The World’s Most Dangerous Myth

The current wave of global intolerance and division is often tied to stereotypes about ethnic groups which unjustly place people into boxes: ‘Blacks are violent,’ ‘Mexicans are rapists and drug dealers;’ ‘Germans are war-mongers;’ ‘Jews are greedy;’ ‘Arabs are terrorists.’ If we yield to these temptations, we risk dehumanizing those who are different and creating a world of ‘them’ versus ‘us.’ Creeds and dogmas are social and cultural creations. We must learn to accept our differences and cherish our diversity so long as those ideologies and creeds call for peaceful co-existence.

There is an urgent need to address the continuing misuse of the word race and replace it with ‘ethnic group.’ ‘Race’ is a myth; a relic of the past; a scientifically inaccurate term that has brought misery and heartache to countless millions. While it has been used to reinforce popular stereotypes, the problem is, race is a social reality because so many people believe that it exists and they act accordingly. Past attempts to understand human behavior through the lens of race has led to widespread discrimination and exploitation. While each of us has a unique genetic heritage, we are all part of a single species: Homo sapiens, who share a common ancestry. Humans have been around for over 300,000 years – not long enough to develop into a separate species. We have evolved differences through mutations as we adapted to different environments. Regardless of our superficial outer trappings, humans are far more alike than different. Our DNA is 99.9 percent identical.

We must spread the message that race has no standing in modern science. It is time to abolish this antiquated idea and instead refer to people according to their ethnic heritage. The notion of different races contributes to the belief that there is a ‘them’ and ‘us,’ when science tells us there is only a ‘we.’ If we are to survive as a species, we must have a better understanding of who we are, and keep spreading this fugitive truth.