Alexander Hasenkopf

Professor Nadine Gordon

UWRT 1103-005
21 November 2016

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What is Race?
Everyone has seen the word race; It is used everywhere from driver's licenses to
scantrons, but what is race? For most, race is a concept that is used to signify different types of
human bodies and refers to a categorization of human groups based on genetic physical
differences, like skin color. Throughout many centuries, sociologists have found that there is no
real biological basis for race. However, that does not stop humans from attempting to organize
people into specific groups. This makes race an unstable classification that is ever changing and
directly connected to social forces and structures (Cole). Race is, and always will be, an illusion
and social force that has often been used in history to promote a certain race above another.
Racial tension can be linked to genocides like the Holocaust and the Rwanda genocide, as well
as discrimination in society today.
When one thinks of the Holocaust, one of the first ideas that typically comes to mind are
the crimes that occurred during this period in time. The most horrendous of those crimes that
took place were the killing of over eleven million people including Jews, Gypsies, homosexuals,
Jehovah's Witnesses, and the disabled. What is not as commonly known to people about the
Holocaust and Hitler is his ultimate goal of creating a master race. Hitlers master-race was a
super-breed of humanity that was a Nazi genetic engineered plan developed in December of
1935 to build up the perfect blonde hair, blue-eyed, and tall Aryan race (Grigg) resulting in a race
so different that it would help Hitler spot out non-Aryans with ease. This genetic plan also
allowed Hitler to create a stronger super race and speed up the evolutionary process using
concentration camps. Concentration camps separated anyone Hitler deemed undesirable to
ultimately get rid of the other races entirely. Hitler was an extreme racist and justified his racism

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with Darwinian Science claiming that non-Aryans were not mentally strong enough and would
eventually degrade the world into darkness and barbarism. It was these beliefs and the use of
propaganda that encouraged and convinced not only SS soldiers but other Germans that what
they were doing was good for the world and what had to be done.
Even today, the continent of Africa has continually been involved in civil, tribal, and
national conflicts. Nevertheless, nothing in Africas past compares to what many historians
consider the most efficient genocide in history which occurred in the African country of Rwanda.
What made Rwanda so different from other genocides is, first how rapidly people died, and
second the people responsible for the killings. The death of over 800,000 Tutsi took place in
roughly a hundred day span by surprisingly not the government, but ordinary people. Ordinary
people, like neighbors, spouses, and workmates committing the killings were what made these
events arguably more intimate than the Holocaust, which was mainly done by strangers
(Genocide). How could this be though? How could two tribes, Hutu and Tutsi, who lived and
married together, turn against their own and murder their wives, children, and friends? It all
started with European settlers who colonized Rwanda. Before the Europeans arrived, the tribes
had their conflicts, yet still respected the other tribes and were able to coexist without violent
conflict. This was until the Europeans began doing testing on physical properties of the tribes to
find a way to separate the races.' Once the Europeans were finished with their studies they put
the Tutsi in charge because they believed the Tutsi were taller and more elegant. This ultimately
created a division between the two tribes resulting in a hatred between tribes. Nonetheless, the
tribes remained fairly peaceful until the Europeans decided to leave Rwanda and put the Hutu in
charge. After years of repression from the Tutsi, the Hutu took this opportunity for revenge

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leading to genocide. The Rwandan genocide was built on the ideas of race that were implanted
into peoples minds, destroying bonds forever.
Very little improvements in racial discrimination have occurred, though, and racial
minorities still feel they do not receive the equality they are owed. This is due in part to the fact
that people feel they can ignore race. The problem with this mentality is that if the problem is
always ignored, it is not fixed and racial discrimination continues (Hobson). In todays American
society, people are judged by their race which can affect job opportunities, educational
opportunities, and respect from others. Examples of this have been seen over the last few
months, especially with Syrian refugees. In America, Islamophobia, which is the fear of Muslim
people practicing the Islam religion, is very common. Americans tend to associate the Islam
religion with terrorists, and it's reasons like this that Syrian refugees and others who have the
appearance of Muslims face discrimination. Examples of this are the multiple cases of the U.S.
refusing refugees and a safe haven for children of Syria. Also in America, many African
Americans fear law enforcement due to recent incidents like the shooting of Trayvon Martin in
Sanford, Florida and Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. Trayvon Martin was a 17-year-old
African American who was shot dead while unarmed during an altercation with George
Zimmerman. While Michael Brown was a 18-year-old African American who was shot twelve
times by a white officer and was also unarmed. Incidents like these leave Americans with the
belief that police are targeting minorities and this has caused racial tensions all over the country.
Many avoid the discussion of race because of the controversy surrounding it. Avoiding
the problem will not fix it, the only way to solve the issue is to face it straight on. Realizing that
race is an imaginary idea that is usually created by an authoritative figure (Peters) is the first step
to getting rid of the stigma surrounding race. Once the notion of race is implanted into the minds

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of people, they do not want to go against the social norms, no matter how crazy they may seem.
It is this mindset and belief that made most Germans believed it was okay for the Holocaust to
occur, made friends and family turn against each other in Rwanda, and what keeps racial
discrimination around even in todays society. Race is, and has been since the creation of the
word, a meaningless concept that has more of a social and political history than scientific.
Nonetheless, that does not prevent a word from playing one of the biggest negative roles in our
society.

Works Cited

Cole, Nicki Lisa. "How Do Sociologists Define Race?" About.com Education. N.p., n.d. Web. 31
Oct. 2016.

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"Genocide in Rwanda." Encyclopedia of Race and Racism, edited by John Hartwell Moore, vol.
2, Macmillan Reference USA, 2008, pp. 52-59. World History in Context
Geronimo, Michael. "Hotel Rwanda (Hutu Tutsi Problem Explained)." YouTube. YouTube, n.d.
Web. 1 Nov. 2016.
Gray, David Miguel. "Racial Ontology: A Guide for the Perplexed." Youtube. Wireless
Philosophy, 28 Jan. 2016. Web. 1 Nov. 2016.
Grigg, Russell. "Hitlers master Race Children Haunted by Their past." Hitler's 'master Race'
Children Haunted by Their past. Creation, n.d. Web. 31 Oct. 2016.
Hobson, Mellody. "Color Blind or Color Brave?" Ted. Ted Talks, Mar. 2014. Web. 01 Nov. 2016.
"How Hitler Tried To Create A 'Master Race'" Youtube. Seeker Network, 22 Aug. 2015. Web. 1
Nov. 2016.
Peters, William. "FRONTLINE." PBS. PBS, 26 Mar. 1985. Web. 01 Nov. 2016.