http://www.deliberatelyconsidered.com/2011/06/the-fictoid-of-race/ Informed reflection on the events of the day Wed, 15 Jul 2015 17:00:00 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=4.4.23 http://www.deliberatelyconsidered.com/2011/06/the-fictoid-of-race/comment-page-1/#comment-13234 Sun, 19 Jun 2011 15:59:00 +0000 http://www.deliberatelyconsidered.com/?p=5740#comment-13234 Race is certainly a myth which has much to do with how biological differences are interpreted. Genetically speaking, differences of skin color are infinitesimal, so much so as to be generally uninteresting to geneticists. Such a social construction as race is a poor marker of difference, but its salience persists nonetheless and is brought to the fore of public discussion not only by the likes of Rush Limbaugh but also the NAACP. The social construction of race is institutionalized in American society, and in the everyday lives of people, and although Steven Colbert often quips that he “doesn’t see race,” trying not to think about race is often like trying not to think of an elephant. As much as we try to say its unimportant, or not really real, it’s still with us. That’s one of the reasons why those who think that the Civil Rights Act is no longer necessary are, among others things, terrible naïve. The persistence of racism can only be remedied with institutions which help ameliorate the harm it can do. How effective these institutions may or may not be is another matter.

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