racism targeting Asian Americans. For example, during Covid-19 when there had been severe hate towards these people. With this hate targeting certain racial groups it allows for a ‘new’ racist ideology.Explaining what ethnic nationalists cause people to believe is shown in the article, “Is Race Science Making a Comeback?” Where they state, “They play on these assumptions and stereotypes and the lack of education that we have around these issues, and they make us believe that identity is biological, when identity is cultural.” Expanding off of this is what can be done to counter this ‘new’ racist ideology. That is, we do the opposite. The country needs to be more educated on the topics of race and the ‘superiority’ caused by race science. Society should learn from this history, which is still around, in order to make a change to the laws and outcomes.
I also discussed the Chinese Exclusion Act as an example of race "science" integrating itself into American laws. You brought up an important point that I forgot though which was how it also took jobs away from many Asian Americans. Another thing I thought was good from this post was the closing sentence because I also believe that the only way society can grow past these racist teachings is by acknowledging them and learning from them.
Originally posted by cranberryjuicelover6000 on October 23, 2023 07:32
For hundreds of years, humans have tried to use race “science” to justify acts of violence against certain racial groups. This has been present around the world, but most notably in America and Europe. The reason it was so appealing to these groups was because these teachings allowed for their racist acts to be excused and accelerated, all while hiding behind the word “science”. Significant people in the science world like Louis Aggassiz, who previously established themselves as remarkable in their field, used their platforms to say that non-whire people were inferior to white people and therefore deserve to be treated that way. They did this as a way to reduce their cognitive dissonance by justifying their wrong actions. These race theories became more and more popular throughout the 19th and 20th centuries to the point where their principles crept into United States Law and Policy. An example of this was the Gentlemen's Agreement of 1907. This policy was targeted to Japanese Americans because of growing tensions between the two countries. It stated that “all aliens were ineligible for citizenship” which was a way to dehumanize Japanese people. The law also made for white people to stop shopping at Asian American shops which caused a great racial divide between the two. This directly mirrors the teachings of pseudo-scientist Louis Agassiz and his ideas that races should be kept separate because they are “different species”. A similar example of this was the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 which marked the ten year ban of Chinese workers coming over to America. Race “science” played a large role in this law because the United States otherized Chinese people and labeled them as not human. This made for racism of Asian Americans to be excelled and then justified. Both of these examples still have impacts on America today in the form of racism against Asain Americans, sparking nationwide movements like the “Stop Asian Hate” movement as an aftermath of the racism Asian Americans faced following the Covid-19 pandemic. Even though it is known that the methods and the findings of this pseudo- science is incredibly flawed, the impacts still are seen today. In The Guardian, they account the people who weaponize this propaganda as “‘alt-right’, who like to use pseudoscience to lend intellectual justification to ethno-nationalist politics”. It is a perfect mirror of how race “science” was used in the past to how people still use it. Similar to the past, they justify their racism by saying “poor people are poor because they are inherently less intelligent” (The Guardian) and not actually seeing facts of things like systemic racism being the root of a lot of poverty. To combat this spreading of fake ideals, people can educate themselves about America's past and how it influences the world today. However, this can be difficult when many of the people perpetuating this misinformation blindly follow the ideology. It is important to view the world and face its difficult history. Then, look at society and begin to analyze how racism plays such a large part. Being able to identify the root of that racism in terms of United State’s law and policy, America can start pushing back against the harm they have done and continue to do.
I like your mention of the Guardian's point that the alt-right will justify racist circumstances as being because of pseudo-science rather than systematic reasons. They fail to realize, or simply ignore that suffering from poverty is not due to a lack of intelligence, but it's the other way around. Systematic racism leads to poverty, which then leads to a disparity in education. The alt-right chooses not to care about this reality however and would rather believe that white people have more privilege or intelligence because they are superior, and not because they are systematically favored.
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Everything stated in nicehair85's LTQ post really resonated with me and I agreed with the rationale behind their claims. Their bit about groupthink helping to make race science more prevalent and appealing was really interesting and something that did not occur to me when I was creating my own response. Additionally, their claim about capitalism and profit playing into the success of race science as an ideology is very interesting and something that I will definitely think more about. I agree with their statement of race science still being present in today's society because of its deep roots and somewhat long history within US policy and laws.
Originally posted by nicehair85 on October 22, 2023 23:42
The ideas of race science may have been appealing to so many Europeans and Americans in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries for a wide variety of reasons including the benefits and justifications for certain actions. The majority of europeans and americans were white people and the idea of being superior to another entire group would look enticing as they would then be treated differently and receive benefits over the inferior groups. It would give them the status that they would seek. The other aspect, the justification, would allow them to fix any cognitive dissonance from the colonies that they benefited from at the expense of others. It would give them justification for the entire idea of colonizing and forcing ideas on them. In other words, it would play into the white man’s burden to civilize the inferior groups they deemed savage and uncivilized. Some of the main socio-psychological ideas that help explain its appeal are mentioned already, cognitive dissonance, the white man’s burden, and in a way group think as well. Once the ideas of race science started, the everyday person would feel pressure to believe in race science because not only is everyone else but well known scientists are also active in race science. The everyday person would see credibility in race science because well known scientist who have spent their life learning also believe in it. There was also money to be made in the growing race science, so even if somebody did not genuinely believe in it, they played into it for their benefit. Once these ideas of race science made their way into policies and laws in the United States they became even more legitimate. It was no longer just an idealogy but it was now law that can be enforced. Some laws were passed that so obviously kept the minorites at a disadvantage such as the grandfather clause which restricted african americans from becoming US citizens because most african american’s grandfather were not citizens as they had been slaves. In combination with a growing United States, it began to be built surrounding those laws influenced by race science. Although much progress to minimize the impacts, these impacts are most reverberating today in the perception of certain minorities by people in the US. While no longer law, many people still hold the belief that these minorites are inferior and treat them differently. They are also present in things such as imprisonment and impoverished places and many other places. The ideas of race science and racial differences are still with us in society although on a much minor scale. These ideas remain because of how long they have been around. The amount of time they have been around allowed them to really establish ground in people's minds. Some of the impacts of these ideas still remain in society such as minorities being offered less opportunities in life. The outcome of this is that the part of the minorites with less opportunities may resort to desperate choices that are looked down upon. For people who still believe in the ideas of race science, this would be the justifiation for their beliefs. Overall, the people who benefitted from these ideas of race science ended up in a better situation than the people who were negatively impacted leading to feelings of superiority. Acknowledging and learning about history with race science and racism would be the best way to counter this new racist ideology.
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Originally posted by behappy19 on October 21, 2023 14:33
Europeans and Americans believed that they were part of the superior race of the world. This was obviously false; however, the ideals of race “science” supported their beliefs. Along with being the “superior” race, Europeans and Americans felt as though they were “obliged” to “civilize” groups of people who were deemed inferior to them. This was seen with the creation of The Indian Residential School System in America as well as Canada. The objective of these “schools” were to assimilate Native American children into society, but this was false. The actual truth behind the creation of this system was that it wanted to erase native American culture completely. Europeans and Americans blindly believed in race “science” because it benefited them as it gave them a “valid” reason to colonize other countries and blatantly ignore their rights as human beings. The Berlin Conference is a prime example of this since it was a discussion between the western countries about the partitioning of Africa. This conference led to the mistreatment of many African tribes specifically the genocide of the Herero people by Germany. Race “science” gave these colonizers “justification” for their terrible actions and further incentive to “civilize” the world.
The United States of America prided itself on being a land of freedom, but this just was not the case. People of color were treated as second class citizens and were forced to endure policies and rulings such as Plessy vs. Ferguson. Plessy vs. Ferguson was an important Supreme court case that legitimized the “separate but equal” doctrine for public facilities. The public facilities offered for people of color were inferior in service and accommodations which appealed to the idea that white people were the superior race. Although the United States claimed that all citizens were equal their laws proved that this was not the case. Segregation emphasized the pseudo-science belief that people of different races should be classified differently. Race “science” gave white Americans “justification” for going against the Constitution. In modern America people of color continue to be segregated through the separation of neighborhoods. People of color are often affected by redlining which favors lower class white neighborhoods over lower class black neighborhoods. Furthermore, the lack of opportunities and privilege are still precedent in today’s society for people of color. An example of this is how people of color are more likely to be wrongfully imprisoned. This can be tied back to the Convict Lease System. This system used a loop hole in the 13th amendment to gain free labor. Those who were targeted were people of color because they were viewed as “sub-human.” Today there is a higher percentage of people of color incarcerated because they do not have the privilege of being able to navigate the justice system.
Believe it or not, race “science” ideals are still prevalent in society, although the methods used to prove these differences were incredibly flawed. White supremacist groups continue to be active today and even perform protests. Although the KKK may not be as prevalent as it once was there are still people who are part of the far-right terrorist organization. These ideas still exist because there are still major divides between races. In the article, “Is 'Race Science' Making A Comeback?” Shereen Marisol Meraji states, “I've read genetics textbooks on race that say race is all silly — we should all let it go and live in this kind of colorblind world. Well, no, because that's not the world that we live in. These things matter, because that boy when I was 10 years old did not throw rocks at me because of genetics.” Racism has been embedded into society for so long that it will not just fade away even though this “science” has been debunked. To counter the revival of this ‘new’ racist ideology is to keep it from infiltrating politics. Race and politics should not be intertwined because everyone should be treated equally. If this is not done then racist rulings and laws can be passed and the United States will go back to how it was in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Post your response here. The idea of domestic terrorism as part of the continuation of the race pseudo-science is interesting and something I did not think of when I wrote my post. This is true because in recent years there has been a rise in far-right violence such as people's actions on January 6th. You pointed out that these organizations such as the KKK are not as active as they once were, but every year they are becoming more active.
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