Is It Better To Be Mixed Race?

underpressure · #1 3rd November 2009, 04:39 PM

That was the name of a documentary I was watching last night, and the consensus from geneticists seemed to be, yes, it is better to be mixed race.

It's due to genetic diversity, something gardeners and farmers recognise in plants and animals as hybrid vigour. People who are mixed race encounter far less genetic problems, are likely to be fitter and stronger, are likely to have less anxiety problems, and are maybe even more likely to be attractive (due to the fact mixed race people are likely to have more symmetry than everyone else, something we look for in attractiveness). For some anecdotal evidence, In England, where only 2% of the population are of mixed race, 30% of the England football team are made up of mixed raced players. A high proportion of modelling jobs are also taken by mixed race people.

It makes sense really, if interbreeding is bad, then the opposite must be true of outerbreeding.

Anyway, some people think this is a taboo subject, and are fiercely opposed to scientists studying in this area. Even some mixed race people are against studying in this area, as they don't want to be thought of by the colour of their skin or their race. I'm mixed raced, and I'm fine with scientists studying in this area, it's something to be proud of I guess when previously we have probably all had some grief from others, I have to admit I might not be too pleased if the results were implying that mixed race people were somehow lesser human beings, so I guess that makes me a hypocrite.

Do you think scientists should study this area, does it bring any dangers, and would you still think the same if the results were showing the opposite, that is was genetically bad to mixed race?

http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/200...3/18627695.php

Mystman · #2 3rd November 2009, 05:00 PM

Studying this kind of stuff is certainly interesting, but the results can be pretty dangerous in the wrong hands.

For example:

With the amount of (point)mutations between say... native South-Africans and native Americans, and the amount of genes that are in SOME way involved in intelligence, there is a basically a 99.999% chance that the average South-African is genetically predisposed to be smarter than the average native American. Or the other way around.

Sure, the difference between the averages might be tiny. It might not even be detectable due to all the enviromental factors. But the difference is almost certainly there. And talking about that kind of thing is very likely to make people very uncomfortable very fast.

Mystman · #3 3rd November 2009, 05:19 PM

As for the mixed race thing:

It's important to keep in mind that "race" is a pretty arbitrary concept. People often only look at the color of the skin: two white guys are of the same race, and two black guys are of the same race. While genetically, white guy 1 might be closer related to the black guy than to white guy 2. So who counts as "mixed race"; the person from two differently coloured parents, or the person from two identically coloured parents who actually differ more genetically?

Also, many professional athletes/supermodels being from a mixed race says exactly nothing about how beneficial it is to be an "average guy" of mixed race.

Say that blue people have a a whole set of genes that allow them to run very fast. Red people have a whole set of genes that allow them to run very long.
If you create a purple baby, you create a random mix of the fast/long genes. Often, the end result will be pretty crappy. Metabolic routes won't be optimalised, muscles will have in-between properties that are bad for either style of running, etc. Randomly taking elements from the Lord of the Rings trilogy and mixing them with fragments from Schindlers List is going to end badly 9 times out of 10.
But once in a while, you're randomly going to get a mix that works really well, and you'll end up with a purple person that is better runner than either a blue or a red guy.
So while the AVERAGE purple guy is a worse runner than either Red of Blue guys, the BEST purple guy will be better than the best Red/blue guys.

Chesterton · #4 3rd November 2009, 05:31 PM

If everyone mixed race, soon there'd no longer be race. People say diversity is a good thing, but race-mixing will eventually eliminate diversity. So do we want diversity of humanity, or homogeneity of humanity?

Steezie · #5 3rd November 2009, 06:18 PM

Everyone is already mixed race. I think you'd be hard-pressed to find a "pure" bloodline anywhere in the world except in the most far-flung traditional groups of people.

jayem · #6 3rd November 2009, 06:27 PM

The findings of the Human Genome Project suggest that at the DNA level, there is virtually no such thing as race. Here's their official statement:

"DNA studies do not indicate that separate classifiable subspecies (races) exist within modern humans. While different genes for physical traits such as skin and hair color can be identified between individuals, no consistent patterns of genes across the human genome exist to distinguish one race from another. (emphasis mine.) There also is no genetic basis for divisions of human ethnicity. People who have lived in the same geographic region for many generations may have some alleles in common, but no allele will be found in all members of one population and in no members of any other."

In terms of DNA, you cannot distinguish what we call "race." So whether one's ancestry is mixed-race, or single race, there is nothing to study at the level of molecular genetics.

Minorities and Genomics: Issues of Race

underpressure · #7 3rd November 2009, 06:32 PM

Originally Posted by Mystman

Studying this kind of stuff is certainly interesting, but the results can be pretty dangerous in the wrong hands.

For example:

With the amount of (point)mutations between say... native South-Africans and native Americans, and the amount of genes that are in SOME way involved in intelligence, there is a basically a 99.999% chance that the average South-African is genetically predisposed to be smarter than the average native American. Or the other way around.

Sure, the difference between the averages might be tiny. It might not even be detectable due to all the enviromental factors. But the difference is almost certainly there. And talking about that kind of thing is very likely to make people very uncomfortable very fast.

As the study of genetics moves on I guess it will pin point how some people are better than others, and maybe even how some races are better than others, I think that is a danger.

Originally Posted by Mystman

As for the mixed race thing:

It's important to keep in mind that "race" is a pretty arbitrary concept. People often only look at the color of the skin: two white guys are of the same race, and two black guys are of the same race. While genetically, white guy 1 might be closer related to the black guy than to white guy 2. So who counts as "mixed race"; the person from two differently coloured parents, or the person from two identically coloured parents who actually differ more genetically?

The results seemed to be showing that it is better if your parents are more genetically different. People of 2, what most would consider different races, will likely have more genetic diversity. Two white Britains could have a lot of genetic diversity, but it's likely they will be more closely related than a white person from Britain and a black person from Ghana.

Originally Posted by Mystman

Also, many professional athletes/supermodels being from a mixed race says exactly nothing about how beneficial it is to be an "average guy" of mixed race.

Not every person of mixed race will necessarily be better athletes, and I guess it would be pretty hard to measure whether it's overall better for the 'average' person.

It does seem to eliminate the chances of recessive gene disorders, across the board.

keith99 · #8 3rd November 2009, 08:42 PM

Far better to have 2 good parents, both genetically and socially.

The hybrid vigor idea has some validity. But there can also be mixed race problems. My father was a pedodontist and he noticed a tendency for orthodontic problems in oriental/african mixes. In a western european society this is a minor problem. In a third world society it is far more significant.

underpressure · #9 3rd November 2009, 09:02 PM

Originally Posted by jayem

The findings of the Human Genome Project suggest that at the DNA level, there is virtually no such thing as race. Here's their official statement:

"DNA studies do not indicate that separate classifiable subspecies (races) exist within modern humans. While different genes for physical traits such as skin and hair color can be identified between individuals, no consistent patterns of genes across the human genome exist to distinguish one race from another. (emphasis mine.) There also is no genetic basis for divisions of human ethnicity. People who have lived in the same geographic region for many generations may have some alleles in common, but no allele will be found in all members of one population and in no members of any other."

In terms of DNA, you cannot distinguish what we call "race." So whether one's ancestry is mixed-race, or single race, there is nothing to study at the level of molecular genetics.

Minorities and Genomics: Issues of Race

Okay, races can't be put into tidy boxes, but 2 people from say somewhere in Europe, will likely have more genetic similarities with each other than the one person from Europe and another from say South East Asia.

If you'd rather not think of humans as belonging to races, as we're all part of one race; the human race, then instead of thinking 'mixed race' think of this as children who have more genetically diverse parents. That would be more accurate.

Personally, I welcome these studies, as it sticks a finger up at people who to this day think that races shouldn't mix and people like me shouldn't exist.

underpressure · #10 3rd November 2009, 09:37 PM

Is It Better to Be Mixed Race? - Clips - Is it Better To Be Mixed Race - Channel 4

If you use torrents can download the documentary here Is It Better to be Mixed Race?~Science's Last Taboo 2009 11 02 Ch 4 : TV Shows > Documentary - Mininova

Not sure if this will work outside the UK, but the documentary is on the channel 4 site it aired on, worth a watch if you have 45 minutes spare Is It Better to Be Mixed Race? - 4oD - Channel 4