Anthropological reason for racism....?

Question

First off I'm NOT a racist. I just want to get opinions on my theory.On National Geographic there was a show on how we all started off in Africa then moved to Central Asia and so on. As we moved from place to place we evolved from dark skinned and flat nosed Africans to pale skinned, pointed nosed Europeans, round faced, chinky eyed Asians or Native Americans/Central Asians with tanned skin and pointed noses and so on.My theory is that the reason there is racism towards people with dark skin is because built into our brains is that being dark is the beginning of evolution like being less advanced or something(Once again, I'm not racist I DO NOT think that people with dark skin are beneath me or ugly or whatever. Living where I do & knowing the people I know i.e. people from every race and continent, I have noticed that people consider traits that are found on Africans less desirable i.e. dark skin. In Africa and Asia there's a mindset that if you're paler you're prettier.That's a fact)

Answer 1

I feel that Peternal hit the answer pretty accurately.

But we have to admit... we've come a long way haven't we? Racism in America was on the decline for a while, now it's on the rise, but the tables have turned.

Answer 2

First, if you want to come across as not racist, you should choose your words more carefully. (ie. "chinky eyed Asians")

Second, if you have observed that there is a preference for certain traits or characteristics, it still doesn't make it a fact.  People may prefer Saturdays over Mondays, but that doesn't make it a fact that Saturdays are better than Mondays.

Third, your theory may hold some validity with some people because there are several causes for racism.

Answer 3

You are saying that there is a genetic component to scorning Africans? How would it be selective?

On shouldn't be afraid of promoting a HYPOTHESIS that may be perceived as racist, but your argument is baseless.

Answer 4

Theories of racism can basically be broken into two main categories: naturalism and relativism.

A naturalist theory would say that racism stems from some innate fear or hatred of difference embedded in human nature, which the theory might consider biological or metaphysical.

A relativist theory would see racism as a product of histories of imperialism, class struggle, and other social developments.

Naturalist theories have less support in the social sciences today. I find that their arguments are very simplistic and they ask us to believe in truths just because they are self-evident.

Relativist theories tend to be more complex. They trace the different ways people have been categorized and perceived over time and ask why changes have occurred. Did you know, for example, in the first four decades of colonial America, there was no significant social distinction made between white indentured servants and black slaves? Did you know that racism was fueled in the South by a deliberate strategy to incite lynchings by printing fabricated newspaper stories about black men raping white women?

As for international standards of beauty, they are more diverse than you make them out to be. For every Korean woman who has surgery to make her eyes wider, there is a Mauritanian woman who is compelled to eat until she is sick so she can be nice and hefty for her husband. Beauty also goes beyond race. Tyra Banks is black, but she conforms more to a dominant version of beauty than most white women. Conversely, racial differences can be used as an 'exotic' turn-on.

Answer 5

There is colour predjudice, but racism, no. As there is only the one kind of human being on earth, that means we are all the one race. A lot of people don't know that !

Answer 6

pretty good observation.   But how would you explain racism towards Hispanics.  They came from both the Mongoloid and Caucasian races?

Answer 7

hmm thats an interesting thought. i always felt that racism always came from intolrence. racism is a very confuseing issue. we become racist from the envirerment arould us. if we can sruold our self with ideas that suport that we are all equel then we might not turn out racist.

Answer 8

This is actually a very popular theory, though I do not appreciate your usage of "chinky eyed Asians," when most of these theories are based on East Asians being the most advanced in an evolutionary perspective.

Answer 9

I think racism towards Africans is more caused by history than evolution. What do other animals do when outsiders come in? Get them out to protect resources. So Europeans had an instinct to dislike differences and were able to slave them, and general racism went on from there. We still haven't really gotten over it i guess.  You also have to look at the fact that most black people actually have better genes, and a lot of them are being idolized these days.  And for the record I think theres plenty of beautiful girls of all races.

Answer 10

Thats funny - "chinky eyed Asians "

Firstly, I dont care about racism. If you dont like me so be it. I'd rather a people tell me openly that they hate my type rather than hide it behind my back. I can live with that.

Answer 11

You need to realize that your point of few is ethnocentric. You need a dose of cultural relativism - look up malinowski.

And we got paler as we moved up north because it isn't as hot in Europe/North America as it is in Africa. Our skin didn't need as much protection.

Answer 12

All people, and even most mammals, Fear what is different from them...

And, we all know that fear can easily turn into anger & agression...