Can "race" be objectively defined?

[Moliere]

I didn't know what category this should fall under except maybe "social issues".

I have been trying to find an objective definition for "race" as in African American or Italian. Referring to someone's skin color, facial features or birthplace are all questionable. The first two are subjective analysis and the last one has too many loop holes.

Example scenarios:
My family is from the U.S., but while traveling on vacation my mom gives birth in Mexico at a Mexican hospital. Does that make me Mexican?

I was born in the U.S. from "American" parents who were also born here, but their parents were born in Italy. Does that Italian race carry to their kids and therefore to me?

If we accept Evolution then wouldn't we all be African? How many generations have to pass before we are not longer part of that "race".

If I move to Italy should I start calling myself American Italian?

Consider that nobody except obscure tribesman in the jungle are pure anything. Consider that if you go back only 20 generations over 1 million people had to have sex just so you could be alive today. Given all the wars, migrations, raping, pillaging and infidelity going on in the last 600 years what are the chances anyone is "pure" anything?

Make a case for Culture or stretch a little for ethnicity, but let's drop the idea of race.

 

[Bikewer]

There are many that would agree with you. Anthropologists and such refer to genetic groupings and sub-groupings of people, according to ethnicity, but we are all of only one species.
The markers that are commonly used to designate "race" are for the most part just adaptations for climate and such.

 

[Mycroft]

Originally posted by Moliere
Example scenarios:
My family is from the U.S., but while traveling on vacation my mom gives birth in Mexico at a Mexican hospital. Does that make me Mexican?

I was born in the U.S. from "American" parents who were also born here, but their parents were born in Italy. Does that Italian race carry to their kids and therefore to me?

I think you need to improve your understanding of genetics before continuing this.

 

[crimresearch]

The category should probably be 'Dead horse'.

Race as a biological term is rendered moot by the work of the Genome project...there is only one race...the human race.

Race as a sociological term, as in an excuse to oppress others is alive and well, and wearing Birkenstocks.

So is nationality, religion, etc..

Sometimes they overlap.

And sometimes people get killed.

'Let's drop it' is exactly what some people would love to see happen...but not all of them for the same reasons.