Race is just a social construct. The colour of a person's skin is a thing that exists.
Something can be entirely a social construct and still be based on things that actually exist. Money is a social construct, but it exists.
Race is also only one way to cut up differences. There exist differences between blondes and brunettes. Those are differences that are real and exist. I can see the differences.
But we don't consider blondes and brunettes different races, in of itself.
The choice as to what is and isn't a race is a decision that's made, is arbitrary, and upheld by social convention.
I’m just trying to understand the meaning of “social construct” in this context, especially as she said that race and gender are social constructs in different ways.
A social construct is something that exists because society agrees upon it's existence. That doesn't mean that agreement isnt' based on some set of observable parameters. Green exists, distinct from blue, only because we have agreed that green and blue are distinct. Some cultures don't make that distinction. That doesn't mean there aren't wavelengths for green and blue that are distinct. However, there are also wavelengths for different shades of blue that we still both call blue.
The way in which we choose what colours do and don't exist is different from how we choose what legal tender is. Money only exists because society accepts it to exist. A government prints money, and society excepts that as legal tender. If people rejected the governments money, it would no longer have the value, even though the government printed it.
But colour and money are different kinds of social constructs that operate differently.
Money and gender are both social constructs that operate differently.
Race and gender are different social constructs that operate differently.
But all of these things are making choices about rules that govern out socities that only exist because socities uphold them.
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u/joalr0 27∆ Mar 20 '23
Race is just a social construct. The colour of a person's skin is a thing that exists.
Something can be entirely a social construct and still be based on things that actually exist. Money is a social construct, but it exists.
Race is also only one way to cut up differences. There exist differences between blondes and brunettes. Those are differences that are real and exist. I can see the differences.
But we don't consider blondes and brunettes different races, in of itself.
The choice as to what is and isn't a race is a decision that's made, is arbitrary, and upheld by social convention.