To all racists and bigots:

I'm not sure which category this falls under, but it has a medical basis, so I guess here is as good as anywhere.

I keep seeing all of these issues with race and racism everywhere, and I find them very unsettling. Our skin color is nothing more than the adaption of man to his environment.

So many people judge others based on the color of the skin, rather than their personal integrity, and values. I get so fed up with comments like, "All blacks/whites/Arabs/etc. are the same. They are all thieves/liars/untrustworthy/etc."

So much evil and pain has come from people's hatred for each other based on the pigment of their skin. An even more unfortunate result of this short-sightedness, though, is the loss of camaraderie and unity that mankind could have achieved, were they not limited by their distrust of anyone that appears different.

I know that a lot of people have other "excuses" for why they dislike people of other races, but it all seems to go back to the matter of skin color.

So, for those of you who may not already be aware of how we all came to have our various skin tones, this is how it worked:

Skin color is determined by the amount and type of the pigment melanin in the skin. Melanin comes in two types: phaeomelanin (red to yellow) and eumelanin (dark brown to black). Both amount and type are determined by 4-6 genes which operate under incomplete dominance. One copy of each of those genes is inherited from the father and one from the mother. Each gene comes in several alleles, resulting in a great variety of different skin colors.

In general, people with ancestors from sunny regions have darker skin than people with ancestors from regions with less sunlight. (However, this is complicated by the fact that there are people whose ancestors come from both sunny and less-sunny regions; and these people can have skin colors across the spectrum.)

Dark skin evolved to protect people in sunny regions against skin cancer, mutations in skin cells induced by ultraviolet light. Light-skinned persons have about a tenfold greater risk of dying from skin cancer under equal sun conditions. Furthermore, dark skin prevents UV-A radiation from destroying the essential B vitamin folate. Folate is needed for the synthesis of DNA in dividing cells and too low levels of folate in pregnant women are associated with birth defects.

While people who lived in colder, less sunny places developed light skin because it lets more sunlight through, which leads to increased production of vitamin D3, necessary for calcium absorption and bone growth. .
When humans migrated to sun-poorer regions in the north, low vitamin D3 levels became a problem and light skin color evolved. Dark-skinned people who live in sun-poor regions often lack vitamin D3, one reason for the fortification of milk with vitamin D in some countries

Also, women generally have lighter skin than their male counterparts. This results either from sexual preference or from the higher calcium needs of women during pregnancy and lactation. en.wikipedia.org...

So, to anyone who judges by appearance first, rather than by personal integrity, PLEASE STOP! Our planet can't take much more intolerance and hatred. We're on the verge of destroying ourselves as it is, If we don't start learning to love each other for our differences (this goes for all religious bigots as well) we are not going be around much longer.

Discussing the possible origins of different evolutionary traits (like the recessive genes of Blue Eyes) on an Alien Intervention thread makes you a racist or bigot:

Lighten up.

Is the purpose of your Migration/Sun theory for SOME of the differences to illuminate our discussions or shut them down? I DO appreciate the theory on skin color and happen to ascribe to most of it, but not the tone that NOT buying it 100% makes you racist.

My apologies Jezebel if that's not what you are implying, but you said you see issues of racism everywhere. I hope not.

my skin is a canvas for art. i dont give a damn about what it looked like, i like how it looks AFTER it gets inked.

cant say i pay attention to much else when it comes to skin.

Originally posted by RANT
Discussing the possible origins of different evolutionary traits (like the recessive genes of Blue Eyes) on an Alien Intervention thread makes you a racist or bigot:

Lighten up.

Is the purpose of your Migration/Sun theory for SOME of the differences to illuminate our discussions or shut them down? I DO appreciate the theory on skin color and happen to ascribe to most of it, but not the tone that NOT buying it 100% makes you racist.

My apologies Jezebel if that's not what you are implying, but you said you see issues of racism everywhere. I hope not.

I wasn't saying I see it all around me at ATS, I see and hear it all around me in LIFE.

It is not the discussion of the differences between us, that I hate. It is the inability of so many people to get beyond the physical differences, and find out what really makes us tick.

I posted the reason for our different colors, because it seems like a large number of people think that God created people in different colors to begin with, rather than understanding that it was just a natural occurence. I don't consider you a bigot if you don't believe it was just a matter of evolution. If I did then I would be just as guilty of judging people superficially.

This post was directed at anyone who judges others on skin tone alone. If you do not, then that is wonderful.

Then again I apologize Jezebel. I'm one of the paranoid and every post is about me whether it is or not.

And I do believe in the theory, but I believe it more as a partial explanation. I mean it does have a valid scientific basis as you point out, but there must be some diet and societal preference breeding considerations as well if not something more extreme.

But still, the "migration" to the Americas confuses me. (I'm half Native American BTW). Indigenous extreme North Americans are not as white as much more southern European counterparts. And equatorial indiginous peoples around the globe are not the same at all. The migration theory 'mid-point' of Asiatic peoples is a total monkey wrench.

All this of course is assuming the migration/sun theory maintains the evolutionary "out of africa" premis, where the existence of recessive traits (not skin color) become more prevalent the more people change? This makes no sense to me.

But again thank you for being nice and putting my paranoia at ease. I'm normally a pretty PC person, but feel ATS is one of the few places these theories can be discussed without a hand slap and I was just being defensive.

[Edited on 3-1-2004 by RANT]

Do y'all think webbed(toes and fingers, good for swimming) people are evolving or left over from a lost race?

Racism is dumb, but the far right conservatives in the USA are racist bigots and homophobes, what can you do? ANyone who thinks they are superior and another person is inferior because of the color of their skin needs to go to hell.

Just wondering something then about this evolution of skin adapting to enviroment. Its all good and well but just one question. Where did the asian people develop their eyes at?? What was the reason for this??

Bueller........Bueller.....?

This subject has existed for centuries. Nothing new under the sun. While a person focuses on this issue they keep it alive. Let it go. It will never stop.

Originally posted by U.S. Patriot
This subject has existed for centuries. Nothing new under the sun. While a person focuses on this issue they keep it alive. Let it go. It will never stop.

Just believe the King Nimrod ~ Tower of Babel biblical explanatation, drink my Kool-aid and be a good Patriot?

Or make Darwin the new God?

Is there another option?

i think most people will agree when i say that racism works both ways. second, its also a problem blown far out of proportion. im not going to dislike you because youre a different color, im going to dislike you based on the way you act. nuff said.

I think this thread is having two different conversations and it's partially my fault.

Yes racism sucks. Don't do it. Others were discussing evolution...maybe we should find the right thread for that.

Sorry.

jezebel,,, you just HAD to bring up Lactation...

My opinion on racism:

Racism is caused intentionally by affirmitive action leaders and left wing politicians. (We all know who I am talking about). They instigate issues that do not exist. It makes people of other races angry. It makes people of their own race angry. That leaves both sides being angry. Thats why there is so much hatred and racism in this country.

That being said, this type of racial separation being instigated will never go away. Liberal politicians need issues like this one to maintain a substantial advantage in minority and colored voting. Our political correctness in this country has created a double standard of sorts in issues dealing with race. Everyone can see them clearly, but it would be racist to confront these obvious contradictions in policy and viewpoints.

Politicians (from both parties) run own issues. They dont run on solved problems. There are plenty more issues than this one, but this one was appropriate for this topic.

Originally posted by Seapeople
My opinion on racism:

Racism is caused intentionally by affirmitive action leaders and left wing politicians. (We all know who I am talking about). They instigate issues that do not exist.

Sure. And Trent Lott and Strom Thurmond started the congress diversity program as one of their career highlights.

Originally posted by Seapeople
Racism is caused intentionally by affirmitive action leaders and left wing politicians.

Am I right in thinking, then, that you believe *all* racism is created by "left wing" people in power and activists Seapeople?

If so, was Mr Hitler "left wing" (or was the genocide *not* an example of racism?) and were (are?) the KKK black activists... ??

I'm afraid I'm a bit lost on this standpoint....