Over the years, there has been a strong belief that certain groups of people have particular traits, qualities, and abilities that cause them to be considered either inferior or superior. As a result, discrimination and prejudice may be practiced against certain people because they belong to a particular racial group or ethnic group. In most cases, the discrimination is directed against the marginalized or the minority groups. Some people argue that human abilities differ among different people depending on their racial backgrounds. Nevertheless, there are no existing differences in human abilities based on their races.
The African Americans in the United States have greatly suffered racial discrimination compared to other people in the USA. Although African Americans have equal capabilities to perform tasks and compete at par with other people in society, their ability to do so has been questioned, resulting in demoralization. For instance, in reference to the Annotated Bibliography, when Haile engaged in hiking activities, she faced racial discrimination based on being an African American woman. However, she could participate in all the hiking activities like anyone else. Those who were discriminating against her had no other grounds of considering her inferior except her racial background. The fact that Haile was as good as any other participant in the hiking activities clearly shows that the hiking abilities were not based on which race the participants belonged to.
Much scientific research has been carried out to attest to the fact that all people have different abilities, but the difference is not based on race. Projects such as the Human Genome Project of 2003 showed that people with different ancestral composition could perform similar tasks equally well. The superiority complex among some races is a mere perception that is not based on any scientific proof. The composition of human brains is the same among all people regardless of their race. Therefore, the issue of race is a social construct and not a biological concept. The commonly used classification for races is skin color and other features such as the hair, height, eyes, among other features. A person’s physical appearance does not determine that person’s ability to perform tasks, and therefore, that can not be used as a parameter to determine that person’s ability.
The inception of IQ Testing has proved that the intelligence levels among different people do not relate in any way to the racial groups that particular people belong to. The intelligence quotient scores of people from different racia groups show that those people are all intelligent, and the disparity between them is brought about by environmental factors such as educational inequality among people of different races. The racial groups considered superior are exposed to environmental factors that favor and portray them as more intelligent than the racial groups that are considered inferior. However, if the so-called inferior groups were exposed to favorable environmental factors such as socioeconomic factors and technological exposure, they would portray the same intelligence level. In schools where children of different races learn and interact together, they compete equally, and their performance shows that their races do not determine their ability to learn and perform well academically.
The phenotypic and the genotypic composition that people of different races possess change over time due to evolution. The gradual developments that occur eliminate the differences and increase the similarities among people of different races. As a result of increasing similarities, the abilities to operate and perform tasks become equal, and there are no significant differences that can be traced. As time goes time by in any society, certain characteristics become more common within the entire population, and this makes all people within that population to be equally capable of carrying out activities that require those particular characteristics. As some characteristics become common among people of different races, many biodiversities occur in the people’s biological organization. When biodiversity occurs among people of different races, it increases the uniformity of their ways of doing things, thus enabling them to acquire almost equal potential and ability.
Classifying certain racial groups as inferior and others as superior has hindered the groups that are considered inferior from fully exploiting their ability. Such a group has limited opportunities in society, which gives them limited chances of improving their ways of living. For instance, African Americans face more hurdles to get jobs compared to their white counterparts. They get low pays and few benefits. On the other hand, the groups that are classified as superior based on race are exposed to greater opportunities in society, and therefore their standards of living are better. For instance, they are work in high-paid jobs that are stable and receive more benefits. Consequently, those who have few opportunities will be considered less capable, while those who have many opportunities to exploit will be admired and are regarded as having more ability. However, if the two groups of people were exposed to similar opportunities, they would all portray similar abilities.
Additionally, racism has resulted in discrimination of some people, which has made them develop an inferiority complex, which has made the discriminated groups unable to pursue their goals, making them look like less able people since they have little achievements to point at. On the other hand, racism has resulted in a superiority complex among some people hence giving such people the morale to pursue their goals and dreams, and as a result, they succeed. If the inferiority complex is not developed among some people, they will exhibit equal ability in their performance. The inferiority complex affects the inferior groups psychologically hence limiting their resilience.
Racism brings vulnerability to some people, especially if those people experience discrimination that hinders their ability to showcase their ability in different areas of life. In America, for example, racism has profoundly impacted the health status of children, adolescents, and adults. This has caused an undesirable impact on their health and well-being. Racist stressors may increase physiological reactivity, which may increase an individual’s vulnerability to cardiovascular disorders. If the ability of such people is compared to the ability of their counterparts who are not vulnerable to health issues related to racism, one group will be considered less able. Additionally, due to racism, som groups of people get poor pay, which makes them unable to afford good medical services, food security, among others. All these can cause vulnerability to disease and other issues that can limit a person’s ability.
The economic ability is determined by how much wealth the person can own, the kind of education that the person can afford, among other factors. Due to racism, some people lag economically, not because they lack the ability to do so, but because they are denied the opportunity of attaining their economic stability. In America, for example, white people are favored, and as a result, they hold more positions of power, hold more wealth, and have other economic privileges. Therefore, the whites’ economic ability is not related to their white complexion in any way, but it can only be attributed to favoritism. On the other hand, the low economic status that some racial groups have is not a result of their inability but as a result of the discrimination that they face. Therefore, people of all races have equal economic abilities If they experience similar economic situations.
The ability to develop and nurture talents is determined by the availability of a conducive environment where the talent can be nurtured and not on one’s racial background. In America, some African American children attend schools with fewer facilities than the schools that children of the whites attend. However, due to discrimination, the children of African Americans, although they have the ability to have outstanding talents, may lack the moral support they need to nurture their talents. In schools where children of different races learn together, they all have different talents, such as games and sports, drawing, and leadership. Having these talents is not dependent on which race the child comes from.
Some people strongly believe that there are differences in human abilities based on race. According to them, the cognitive intelligence of people varies depending on one’s race. This cognitive intelligence determines the ability to make and retain wealth. Therefore, how much wealth one can hold greatly depends on the person’s racial background. This explains why most rich people in the United States are whites. Additionally, depending on one’s race, some people are naturally intelligent hence capable of leading others. For example, in American, the whites hold more seats in Congress than the other groups.
In conclusion, although some people argue that people’s abilities may differ due to their racial backgrounds, it is evident that there are no significant differences in human abilities based on their race. The cognitive intelligence of people does not depend on one’s race, but it may differ among different people due to environmental factors. As a result of racism, some people develop an inferiority complex, which makes them unable to compete favorably with their counterparts who have a superiority complex. If this difference is eliminated, these people can exhibit equal human ability. Anyone could obtain a strong economic position if all people were exposed to equal economic opportunities. Therefore, there are no differences in human abilities base on their race.