Restoration Source: Digital File
Original Writing Date: 02/16/95
Restoration Date: 04/17/2016
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Dear Everyone who believes in "Race",
The events of the past several years, have clearly re-heated the national discussion about "race" and "racism" in our country. Every show on just about every outlet is throwing those two words around a lot, and some are even throwing around ideas on 'how to solve the racism problem'.
Every time that 'racial tension' heats up, I always wonder, "When will anyone in the media ever be brave enough to address the fallacy of the social construct of "race"?" Perhaps I'm crazy, but I am wondering why no one is asking the following question: "Why do we still believe in the idea of "race"?"
May I submit to you, for the purpose of advancing the national discussion; the idea that "race" is actually a LIE!!!!! I may not be a scientist of any kind, but I am an intelligent observer of humanity. Surely I can't be the first person to propose such a radical idea?
I personally came to the conclusion that race was a purely invented social construct, on my own, years ago. It just seemed painfully obvious to me that in fact, that there is no such thing as race at all! The construct of "race" seems to serve only one purpose, as if by intentional design: to divide us all into arbitrary and mutually antagonistic groups of 'others' delineated by surface aesthetic features.
Put simply, it is my theory that the idea of different "races" was invented by ignorant people who feared what they did not understand: other people. The singular function of the concept of "race" is to create a divisive language that allows for the invention, advancement, and normalization of "racism", the hatred of others based on what they look like, despite the fact that underneath these shallow and purely skin-deep features, every human being is essentially identical to every other human being.
Let's all take a moment to really think about it. Scientifically speaking, it must be accepted that we are all descended from one common ancestor, that we've slowly evolved into our modern form over several millenia. Over that massive streatch of time, at several points along our development, there were MASSIVE global population bottle-necks and at least one really harsh Near Extinction Level Event. According to most estimates based on genetics, only a few hundred thousand to half a million individuals survived that event (or events), and they were all from the same place: Africa.*
*(http://mbe.oxfordjournals.org/content/17/1/2.long)
Not a lot of room for different "races" here and yet we cling to the concept! But, gentic science as clearly PROVEN that all people are- 99.99999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999% genetically identical, AND all people are descended from common ancestors, all of whom originated in Africa. Then the question MUST be asked- what is "race"???
Every human being on the planet is related genetically to every other human being on the planet at an exceptionally high percentage level!!! ALL humans are less than 0.00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000001% different!!!! So, I ask again, what exactly IS race???
Knowing these simple facts about humanity makes it difficult to reconcile the concept of "race" with what the genetics indicates- that we are all one family of people with different levels of skin pigment, and slight variations in bone structure. I suggest that "race" does NOT exist whatsoever!
I further suggest that the idea of "race" ONLY exists to create a false dochotomiy- that some races are better than others. This is a lie. I suggest that there is one only "race" of people on this planet: HUMANS. I would also suggest that the only way to overcome "racism" and thwart the progress of those ignorant and hateful people who mean to advance their cause of pointless hate and division, is to expose the lie of "race" for what it is: a concept invented by xenophobic individuals thousands of years ago who feared other people who looked different than themselves.
When the world acknowledges that we are all one people, one family of human beings, one "race", only then will we transcend the violence of racism. Why isn't anyone the media addressing this? How can anyone who understands genetics and history still subscribe to such a divisive and damaging concept as "race"? To continue to believe in "race" is to perpetuate racism! If we all stopped believing in the false differences of "race", then and only then will we be able to unify all of humanity under the simple truth: we are all fundamentally the same.
Why is this idea so ignored in the public discussion of how to solve "racism"? Could it be that keeping racism alive is profiting someone?
Profiteering seems to be the real motive behind all of humanity's problems and so I suggest to you that there are powerful people that are profiting by keeping the rest of us divided. Divided, angry, afraid, and choosing to hate others, instead of actually solving our problems. I write to you in hopes that you will consider doing some investigative reporting on this question of the validity of the concept of "race".
Sincerely,
Aldrich Z. Wordsworth
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