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Genetic ancestry tests are a multi-billion dollar industry. In exchange for a sample of genetic material, one receives charts and figures mapping them onto popular concepts of race. The problem with this approach is that although there are minor genetic differences that allow geneticists to trace population migrations, these differences don't support the idea that one can sort races on genetic differences alone. Social scientists have argued that given how race definitions have changed over time and place, that race classifications are more a social construct defined more in terms of geographic proximity and cultural norms than they are based on genetics. At the other end of the spectrum is the concept of genetic essentialism. This views the concept of race as being exclusively defined in terms of genetic makeup and how these differences imbue different races with different inherent abilities or liabilities. Genetic essentialist views promote the concept of genetic exclusivity and reinforces racial stereotypes, underpinning negative policies such as eugenics and apartheid.
The problem with genetic ancestry testing, apart from the privacy issues that we typically see stories about here, is the inconsistency of analysis and popular misconceptions of what the results mean. With tens of millions of people taking these tests every year, an open question has been what effect these results have on people's concepts of race. Some have argued that they are likely to reinforce a genetic essentialist view of race because the results are broken down into distinct groups and people interpret the results as being objective and authoritative. Others have argued the opposite in that people have a more social construct idea of race when the results do not confirm their experience ("All my life I thought I was German, but I found out I'm actually Italian!").
Researchers from the University of British Columbia attempted to answer this question with a paper published in the open access journal Plos One. They conducted a randomized controlled trial where they assembled a group of people who were willing to take a genetic ancestry test and provided half of them with a test. The group was then evaluated to gauge the extent that they supported genetic essentialism ideas. In addition, at the outset the group was also quizzed on their general knowledge of genetics. What the researchers found was that, on average, getting these test results did not change one's views on genetic essentialism; however, when considering a person's overall level of genetics understanding, they found that genetic essentialism ideas were strengthened in people who had lower knowledge of genetics after they received their ancestry test results. "Taking a test thus has a polarizing effect, magnifying differences in essentialist beliefs even further between those with weaker and stronger understandings of the science behind them."
Roth WD, Yaylacı Ş, Jaffe K, Richardson L. (2020) Do genetic ancestry tests increase racial essentialism? Findings from a randomized controlled trial. PLoS ONE 15(1): e0227399. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0227399
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday February 10 2020, @06:58PM (4 children)
"For example, Irish, Italians and Spaniards weren't considered "white" in the United States in the 19th century, but were by the 20th century, "... "Why did it change? Because racists realized white people wouldn't be a majority in the US anymore unless they expanded their definition to include more people."
It's not that Irish weren't considered white racially, but not white in regards to behavior. Not that i agree with the stereo type, but it's called having standards. As far as Spaniards and Italians, some are pure white and many are not and white people from non invaded lands knew that. Many southern Italians have been mixed with Arabs and possibly Negroids. Many (especially southern) Spaniards have been mixed with Arab Muslims and Sephardic Jews.As far as the views being loosened up due to concerns about percent of population i doubt that is the majority concern. more like people loosened up on their standards, in general, about everything. Now, we are to the point in the Cultural Marxist' Long March that many white people hate their own kind.
(Score: 3, Funny) by Azuma Hazuki on Tuesday February 11 2020, @04:00AM (2 children)
So white is "culture" now, not actually anything genetic or biological? Because by the metric you're using--behavior and money, with the latter a proxy for the former--the blackest kid in my graduating class with his wealthy parents and who went on to Cooper U is whiter than I am, and I've got ancestors everywhere in Europe except England.
You people are hilarious :)
I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday February 11 2020, @04:38AM (1 child)
There is a "white" culture, it's mostly people who have lost connection to the culture of their nation of origin and now only share a culture with those that are generic white people.
This is as opposed to people like me that are ethnically something more specific, usually with cultural or family ties back to the old country whether it be Germany, Norway, France, Russia or some other place with significant numbers of lighter skinned people. This includes much of the Middle East as Persians and Arabs are both white ethnic groups.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Azuma Hazuki on Tuesday February 11 2020, @04:59AM
What would someone like me be considered? I spent the first 18 years of my life in Flushing, a subdistrict of the borough of Queens in New York City, that is so Chinese there are fewer signs in English than there are in the Malaysian town my girlfriend, herself ethnically Chinese, hails from. I went to high school in the Bronx. My first experience "surrounded by white people" was in college, and it was deeply, deeply unsettling. I don't feel any particular ties to a given race or culture; rather, everything is filtered through as much science and sociology as I can bring to bear on it, and I try to connect to other people on an individual level as much as possible.
I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...
(Score: 2) by Bot on Friday February 14 2020, @09:05PM
>"Why did it change? Because racists realized white people wouldn't be a majority
Wait, if you stop screaming whites are in peril, the immigrants won't start voting you and the racists have no more reason to vote you... I am not convinced. Have you got sources, something?
How about this, italians and irish children start getting the same indoct... er, education of their white peers, some begin stepping up the social ladder. With time they lose the traits that made them obnoxious (even as an Italian, I think racism is usually rooted into some actual issues, which of course should be addressed personally, not by race affiliation). In the meantime new immigrants arrive, and even Irish and Italian have issues with them. So they side with whites and whites side with them.
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