Thoughts on the concept of “race”

Stance and Opinion

I believe "race" is a socially constructed myth to support ideals associated with one's country of birth. Interlinked with the political climate within a nation. The period of the Apartheid in South Africa comes to mind or the normalized beauty standard of the model industry within different cultures.

Both partially contributing to an absence of inherent acceptance. When people don't resemble the typical appearance of individuals from their respective regions. Eitherway, there is often an overwhelming exposure to a specific racial group in reality. I think racial classification is a means to understand how behavior manifests within specific contexts, whether "race" as a concept is scientifically valid or not. The alternative is to consider each person as an entirely unique individual. Oftentimes counter intuitive, overly complex, and time-consuming, so instead, I think we often apply a filter before hand. Thus, I believe the notion of "race" is largely a socially constructed myth resulting from our tendency to take cognitive shortcuts. There is a middle ground.

Imagine a chef with a series of complicated dishes to prepare, only for the customers to change their minds halfway through the preparation. They lead the chef to become wary of accepting complex requests. The chef shapes cognitive shortcuts based on rare experiences, leading to risk-averse decisions. In my opinion, societal acceptance shapes scientific perspectives on "race". "Race" being scientifically valid arises from a desire to uphold traditional cultural norms. On the other hand, there are dissenting voices within the scientific community that challenge popular beliefs.