Having a functional perspective on race is useful, like my functional perspective on entertainment and in other areas, where like to emphasize now considered by science to be a social construct. But to what purpose? Why would any society construct such a concept?
In essence the British for a bit were certain there was something utterly more awesome about being, British. Those ideas in the US were grabbed and a scientific sheen for their times was added eventually, as yeah Sir Isaac Newton really introduced modern science. So was around.
Not many people around the world of course were exactly in agreement with the British ever, though on their supposed intrinsic awesomeness should note.
Well the 1950's arrive and DNA is found and some were like, woo hoo! As they figured could finally nail down this intrinsic inferiority they supposed was in supposedly lesser races and we know how that went. With science of genetics found we're all descended from humans who left Africa--so were dark-skinned. And we're all related more out here, than there with the folks who descended from those who stayed in Africa.
What a downer for some people am sure. So what about appearances?
Genetics gave answer there as well. Turns out humans are very malleable with regard to appearance related to climate, like will get longer noses in dry climates. And that's really it. And it's a small area of our genetic code as well. And is not at all meaningful to any important human characteristics like intelligence.
Oh so that functional on race thing part. Well after slavery ended in the US over 150 years ago, am thinking the former slaveowners who now were in charge still of much, in hiring people who HAD been slaves, did not value their work properly. Which was probably their honest assessment but then I suspect they noticed something--the deliberately lower pay was demoralizing and debilitating to those who were forced to take it.
And that became a business practice which swept the globe, which I say then, was learned after the end of American slavery by the people who had been slaveowners.
Turns out if you deliberately underpay humans it messes them up all kinds of ways. Gives YOU more money by taking what should have been shared, but also--helps you control them.
Like consider wild things in US: Black people are more likely to be underpaid, are less likely to have higher educational attainment, and vote less as a percentage than other groups.
So like in my home state of Georgia, USA, despite being roughly a third of the population, Black folks do not seem to wield much political clout! Is very odd, eh? Now have given explanation.
Of course we know that women also struggle with underpay, and now can understand why: makes them easier to control. In areas like the American entertainment industry, we have now learned what some people got with that extra control. Making highly desirable performers more malleable?
An incentive to pay less, with lessons I think learned, from watching people who had been slaves, disintegrate psychologically, when deliberately underpaid.
So yeah, was figured out on Black folks am saying, where the worst impacts are STILL there. Where was less potent when used against others, with women also singled out, apparently at least partly as sex objects for predators, who learned was way to help them victimize women, and men or any gender, and also, children. However, most of the effort apparently was at women who were trophies, in my opinion. I think the record reflects that but do worry about my own biases.
Web is cleaning things up. Like there is talking pay which makes it harder to deliberately underpay and get away with it, for most folks. With Black folks? You need to push. Oh yeah, if wondering how you can help, there you go. And again, asking questions can be useful. As get that person to question training that has been highly refined over more than 150 years to accept what should NOT be accepted.
So yeah, some quick questions to just about ANY American Black person and you can be like, huh?
The indoctrinated training is SO DEEP you can have puzzling conversations with Black folks in the US about why they do not ask for proper pay, why they too often do not vote, and why they so often do not strive for better educations.
Simple answer is: the people who trained them got them to do exactly what they wanted them to do.
Things which do not apply to me. I vote just fine, though have missed some, but for the usual reasons. I have been properly paid, and only faced underpay while studying some things. And have a degree in physics from Vanderbilt University. (How I escaped the dysfunctional training is an entirely different story though.)
Have puzzled much about strange conversations with other Black folks. And now I puzzle no more.
Why is it not all explained like above if so simple? Well if it were explained, wouldn't that get rid of it?
Web is finally getting around to that task which is why you know now.
And the British apparently are more humble these days too. Isn't progress grand?
James Harris
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