Re: [ADS-L] political correctn

[ronbutters at AOL.COM]

Sali,
Of course you are more or less technically right about this. Geography is 
not an issue.

A better statement would perhaps have been, "Race is socially determined by 
perceptions based primarily upon overt bodily features that are the result 
of heredity; in some theories of race, it is also based upon knowledge of 
the overt bodily features of a person's ancestors (as in those who maintain 
that someone is "African-American" if any of the person's ancestors is 
"african-american.")

The important point, however, is that, whatever one's "race" is, one has no 
control over it. On the other hand, one has a great deal of control over 
one's political beliefs. Unless yoiu just assume that those with whom one 
disagrees are pitiable idiots who are completely governed by irrational forces. 
Even then, though, biological has nothing to do with it. 

My point therefore was, that it is unfair and illogical to equate sneering 
at someone's race with sneering at someone's politics.

In a message dated 1/21/10 7:17:54 PM, s-mufwene at UCHICAGO.EDU writes:


> ronbutters at AOL.COM wrote:
> > And for good reason.
> >
> >  Race is determined by genes.
> >
> Biologists would not agree with your statement, because they  have found
> no correlation between the geographical distribution of genetic
> materials and that of races. For them race is a social, not a genetic,
> category.
> 
> Sali.
> 
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> 
> 

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org