Reply
Fri 17 Aug, 2007 09:09 am
How are genetics or the legal determination of races concluded or arrived at? Would a court base one's claim to be of a certain race on such things as skin color, culture, appearance, DNA, blood tests, etc.? Wouldn't such methods be racist in themselves?
Several years ago some white firefighters in New Orleans claimed they were being discriminated against with regards to promotions, job security, etc. They finally just declared themselves to be African-Americans and threw the court into a tizzy. I don't know what the outcome was.
But can't a person simply claim that he is of whatever race he wants to be? Who can say he is not black, white, Hispanic or whatever race he wants to be?
Thanks in advance for comments, information and discussion.
Follow the genome and you'll find your answer.
Re: Black or white? Says who?
easyasabc wrote:How are genetics or the legal determination of races concluded or arrived at? Would a court base one's claim to be of a certain race on such things as skin color, culture, appearance, DNA, blood tests, etc.? Wouldn't such methods be racist in themselves?
The court systems (in the U.S. at least) pretty much gave up on trying to create any definition of "race" in the 1920s. Genetics looks at the predomenance of genetic factors and classifies based on broad spectrums.
Quote:[Several years ago some white firefighters in New Orleans claimed they were being discriminated against with regards to promotions, job security, etc. They finally just declared themselves to be African-Americans and threw the court into a tizzy. I don't know what the outcome was.
This sounds more like an urban legend than anything else.
Quote:But can't a person simply claim that he is of whatever race he wants to be? Who can say he is not black, white, Hispanic or whatever race he wants to be?
Anyone can claim to be whatever they'd like to claim. There isn't anything to stop them from doing so. I could certianly claim to be an African-American (or Hispanic or Asian) but it isn't likely that the majority of African-Americans (or Hispanics or Asians) would accept it as so.
Re: Black or white? Says who?
fishin wrote:
Quote:[Several years ago some white firefighters in New Orleans claimed they were being discriminated against with regards to promotions, job security, etc. They finally just declared themselves to be African-Americans and threw the court into a tizzy. I don't know what the outcome was.
This sounds more like an urban legend than anything else.
A similar claim was made by white men in Boston, who wanted to be firefighters. They considered themselves to be "black" because they were "black Irish"...
Racism is based on how other people perceive you, not what you claim to be. Statistics are based on what you claim to be on your employment application. Your company might be happy if you claim something interesting since that helps its diversity numbers, but the way you are treated by your supervisor and fellow employees is out of your control.
Stumble It!
Tweet This
Bookmark on Delicious
Share on Facebook
Share on MySpace