Race is far more ambiguous though. It's less black-and-white (no pun intended) as people think. It's far more grey. Some people are clearly black, some people are clearly white, some people are clearly Asian. But there are so many people who can't just check one box. Hair colour and gender are definite. You're either blonde and male or you're not. You're either female and brunette or you're not.
That ignores genderqueer, agender and many other gender identities people identify as, though. Gender and gender expression are also very, very gray
How can people say you can feel like a female/male and get all those surgeries to change your sex but not the same for race. Many people believe both race and gender are social constructs. Can your brain feel like a different race just like the brain can feel like a different gender. I don't understandd.
Edit: Not trolling I promise. Might be dumb, forgive me
But transgender, it's also a question of sex/genitalia, which is a biological construct, not a social construct.
But transgender, it's also a question of sex/genitalia, which is a biological construct, not a social construct.
I agree.
The same way you're born with pale white skin or dark skin is the EXACT same way you're either born with a penis or a vagina. You can't shun one in favor of the other.
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In any case, race is more flexible than gender (imo of course) bc it's not white and black. There are grey areas. People judge based on what they see. There are black people who look white (and enjoy all the white privileges that come with it) , and white people who tan deep and look "ethnic".
Hm. I don't know the answer to this. My first thoughts are that sex and gender are comparable to ethnicity and race; gender and race are both social constructs that originate from sex and ethnicity, respectively. And, similarly, the expectations or perceptions of race and gender vary by culture and time period, which makes them difficult to define in concrete terms. I see how gender could be argued to be more internal (though I think gender and gender expression share an inherent link), and race is more of the result of external influences and judgments. However, I don't see how one could make an argument for transgender and against "transracial".
For example, yes, a white person who identified as "transracial" would not have the cultural upbringing of a ethnic minority and likely would not have a full understanding of the knowledge and struggles of that minority in that context. But, by that logic, I could see someone saying that a biological male could not identify with the female gender since the biological male never experienced life as a female and isn't fully aware of the societal expectations, double standards and teachings that are instilled in biological females from birth.
Obviously, that isn't right, so where does the difference lie? Gender is "instilled" (for lack of a better word) by society in children from birth based on the child's sex. Race is "instilled" by society in children from birth based on the child's ethnicity. What makes identifying as "transgender" legitimate and identifying as "transracial" illegitimate?
First, sex is not gender. Second, gender expression is defined by feelings, impulses, emotions; skin color is static and physical, not a psychological or emotional "feeling" and skin color is the predominant medium by which people perceive the social construct of race.
I can be a woman who is biologically male; my gender and how I express that is psychological and emotional in nature and how I express that gender affects how other people perceive my gender.
Gender is a social construct. Women are emotional, men logical. Women like dresses, men like pants. Women like to cook, men like to hunt.
Girls like pink, boys like blue. Girls like dolls, boys like trucks. Girls like playing "house", boys like playing football. These are all social contructs. Race is also a social construct.
Quote:
Originally posted by Retro
No. The point is, you can't. If you "are" a race, it's something ascribed to you by the society around you because of your appearance. Like Monte has said, it's not a real thing. Race isn't some sort of feeling, it's an experience dictated by your environment. If you are white, you are treated a certain way by others, and you are afforded certain benefits by western society. If you are of Asian or African or Native American descent and visibly not white, you are treated differently, and you experience life's benefits and prejudicial detriments differently because of how you are treated. It's not a thing you can just "feel" or "identify as."
Interesting POVs some of you really took the time to explain your opinion
The only thing that sticks out to me is the idea that "you can't identify with a race if you don't experience the prejudice or privilege that comes with it"
How does that work for light skin African Americans that have minimal if any discernible features that would lead people to think they're not white? If they're not experiencing the prejudice that comes with being African American just the privilege of appearing white (maybe even acting that way if they grew up in a white household ((adoption)) can they not lay claim to their ethnic roots? Can they lay claim to "white" roots even if they have none?
I think it's all ridiculous, but I just think it's funny seeing people trying to villify one thing and cop pleas for the other
Why?
There's nothing neurological about race. You don't mentally feel like you have physical characteristics—you're born with those characteristics. Those physical characteristics mean absolutely nothing. In terms of culture that's associated with race, you aren't born feeling like a certain culture—you grow up in a society surrounded by that culture.
You can't be a White woman from Texas and claim that your brain says you're a Tibetan monk from the Himalayas. It literally does not make sense.
How come none of you guys support transgenders like ever and you want them removed from the LGBTQ+ acronym but as soon as "transracial" comes up everyone supports it and says it's the same thing as being transgender? Newsflash: it's not, and it's actually extremely offensive to say some white person who thinks they're "truly black" is comparable.
There are a lot of social constructs you can and can't switch between. Yes, race is a social construct, but that proves nothing. Sexuality is another social construct (at least to an extent), but obviously you can't go from gay to straight, as shown by those gay conversion camps.
