Buried in today’s abhorrent executive order that purports to “restore truth and sanity to American history” is perhaps one of the most frightening and repulsive positions that the Trump admin has asserted thus far: that race is not a social construct, but a “biological reality.”
The exhibit further claims that “sculpture has been a powerful tool in promoting scientific racism” and promotes the view that race is not a biological reality but a social construct, stating “Race is a human invention.”
This may seem innocuous at first blush, but scientific racism is the foundational belief underlying eugenics, slavery, apartheid, and genocide. It was the center of Nazi ideology and formed the basis of its entire social policy, including the Holocaust. It was used to uphold slavery and later segregation in the U.S.
Now, decades after it was wholly discredited by the scientific community, the most fascistic government in the country’s history has decided to bring it back. No prizes for those who correctly guess why.
This is profoundly dangerous and everyone needs to start talking about it now, before it’s too late.
Originally Posted By u/lelieldirac At 2025-03-27 11:15:35 PM | Source
Yeah, this is why the term "scientific racism" grinds my gears so much, including when people balk at the phrase "race is a social construct". If these people actually cared about the science, the notion of "scientific racism" would last about as long as it takes for it to enter their head. They cherry pick studies and sources to confirm their pre-existing prejudices.
Yeah. there are real researchers appropriately investigating these topics, but they tend to in my experience mask it in as much jargon as they can so it cannot be misunderstood.