Lesson of the Day: ‘Can Biology Class Reduce Racism?’

For a good complement to this important article, please check out the Tedx Talk, Charting a Course Beyond Racism at YouTube or at the TEDtalk site.

Biology is a very broad concept- studying the way animals move in the water to each individual's genetic composition. When looking at genetic makeup, it will be seen that every human being is created with the same structure. If are all the same species, then why do we treat each other so differently? We humans compare one another based on how we look and portray ourselves. However, these actions of judging one another based on appearance does not stem from biology class, it stems from the environment people grow up in and the situations we have encountered in our lifetimes. We all grow up differently, and are raised by parents with different values. We tend to base our social ideologies around the circumstances in our life. The racism problems we have in society today are not cause we need to learn that all humans are created the same way, they are caused by the prejudice that kids are introduced to due to where they live and the beliefs of others around them.

Biology is something complicated, chaotic, and rhythmic. Nothing holds it back yet what holds it back is its definition. Humans are different colors and different heights and different shapes but we are all humans. I am a Homo Sapien just as much as a Chinese woman is or a trans-gender African. So what makes us see each other so differently? Well, in my opinion, it is our attempts to shield our eyes from the complicated, chaotic, and rhythmic world we live in. It is our countless efforts to fix racism that form it. Affirmative action or the efforts made by Charlotte NC to shuttle kids around to different area schools to promote diversity are all with good intentions but they all require the en-actors to do what they are trying to eradicate: the viewing of people by race. These efforts seem extremely hypocritical to me. In order to increase racial equality and a fair chance for all races they only shuttle children of color and make colleges easier or harder to get into based on race. If we really wanted to make this fair we would look past color. As a matter of fact this is humiliating for people affected by affirmative action in a positive way. Although these were never the intentions of Affirmative action, In my opinion, if I was a black male I would think, “They think I’m dumb just because of my race!” If I was an Asian male I would think, “They think I’m a genius because of my race!” and this just isn’t fair.

I'm currently in a biology class at my highschool, and conveniently enough we just learned of something that may help in trying to uncover if biology makes you racist. Yes there may be a difference in ethnicities at certain jobs or careers, but let me share what I’ve learned. In life there are two types of behavior, Learned, and Innate. Learned is when behaviors that are exhibited through someone are not produced hereditarily through someone's genes, for example: Trial and Error in which someone “practices “ or works on a technique like how to dribble a basketball, or someone learns to cook. Innate Behavior is a behavior that an organism is born with, like a reflex. Have you ever accidentally touched a hot stove? and then immediately pulled your hand back, that is a reflex. Or Imprinting on something like ducks do with their mother when they first hatch. If someone is considered racist or acts racist is probably not having to do with anything with their genes, but rather something with what they have learned from certain situations. Possibly learning this from their parents, friends, or teachers. So based on science, I don't think that biology makes you racist, but what you have experienced in your life.

Race being referred to as a social concept bound to culture and family means that your race is directly related to your culture and your family as a group, not relatives. Contrary to this ancestry is the stories of what our culture is made from thanks to previous lives before ours. Genetics is what, scientifically, makes everyone unique. Some code for our height and others for our bone structure, having the more favorable genetics for athletics will make some better than others and for some, everything falls into place with dedication and athleticism. It isn't always handed to everyone, if your genes are less favorable and you aren't blessed with the ability to be naturally good at sports, you’ll have to put in more work to get where others are starting. 23 chromosomes from your mom and 23 from your dad, some are dominant and others are recessive, you probably remember those punnet squares from middle and high school. If both of your parents were good at sports, then you have a good chance of being good too because the genes they gave you will carry on to your genetic make up and give you 50% of everything they had. Along with those genes being given to you, their ethnic genes are given to you too, giving you your racial identity. Humans aren't yet able to choose which genetics we give to our offspring, and when we are able to do that the face of the world will change because

Personally I think school avoid “racist” topics in classes is so different ethnicities won't get offended. If the teacher does not say the right word it could offend a student and the school could have a bad rep. Dr. Dovoan says it should be taught to let the kids know more about race and it can help them watch what they say. Concerns of teaching it how will the students react. Will the students be immature and say offensive things or will they relate to stereotypes. The teachers have to watch what they say too. If they something that is offensive to their race thing could go down the hill from there. It could get published and the media will take it worse from there. The article states how race being associated with genes are already largely misleading for most people. Educating people on this topic would make for a better society. The more people have on these sensitive topics the better the world will be.

I believe that race isn’t taught due to how touchy the subject can be. Teachers and the curriculum tend to want to avoid the topic altogether to avoid the controversy that may ensue. Brian Donovan believes that they should be taught to ensure that it is being taught while being monitored. There are many stereotypes associated with different races, which I believe to be a result of the lack of teaching on the science behind people's races. High School Biology is one of the only places that people learn about genetics, giving more reason for teaching this topic. The way that they are planning to teach these students is through the perspective between two fictional characters. One thinks that there are genetic differences between people but that those differences are not associated with race. The other believes that the genetic differences within a racial group are small and that most genetic differences exist between people of different races. Neither is completely correct and throughout the lessons, they are forced to admit what is incorrect about their beliefs.

In today’s society, there are a lot of problems that go unsaid. For example, the constant fighting going back and forth between two political parties in our country, seem to be dividing our country into pieces. Another example could be that out school systems aren’t teaching kids what they need to know to survive in the changing and developing world we live in. A lot of these problems go unsaid, which is probably making them worse. These problems go unsaid because of the heaviness and controversy they bring, but if we normalize talking about controversial topics, these problems would no longer be ignored. I think the solution to this is by education. Educating people on these topics-whether it be through schooling, the news, etc.- would not only help find ways to solve the problems, but would in general better our society. The article talks about how a group of biology teachers got together and wanted to try to create a new curriculum that would include teaching about race and how it relates to genes. Studies from the article show how race being associated with genes are already largely misconceived amongst most teens and adults. Educating people on this topic and correcting assumptions (like the ones shown in the studies), would even better our society and understanding of racial stereotypes. The more informed we are, the better our world as a whole will grow to be more accepting, understanding and evolving.

Part 1- Race is a critical part of the concept of genetics and it should at least be discussed freely, if not be an important part of, the biology curriculum. The statement made by the teacher from Colorado precisely explains the need for race to be discussed in biology class as the fact that humans are 99.9 percent alike is not enough for everyone to be treated equally. The survey conducted by Dr. Donovan is a direct proof that teaching about race in biology class will eliminate racist thoughts and ideas. It demonstrates that students who learn about the connection between race and biology will be less likely to believe in “white superiority.” Even though it may be challenging at first for teachers to incorporate race into the curriculum because of the controversy, it is important for them to persist and strive to create better human beings.

Part 2- The article implies that traits such as athleticism and intelligence and determined by a mixture of your genes and the environment you grew up in, or in other words, by a combination of nature and nurture. This fact proves that you cannot target “genes” as the sole reason for a person’s traits. The article’s statement that colored people have been discriminated against and therefore, have been forced to grow up in worse environments is absolutely true. Their abilities cannot be devalued because white people have never even given them the chance to receive equal opportunities. African Americans have not been created worse than white people; they do not have bad genes. It is the fact that white people minimize their opportunities that prevents them from showing their true abilities. Teaching students about race in biology is more important than most of the other content covered because it is actually applicable to the real world. When students leave high school and grow into adults, they may never use the technical genetics information that they learned in class; however, they will certainly need to know how to be better human beings by being aware of false, race-related statements. Teaching students about race in biology class will help prepare them for the real world, make them aware of the true causes of characteristics, and ultimately, reduce racism in future generations.

I think that saying Biology can help racist actions or feelings is a little bit of a stretch. Having already finished my Biology class I can say that I don’t think Biology and racism are directly related. I can say to a certain extent you can say Biology has the potential to educate students that we are all the same on the inside. Whether that blanket statement helps to reduce racism I have no idea. Does it give students perspective yes. Although that is a lesson we all learn at a young age. In the end I feel that racism comes down to more than race. In my opinion it comes down to more of a cultural thing. I have witnessed people of the same race look down on each other. Racism is not a new thing; it’s been happening for years and it will continue into the future. Personally I don’t think a class or an added unit with help reduce the amount of racism. Racism is a big topic and has been forever and I don’t think a change such as a class would fix this problem as much one would hope it would take a lot more people and a lot more action.

It is a shame biology classes avoid a "sensitive topic" like race. One will find that race is much less well defined as the understanding of biology and genetics increases. The article sums it up as such, that race is "a social concept bound up in culture and family"; essentially what we define as race is mostly what we categorize it to be based on differences between groups of people. Educators like Brain Donovan believe that students should be correctly taught race and biology because they are already forming a sense of the topic on their own. There are so many misconceptions about genetics and race such as explanations for why African Americans dominate sports, or why there seems to be a wage gap between different races. People in general, not just students, may attribute genetics to these differences when it shouldn't; the level of understanding is not there. Educators have concerns teaching race in biology class, most notably that students won't be receptive of the topic, or passing it off as part of an agenda. But the fact that teachers could anticipate such a reaction from students may indicate that the sensitive topic might still be worth talking about.

I’m not taking biology yet, but i can say no i don’t think biology can reduce racism. I know they talk about genes and that sort, but how could it reduce racism. Okay so the first paragraph of the article has me stuck. Genes have nothing to do with how athletic you are. And I feel it’s just as many white football players as black, but basketball could be debatable. Reading this article I feel that it is very opinionated. I feel like nobody really thinks about wether how good a person plays sports or does this and that job as a genetic thing. I think it’s practice and memorization. And while we’re on the topic about race, I feel is football was predominately white like schools, this conversation wouldn’t be happening, it would just be oh he’s so good at football, he’s got to practice a lot. It seems as though all the articles and studies about race, target minorities, everyone who isn’t white. But that’s just how I feel.

I'm currently in a biology class at my highschool, and conveniently enough we just learned of something that may help in trying to uncover if biology makes you racist. Yes there may be a difference in ethnicities at certain jobs or careers, but let me share what I’ve learned. In life there are two types of behavior, Learned, and Innate. Learned is when behaviors that are exhibited through someone are not produced hereditarily through someone's genes, for example: Trial and Error in which someone “practices “ or works on a technique like how to dribble a basketball, or someone learns to cook. Innate Behavior is a behavior that an organism is born with, like a reflex. Have you ever accidentally touched a hot stove? and then immediately pulled your hand back, that is a reflex. Or Imprinting on something like ducks do with their mother when they first hatch. If someone is considered racist or acts racist is probably not having to do with anything with their genes, but rather something with what they have learned from certain situations. Possibly learning this from their parents, friends, or teachers. So based on science, I don't think that biology makes you racist, but what you have experienced in your life.