Quote:
Originally Posted by MMM
You can say Japan is just a "nation" but I doubt a lot of Japanese would agree. It's like saying Judiasm is only a religion. Is there not a Jewish race? In my experience many, (not all, of course) Japanese see Japan as Japan. An island in the Pacific Ocean. You can bet your bottom dollar they don't see their bloodlines as the same as that of the surrounding Asian countries.
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I think you missed the point of my post. Tenchu was trying to apply an incorrect definition to race. I was simply telling him what the correct technical terms and definitions are.
Quite simply race does not exist objectively. Nowhere in biology, anthropology, politics etc is there an OBJECTIVE definition. Tenchu trying to define it as such is incorrect.
It DOES exist as an (outdated) social construct perpetuated by nationalism amongst other things, which implies some sort of unique "spirit" or "geneology" (as you have correctly illustrated with your example of the common perception amongst Japanese as to their uniqueness). However the reality is that culturally the Japanese as a NATION are as unique as every other nation and genetically they are not special and have in fact more in common with the rest of humanity, especially their immediate neighbours.
And I'm glad you brought up Jewish people. Jews see themselves as unique. Culturally and historically I'm inclined to agree as I would with the Japanese. However that would make them a nation. The popular mythical belief amongst many Jews in themselves as a race probably stems from the religion of Judaism which is possibly why it is intertwined with Jewish identity to form the socially constructed "Jewish race".