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Originally Posted by JohnnyB
Race is not only real because people treat it that way. That is like saying that flowers are only scented differently because people treat them that way. Or that tabbies and persians are only different because people treat them that way.
There are many 'racial' categories bandied around that are formed on the basis of cultural, national or religious backgrounds and which have little to do with any sort of properly racial categorization. It's also not so simple as dividing folk up into whites, blacks, asians, etc. Africa has something like 6 distinct black indigenous races, one of which is the pygmies.
Granted these categories are functional catgories useful for genealogical purposes, and there is crossover between races (which I'm sure would be increasing in modern days of travel). Nonetheless, the differences do not exist because we observe them. The differences are there for us to observe. The distinctions may strike you as arbitrary, but they are justifiable.
I don't know why this is such an issue. Would you not expect people who have lived on separate parts of the planet for many many thousands of years to have developed differences?
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Why aren't their multiple races in Europe, why is everyone "white" I can pretty much spot certain Eastern Europeans from a mile away, but they are being lumped in with quite distinct groups. Are Italians and Greeks also "white", because it seems a lot of them are pretty dark. Same with Spaniards and Portugese. Also why have certain groups moved into certain races. The term "White" was not created on any biological or physical differences. It was used as a heirarchy. Here is a good wikipedia article on the term White
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whites. By the way I've noticed differences between my father and my uncles, does that mean they are of a different race. And if you have a skin color chart I would like to know where I fit in, or some sort on chart where I can calculate my race based on my ancestors.