[Dragaera] Boing!

[Howard Brazee]

On 1:37 PM Jon_Lincicum at stream.com wrote:
>  I'll cite the wikipedia article on lineage: (
>  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lineage_%28evolution%29)
>
>  "Many contemporary biological definitions of race conceptualize races
>  as
>  evolutionary lineages within the human species. Genetic data can be
>  used
>  to infer population structure and assign individuals to groups that
>  often
>  correspond with their self-identified geographical ancestry."
>
>  Using this definition, it may be akin to an analogy of colored
>  marbles.
>
>  If I have 17 white marbles, and 17 blue ones, then I can divide them
>  into
>  two groups: blue ones and white ones.
>
>  Now, while this is certainly a superficial distinction, since the
>  marbles
>  are otherwise identical, I fail to see how it is an "artifical"
>  distinction. It seems to me it is based on an objective observation.

But to do this, you must have criteria for judging whether a marble is 
blue when blue-like marbles are present, and blue and white marbles are 
present and when white-like marbles are present.

Is Tiger Woods Thai or Chinese?   His mother is an American Thai of 
Chinese ancestry.   By Jewish law, the mother determines race.   By Jim 
Crow laws, a drop of Negro blood makes one Negro - although a Fijian of 
Indian background, Vijay Singh is blacker than Tiger Woods.

Race in our world is kind of like saying everybody is a blond (or 
blonde) or brunet (or brunette).