Do you think these four grouping categories about where you are from (race, religion, ethnicity, and nationality), are essentially important? Or are they holding us back? — Wheatley
Aren't human beings the epitome of flexibility, inhabiting diverse dynamic environments, possessing a brain that capable of plasticity? — Wheatley
they are some of the forces that end up solidifying human plasticity into a particular form. — ChatteringMonkey
What is an "ordinary" person? Is that another type of major human category? What does that tell us about a person - only that they think they know everything about you?Tell an ordinary person your race and ethnicity, for example, and think they know everything about you. — Wheatley
Holding us back from what?I believe that these "where you're from" categories (in the title) are holding us back. — Wheatley
Suppose I were to be presented with the following form:
Race: _________________
Religion:_______________
Ethnicity:_______________
Nationality:_____________ — Wheatley
In certain situations, yes, it does. In certain medial situations, it might be necessary to know your racial ancestory - to know what types of diseases you might be more or less susceptible to.I ask myself the question: Why is it important that I provide these details? Does it really matter where I am from? — Wheatley
there exists a correlation between religiosity and right-wing politics — Kenosha Kid
Do you know of any real data with which to answer that question? — Pfhorrest
I have always thought this myself, but I have noticed on the internet a tendency for some people, seemingly younger than me and probably you, to associate atheism with the right wing instead. — Pfhorrest
Do you know of any real data with which to answer that question? — Pfhorrest
I wonder, in light if all that, why atheism seems to be seen (on some parts of the internet at least) as associated with the right. I wonder if it’s entirely because of a segment of YouTubers who bill themselves as “rational skeptics” and initially mostly did content on atheism and against religion and other woo, but then a decade or so ago (circa gamergate?) turned to anti-feminism and then by association more and more anti-left topics. — Pfhorrest
Doesn't ethnicity encompass race and religion? — Harry Hindu
Ethnicity is a category of people who identify with each other, usually on the basis of presumed similarities such as a common language, ancestry, history, society, culture, nation or social treatment within their residing area.
Case point, being an US citizen or even an UK citizen are examples of nationality not being synonymous to ethnicity. And don't try to say that the UK and US aren't nations, but only states! Being British is a later invention, being English, Scottish or Welsh is basically what you call an ethnicity.Strictly speaking nationality is synonymous with ethnicity (a nation is a people, not a state), but I understand that you mean it to mean association with a state. — Pfhorrest
In my own language this has never been so. Nationality and citizenship might be synonyms sometimes, but ethnicity hasn't. And now as we use ethnic or ethnicity isn't a synonym for nationality.“Nationality” is traditionally a synonym of “ethnicity”. — Pfhorrest
I don't think so, actually. Even the Romans understood the power of assimilation to being Roman. Hence first the various people in the Italian Peninsula were made to be Romans and later others too. So it's absolutely no coincidence that the people we called Byzantinians thought of themselves, and justly so, as Romans. Hence these ideas are far older.It’s only since the era of nation-states that nationality and citizenship have been able to be treated like they were synonyms, but in some cases (like the Kurds) they still come apart. — Pfhorrest
My question is: Do you think these four grouping categories about where you are from (race, religion, ethnicity, and nationality), are essentially important? Or are they holding us back? — Wheatley
Ideally that is true, but there's always going to be some groups of people hating other groups of people.Personally speaking, they do hold us back because these categories are essentially divisive in character and the challenges the world faces today can't be solved without the exact opposite, unity. — TheMadFool
I agree. I would say "where you're from" categories are superficial and best used (if at all) as a social lubricant.During various times some of those categories are made hilariously important. Other times they are simply ignored as an oddity that isn't even used. — ssu
Of course, the best way to attack a stranger is to find its vulnerabilities. For example: the strongest most offensive way to attack me (not knowing anything about me) is to call me a "Jew".Are they important for us? As individuals often no, but our societies do use them and we will notice easily how powerful they can be.
Just live in a foreign country that goes into war with the country whose citizen you are and in an instant you have become to be very suspicious person. Have some other strife, riot, terrorist attack or a conflict which has to do with one of those four elements and you can notice it does effect your life even if your race, ethnicity, religion or nationality hasn't been ever important to you.
I think it's more about the geographic regions your recent ancestors grew up in than an actual genotype.Back on the topic of the OP, I think “ethnicity” is itself a complex topic, that other items on this list factor into. I like to think of ethnicity as decomposing into phenotypic ancestry (“race”), language, and religion. — Pfhorrest
I believe the Kurds are an ethnic group that inhabit different countries (similar to Jews and Gypsies).Strictly speaking nationality is synonymous with ethnicity (a nation is a people, not a state), but I understand that you mean it to mean association with a state. Just bear in mind that there are some peoples who don’t have states that correspond to them, e.g. the Kurds.
I would agree.It's my opinion that religion doesn't even belong on the document. Completely irrelevant. Race is a tricky one, because it is almost entirely social and it doesn't matter for any actual purpose unless you're doing some type of demographic study or poll on it. Ethnicity/nationality is usually more important and held to a higher degree of relevance to the individual, so in that sense I would think those to be more in line with "important" I suppose. — GTTRPNK
Very good point! Culture is very important. If I had to revise my OP, I would say that the four categories mentioned are only important because of culture.I wouldn't call them "essentially important" but they can be important when it comes to forming connections and relationships due to how someone else's answers compare to our own. Basically, when we don't know people we look for connections. We all have a cultural heritage and it can be fun to talk culture with people. It provides a safe, fun, informative ground for getting to know that person and their culture. — BitconnectCarlos
Same for me.Obviously, I'm not going to be like "oh you're from X, therefore you're like Y" but there is such a thing as cultural trends and if someone bucks a trend that's interesting in its own right. Learning another language is an excellent way to gain insight into another culture and help form a bridge. Personally, I regard my cultural background as important but in no way is it the entirety of me - only one aspect. — BitconnectCarlos
I couldn't agree more.The reason it's not of "essential" importance is that we can (or at least should) be able to hit it off great with people from different backgrounds. I think values and worldview are more of "essential" importance. — BitconnectCarlos
I believe the Kurds are an ethnic group that inhabit different countries (similar to Jews and Gypsies). — Wheatley
Strictly speaking nationality is synonymous with ethnicity (a nation is a people, not a state), but I understand that you mean it to mean association with a state.
I know this is nit-picking but, do you believe that Jews and Romani are nations?They're different from Jews and Romani ("Gypsies") because the former are a displaced diaspora and the latter are nomadic, — Pfhorrest
Ideally that is true, but there's always going to be some groups of people hating other groups of people. — Wheatley
Why is it important that I provide these details? — Wheatley
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