A Dangerous Topic
After every job application, and when filling out the census the question what is your race is always there. How do you answer this question? You have multiple choices but if you really think about it do any of those choices define you? As a child I remember bubbling in the white and later the white/caucasian and white not of hispanic heritage... but more than once I remember looking at my skin and thinking: I'm not white, I'm peach. I have met a few people who are black but never have I met anyone who is truly white. I know there exists in our world some people with a rare genetic condition which makes them appear white (Albinoism) however for the most part those of us who call ourselves white are not white at all. I have noticed that sometimes when out in the sun on rare occasions I might be able to turn my skin tan... however more often than not when out in the sun my skin will turn red.
Well what about the term Caucasian? According to multiple sources the word Caucasian was first used to describe all of the people in the region of the Caucasus Mountain Range. Most of this grouping was described as white however the term fell out of use mostly. It is a large grouping which means the same as simply being called white... it is simply a description.
All races are a description. Does the color of your skin determine your culture or your personality? No, it is your upbringing, your mind and your heart which form who you are as a person. Sure there are stereotypes which supposedly exist because they are true in most cases, but to me the key word there is “most” not all. Honestly I despise stereotypes and would rather get to know someone rather than assume they fit the stereotype associated with their physical description.
In many fantasy based games particularly dnd the term race takes on a completely different meaning than in our world. The races are Human, Elves, Halflings, Dwarves etc. According to the fifth edition of dnd “Human skin shades range from nearly black to very pale...” (Fifth Edition Dungeons and Dragons Fifth Edition Players Handbook pg 29) In other words humans are simply humans. There is nothing to divide them. Humans are humans. Some of the ther Races have Sub-Races but not humans. And what are the Sub-Races among the other Races anyway? Let's look at the Elves, probably the most iconic of the fantasy Races. In Fifth edition there are three Sub-Races of Elf: High-Elves, Wood-Elves and Dark-Elves. First there is a section where all Elves are described and then it breaks down the Sub-Races. True there are some stat differences but what are those really from? The High-Elves have two different skin pallettes but there is no real differences other than that. The Sun-Elves (They have several names so we'll use this one for simplicity) believe themselves to be superior to Non-Elves and other Elves. It is not their bronze skin which makes them think this way it is how they were raised. This behavior has been ingrained over generations and when you consider Elves can live thousands of years this history would be hard to break, however that is one of many things which can change when playing such a character. So what about the most infamous of the Elven Sub-Races: The Dark-Elves or Drow? Well there is a small section which details adventuring Drow. “Drow grow up believing that surface-dwelling races are inferior, worthless except as slaves...” (Dungeon and Dragons Fifth Edition Players Handbook pg 24) Again the key point here is they grow up believing, meaning they are taught this belief. However in the same paragraph it goes on to say some develop a conscience and while it may be hard to over come the prejudice they have been raised with it is not impossible. On the other hand most other races are raised with the belief that all Dark-Elves are evil, however in the end it is the actions of all involved which matter.
In my own series I have two Races Human and Kylani. Both races were created by Ramur, Creator of All. Humans were created from dirt and Kylani were created from water. Originally the Kylani were created to protect the humans and be their allies against evil. Since they were created from water the Kylani are able to change their form.
“Really? Rumors? You're basing all of your information on gossip? … What has Kel in particular done to cause such mistrust?” (from Ballads of the Unseen: Song of Change.) This question is posed by Miharena to a friend of hers. Kel is a rare Half-Kylani. Her mother was human and her father was Kylani. It could be argued that she would be yet a third race but she considers herself both, always correcting that she is Half-Kylani when someone calls her Kylani. She is proud of both sides of her heritage. As a Half-Kylani Kel is prone to all of the hate which the Kylani have received over the centuries in some cases more because humans consider her an abomination. Kylani on the other hand have pity for her not simply because she is Half-Human, but because of the reprecussions of that heritage. Kylani are immune to illness however Kel can become ill, Kylani can live for thousands of years, however Kel has the potential to out live her human friends yet she might still only live to be just over one hundred.
As for the prejudice against Kylani, where does it stem from? The answer lies in an event which was shrouded in mystery. Rumors twisted the event in many ways to a point where no one trusted anyone human nor Kylani. Centuries after the event the mistrust of Kylani still remained, instilled in most humans as they matured. However they are both sentient beings on the same world. What keeps them from living in harmony?
In conlusion what is race in our world? It is more than skin tone or eye shape. It is our culture, however in the end we are all human. Hate is not natural to us as Cable sings in the musical South Pacific “You've got to be taught/ To hate and fear,/ You've got to be taught From year to year,/ It's got to be drummed/ In your dear little ear/ You've got to be carefully taught. You've got to be taught to be afraid/ Of people whose eyes are oddly made,/And people whose skin is a diff'rent shade,/You've got to be carefully taught...” (MetroLyrics) In news lately there seems to be so much hate between people. We may have different culures, and differerent beliefs but that doesn't change the fact that we are all human. We were all created by God. In my humble opinion race is nothing more than a description. Who we are; our cultures, our beliefs, our personalities; is based on our upbringing and our hearts. Even if someone is raised to hate there is nothing stopping them from realizing it is wrong. I think most of who we are comes from our personal heart and our mind. Sometimes it may only take one person to change a negative tide. For now I think it is time we all remembered we are humans created in God's image and that is all that should matter.