Entry #4 "Race" The Power of Illusion: The Difference Between Us" Screening

Brian Gerker
ETHN 101
Reading Journal Entry #4
9-4-2007

Video Screening “Race: The Power of Illusion: The Difference Between Us”

I was unable to watch the video on this subject, but I did however, read the transcript that was provided along with the movie. The transcript which I read was quite interesting. It told of how there should not be any racial differences among human beings, because the genetics of any human beings is so similar, that biology cannot be used as a way to classify races. I also thought that the portions on Jesse Owens and Jewish basketball players was quite significant. Athletes are probably the best known people that can be compared biologically to show differences. I believe this mostly because of the stereotypes of races and sports. How African-American’s are best at basketball and Mexican’s are best at baseball. It is important that biology has shown that even though it seems some races are better at certain sports, there is no biological differences that make it so.
I also found to be amusing that the panel of selected people were tested for biological differences and found surprising results. It seemed logical for the whites to believe they would have the most in common, and the blacks would have the most in common, and the Asians would have the most in common, but it did not turn out that way. I think this is essentially important in the way that we look at others. They should not be judged by their skin appearance, but what they are inside that. The experiment done in the movie, or the transcript, proves this.
After reading the transcript, I felt that if everyone would see the movie, or read about it, there should be no questioning about racial differences. We should all realize that having a different color of skin does not make a human any different, other than their outside appearance. We should be able to see that on the inside, through the biological studies that were performed, we are almost completely the same. It was stated that any two humans are more closely related than any two fruit flies. The transcript mentioned that comparing two fruit flies would be like comparing a human to a chimpanzee. This is very significant because comparing two humans would just be like comparing two humans, because they are so closely related genetically. I think that after all this genetic evidence, differences and even stereotypes of races, should be forgotten.