The Race, the Power of an Illusion Film Review

Table of Contents

Introduction
Main ideas
My Perspective
Work Cited

Introduction

The film called Race, The Power of an Illusion is devoted to comparing the different racial groups peculiarities through the closer scrutiny of their DNA. The video claims that the skin color, eye shape, and other factors determining which ethnicity a person belongs to do not estimate their physical abilities or mental peculiarities. The authors of the video oppose the idea that the various achievements should be calculated according to racial peculiarities (Adelman).

For example, people often treat black people as more athletic, thereby diminishing their hard work. The video demonstrates the scientific researchers results, proving that racial belongings do not condition peoples abilities. The video also provides the viewer with the outstanding biologists opinions about the social nature of discrimination. Thus, race is a mere illusion that people invent to justify their hostile attitude towards peoples differences.

Main ideas

The videos main idea is that each person has a genetically conditioned number of genes determining the personal, physical, and mental characteristics. Thus, all people should not be divided into several ethnical groups. DNA tests prove that psychological and physical abilities result from individual genes combination but not from the peculiar feature of the whole ethnicity. Scientific genome research demonstrates that the racial-conditioned mental and physical human peculiarities are just a myth from the genetic perspective (Adelman). Each persons skills and abilities development depend not on the racial belongings but the individual genome. Thus, the root cause of discrimination is hidden in the social and psychological problems.

Another essential idea in this video is that ethnic discrimination has no scientific proof. Scientific research estimated that race prejudices are caused by social intolerance. From the psychological perspective, people, aiming to compensate for humiliating others, try to use genetics to support their discriminative ideas. However, research results show that such terms as discrimination only can be conditioned by social factors (Adelman). Thus, the video opposes racial discrimination, treating this process as a convenient way for people to justify their personal resentment. The films primary focus is to encourage people to accept differences and treat them as something that makes humans special and, as a result, amazing creatures.

My Perspective

From my point of view, racial discrimination is a natural process for human psychology. The desire to gain power over some groups is an inherent trait of a human being. As a result, people continually compare themselves with others. Discrimination is the easiest way to be better without doing anything. Often people use genetics and biology to justify their malicious intentions and psychological weakness. Thus, the psychological friend-or-foe notion makes people release their disgusting desires through discrimination. Today, science has developed significantly, and society even can see scientific proofs that discrimination is a social phenomenon that can be eliminated.

Unfortunately, I often face situations when peoples achievements are diminished because of their race. Several friends of mine suffered a lot because of discrimination and even cruel bullying. Society will never change entirely because human psychology is designed this way. However, I believe it is the right time for people to quit being afraid of differences and accept them as the factors that make each human unique.