Why are people so curious about race and genetic descent?

Question

I have noticed that in this anthropology category there is a preponderant amount of questions about race and decent, especially concerned with the genealogy of North and South America. Since this is no longer a question of academic debate, as well as the fact that the term 'race' is no longer in use in social anthropology, why are these questions quite so popular?

Is it to do with poor communication by anthropology scholars to the wider public, or is it just a central (if objectively irrelevant) concern of western society? Or something else?

Answer 1

I am interested because I want to know the answers to so many health concerns of mine. I would like to know about my father's culture, his health, what he died of. I never met him.

Answer 2

because it gives you an idea of who your ancestors were which is interesting, of course we are all just human etc but it is still interesting to know your rooots and where your ancestors were from..

i found out i'm a big mix of ancestry and it interested me because it gave me a mixture of identities as well as settling my curious mind, for example i have swedish and south east asian as well as other heritage and i was really intrigued because i then wondered how this came about and how my ancestors met which gives me and idea of my history, basically i find it incredibly interesting and am not prouder of any particulay heritage i have i just find it interesting thats all.

Answer 3

You already answered your question "Curiosity"

Answer 4

All people did not come from Africa that's all I have to say. Civilization started in Mesopotamia and Homo Erectus was found in the Nile so pretty much Africa, But just because they found that man doesn't mean we all come from him, The OT tells you what  line you come from and the last time I checked white people came from Esau. Who moved the the mountains of the caves and dwelled with in them.

Answer 5

I suspect this has something to do with wanting to know what is on the other side of the mountain or to explore Mars & the moons of Jupiter & Saturn.  Some seek knowledge & others are satisfied to sit in their village & maintain the status quo. Much of this is due to failure to communicate properly with/to the media by both biologists & anthropologists.  However the politically correct have constructed their model of how they'd like things to be, & have tried to foist their socially engineered model on the rest of the World.  I lump the politically correct in the same basket with creationists. Having advanced degrees in scientific fields & having spent my life in pursuit of knowledge, I've developed a dislike for being told I am not allowed to investigate something.

We need to investigate haplogroups because so many diseases & methods of treatment are Haplogroup or race specific, if you will.

Answer 6

The real reason, is because everyone is so competitive!

If you have a "leg-up" on the competition, it determines whether or not your tribe survives...

Survival of the fittest!

Answer 7

we live in the great melting pot of cultures and races. Sometimes needing to identify with our roots and background gives us some idea of who we are.. Its not like that as much in other countries. I come from Native American and a mixture of white heritage.. But the white heritage is not like saying oh she is English, or Irish... Because in truth most of do not know what our background is unless it is easily traced.