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Christabel Dodoo

William Johnson, Ph. D

SOC 3202

September 15, 2019

The Difference Between Us: Race—The Power of an Illusion

I’ve always heard the cliche that humans are all the same. However, I believed that

saying to a certain extent. I always wondered why we as species varied as far as hair, skin color

and talents. I just assumed all these variations were solely based on genetics. I really appreciated

in the documentary when it was said that “race is an idea ascribed to biology and that really it’s

just something that was constructed off of superficial traits”. This video really solidified my

belief in that we are indeed the same.

Growing up I went to a fairly diverse school which exposed me to different types of

people and cultures. With that in mind a lot of stereotypes became evident like asians are

naturally smart and blacks have the best athletic ability. One stereotype I saw first hand was in

my school’s orchestra. I played the violin and I was pretty good at it. However I couldn’t always

help to notice that the asians in my orchestra always got put in the highest chairs. I just assumed

that they were just more musically inclined than others. However this documentary made me

realize that certain talents are not just based off of race but rather external factors such as one’s

environment. This video reminded me that they achieved those talents by being diligent in their

practice and their environment shaped them into better violinists.

Another interesting fact that stood out to me was the segment about malaria and sickle

cell. I never knew that sickle cell trait emerged as a result from having ancestors that lived in

regions where malaria is common. That segment made me have an epiphany because my family
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is from west africa and all my mother’s siblings have all contracted malaria and carry the sickle

cell trait. According to the documentary, people who have the sickle cell trait are less likely to

contract malaria and if they do, then their symptoms aren’t as severe. I found that to be true

because my mom told me that having malaria is like having the flu. I just believed that people

with dark skin and african descent are more susceptible to the trait but I was wrong. “To explain

the accumulation of certain genes in certain populations, geography proves a better answer than

race”.This documentary reinforced the idea that certain characteristics depends on environmental

factors rather than race.

In conclusion, I learned that race is just something that most people believe to be

evidence based but really has no biological context at all. It really is something that was

developed to differentiate us as humans despite having a similar genetic makeup. There is so

much more that makes up an individual besides their skin color and their hair texture. Humans

have made race to determine the social expectations of a person. Consequently, “race is used to

justify inequalities in a society that is supposed to be based on equality.