Quote:
Originally Posted by TinyRedLeaf
I don't think you'll ever be able to get rid of the individual need to identify with a larger group. It is a human tendency, and humans are supposed to be social animals who naturally seek bonds with others of their kind.
The key lies in drawing a line between pride in one's heritage and ethnic/cultural chauvinism, which, if left unchecked, leads to outright bigotry.
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That's fine and I wouldn't like a world where we don't celebrate the differences between human groups. It's one of the things that fascinates me the most about our species and I spend a lot of time thinking about it. I just think you learn a lot more about a person by their ethnic background than by their 'race.' By 'race' I'm just white, ethnically I'm Irish. You learn a lot more about my ancestry and the history of my bloodline from my ethnic background than from my race.
Of course, there is a shared 'European' heritage that is reflected in the western tradition relating to Cro-Magnons, Indo-European migrations, the Roman empire, Christianity, etc... and I don't mean to downplay that. I still think those connections exist, but I far prefer thinking of people in terms of ethnicity rather than watering down the very unique identity of different ethnic groups by putting my focus more on race.
Tangentially, I do think there is a more scientific approach to race relating to shared genetic characteristics, but I think the "color" based approach to race is patently fictional, unprovable, and stupid. By this viewpoint, the peoples of Africa, Papua New Guinea, the Andaman Islands, and Australian Aborigines are all members of the same race... which is an absolutely indefensible position.
Also, from my perspective, I do have lots of fascination with my heritage... but I am also fascinated with pretty much every group out there. The differences between ethnicities, their different cultures and histories, intrigues me to no end. I don't think there needs to be any 'superiority' element to it (though I'll admit I indulge in thinking about powerful Gaelic warriors on horseback when I'm trying to motivate myself to lift heavy in the gym... history nerd for life
).