Michael Richards (Kramer) loses it on stage

[g0zen]

Race is a social construct and while technically you are correct, if Jews are regarded by themselves and by much of society as a race, does the distinction between race and not race really matter?

I'm not a Jew, so I won't say whether or not it matters to them. I for one, though think that the idea of separating Jews in society goes back far further than 'race', but was certainly picked up by 19th and early 20th racist scientists who sought a validation for deep-seated European antisemitism. Anyway, as to whether or not it matters, I'll just let the following quote from 'Jew FAQ' do the talking:

Are Jews a Race?

In the 1980s, the United States Supreme Court ruled that Jews are a race, at least for purposes of certain anti-discrimination laws. Their reasoning: at the time these laws were passed, people routinely spoke of the "Jewish race" or the "Italian race" as well as the "Negro race," so that is what the legislators intended to protect.

But many Jews were deeply offended by that decision, offended by any hint that Jews could be considered a race. The idea of Jews as a race brings to mind nightmarish visions of Nazi Germany, where Jews were declared to be not just a race, but an inferior race that had to be rounded up into ghettos and exterminated like vermin.

But setting aside the emotional issues, Jews are clearly not a race.

Source

[icarusfall]

I'm not a Jew, so I won't say whether or not it matters to them. I for one, though think that the idea of separating Jews in society goes back far further than 'race', but was certainly picked up by 19th and early 20th racist scientists who sought a validation for deep-seated European antisemitism.

I read a book about the plague a few years back called 'The Great Mortality' that has some great history of Europe's Jew-hate back then.

[Frogacuda]

Show me the Ashkenzai Jew gene. It does not exist. There is no particular genetic code that makes them a different race or species from me.

There's no gene or consistent set of genes for any race actually. Race isn't based on genetics, it's based on appearance.

[rezo]

But your point seems a little bit different from razor's. Yours is more like "hey, my people do that stuff to, so let me play roles about those things" and his is more like "My people don't do things like that, we need our own shows to bring to light those things about us that are different that you are not representing."

Telling stories or providing perspectives they feel aren't represented is where our points crossover, I think.Or, the differences between what I said and what he said don't make them exclude each other. Probably you'll find people are both interested in getting elements of their culture they feel are under-represented into the media as well as being accepted for more non-stereotypical/not-race-specific roles. The sitcom about the Asian family would probably be an example of them getting roles they don't usually get as well as bringing elements of their culture into the mainstream, informing those of us of unfamiliar with it and providing relatable humor/content to those who are.

I don't really care about BET. A criticism of BET I found while reading up on its history is that people think they shouldn't put out the image of representing all black people, and I agree. I also don't know when they ever actual put that image out, though I don't doubt the notion finding its way into their advertising at some point. It started as a weekly two hour block that showed movies and music videos targetted towards black people, and I'm wondering if its perceived importance is just a side effect of its name. No one expects Spike TV to be representative of all young males or anything though I don't think people would dispute that as the station's target audience. There are other "black" stations with different kinds of programming. The Black Family Channel, for instance, apparently avoids rap/hip hop shows; maybe it exists as a rebuttal to the content on BET. I don't know as I watch neither and never heard of the BFC until a few minutes ago while running aroung google.

[D_N_G]

There's no gene or consistent set of genes for any race actually. Race isn't based on genetics, it's based on appearance.

You are right to an extent: here is a good blog on the whole subject:

http://nusapiens.blogspot.com/2005_0...s_archive.html

What Causes Racial Variation?
There is much confusion about the idea of race: that is, three or four or five categories to classify human variety. The scientific consensus is that human variation is best described as continuous global variation created by isolation by distance. Racial types as discrete genetic units do not exist.

However, the popular perception is that race is real. The U.S. Government asks people to describe their race on the U.S. Census. Most people consider their race an important aspect of their self-image: people might not know their blood type, but nobody "forgets" what race they are.

Yet science does validate human variation. A blind computer program such as STRUCTURE can even assign people to their proper continental origin using gene frequencies, with very little error: especially if they are from relatively remote corners of the Earth. This doesn't prove that race exists: it merely means that a computer can imitate human thinking, given the right data and algorhythm. Yet it demonstrates that "race" exists, if only as a small component of human variation.

I actually have invested for many years in the company that provides these genetic makeup DNA tests DNAPrint www.dnaprint.com . Very cool technology and lots of potential. They have screwed over investors though, but thats another story

[g0zen]

There's no gene or consistent set of genes for any race actually. Race isn't based on genetics, it's based on appearance.

So then does that mean an especially tanned white person is no longer white? Or aborigines with more Pacific Island looking bone structure are Asian instead of black? Seriously, if it's all based on something as flimsy and unreliable as physical appearance then why even bother?

[icarusfall]

[Josh]

Everyone stop posting in this thread right now.

[AstroBlue]

Show me the Ashkenzai Jew gene. It does not exist. There is no particular genetic code that makes them a different race or species from me.

5q31.3-q33.1

OWNED BITCH!

Jokes btw. Of course there is no SPECIFIC gene that makes someone an Ashkenazi, racial lines blur as long as all humans can fuck eachother. But groups of racial variation can be made with little stress, try searching for Ashkenazi Jewish Genetic Disorder Support websites And basing people on their phenotype is beyond retarded, does that mean Africans and Aborigines are closely related and not genetically distant like in reality?

ALSO, WHOOP WHOOP.

[Tenchimo Dos]

Everyone stop posting in this thread right now.