I worry that the idea promoted by Critical Race Theory - that there is no such thing as race - is a detriment to the advancement of animals' rights.
From what I’ve read about Critical Race Theory (The American Bar Association’s article was helpful), the gist is that racial discrimination is baked into American society and law which results in the perpetuation of the status quo, i.e. racism. I agree.
Anyway, I’m writing to criticize a key tenant of Critical Race Theory because it undermines the notion that the lives and experiences of every non-human sentient being matter. The tenant that alarms me is the notion that “race” is a construct of racist thinking.
This from the American Bar Association:
Recognition that race is not biologically real but is socially constructed and socially significant. It recognizes that science (as demonstrated in the Human Genome Project) refutes the idea of biological racial differences. According to scholars Richard Delgado and Jean Stefancic, race is the product of social thought and is not connected to biological reality.That assertion just isn’t accurate. Scientists who study organisms in nature have long recognized that sometimes there are not well-defined borders or lines of delineation between populations of the organisms they are studying. As the title of this essay notes, there are 15 described races of the Dark-eyed Junco.
Race is a synonym of ecotype.
OxfordDictionaries.com: ec·o·type noun Botany•Zoology noun: ecotype; plural noun: ecotypesThere is no agenda, hidden, unrecognized, or otherwise, in the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's observation. Every species changes over time. These changes occur in local interbreeding populations. When, for whatever reason, two populations no longer interbreed these non-interbreeding populations can develop distinct differences. When these variations lead to an inability of members of one group to breed with members of another group, they are considered to be separate species. This is how speciation occurs. This would happen in humans if two populations were unable to interbreed for a long enough period of time. The plain fact that more-or-less isolated groups of humans have diverged in appearance over time is no different than populations of Dark-eyed Juncos looking a little different from each other.
a distinct form or race of a plant or animal species occupying a particular habitat.
Because of the history of using the word race to justify doing terrible things to others, it might seem smart to coin a new term, but bigots would simply latch on to the new word.
What's clear is that humans are not a homogenous group. Variations exist and the more isolated a group is, the more distinct its members are from other groups.
Here's an interesting article about the ease at which genomes can diverge between isolated groups of humans:
Huge genetic diversity among Papuan New Guinean peoples revealed
Rather than denying the variations in human groups around the world and basing an argument for equal rights and justice on the denial of race, we might be further along if we pointed to the ethically important characteristics and features of what we have in common. Things like wanting to feel safe; to feel that our family is safe. We don’t want to be hurt or imprisoned. We want clean water and a comfortable abode, and good healthful food to name just a few.
The denial of race worries me because it erects another barrier between the acknowlegement of the ethically important similarities shared with us by other species. It is as if we should think of ourselves as being outside of nature. As not being just another animal. This carries dire consequences for those not in the in-group. Consequences that are constantly on display.
What we need to do right now is to fully embrace the Golden Rule and recognize that the others are all those who can suffer. Admittedly, most of us deny that other animals really can suffer or that their suffering matters. Most of us never pause to think about the 20 million chickens killed each day just in the US, but like us, no matter our race, they can and do suffer greatly. Most of us never think about the (literally) trillions of fish caught every year. Most of us don’t give the mice and rats, the dogs and monkeys, the rabbits, hamsters, and all the rest being experimented on every day in the labs even a moment's thought.
In light of our shared ability to be hurt, to be sad, to be frightened, to be happy, to be content, we should stop thinking about our unimportant differences and embrace our commonalities. Therein lies the path to happy residents of a healthy planet.
The unfairness and discrimination some of us face everyday isn't caused by our differences or our race, they are caused by those who want to feel like they are better, more powerful, and more deserving. Denying our differences won't stop mean people from being mean or bullies from bullying, or bigots from being assholes. Our differences make us all richer, we ought not deny them.
The plain fact that humans aren't all exactly the same makes us richer. It would be a profound loss if we no longer noticed or denied our myriad varieties.
