What does it mean that race is “socially constructed”?
In: Other
A lot of people are talking in broad, general terms, so lets use an example:
Here’s a simple question: How many “races” are there?
If “race” was a measurable thing, this question should have a definable answer. But, what defines a “race”? How broad or narrow should the categories be? For example, who gets to be “white”?
It it anyone with a skin color lighter than a certain cutoff (and what’s the cutoff)? Is it only Europeans, excluding Asians and Inuit? Does it include Italians? What about Irish? What about Northern Europeans like Saami or Siberian Inuit? Are hispanics “white”? What about light-skinned Europeans born in Spain? Do South African people count? Do they also get to call themselves “African” or “African American”?
Ultimately, even though we call people “white”, the actual categories have very little to do with skin color. Its mostly a process of cultural exclusion against anyone who doesn’t get to be treated like a 1st class Citizen.
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