Race: The power of illusion part 1

I think that the main idea of part one was to remind us (or for some inform) that we are all basically the same. We have the same bones, joints, and for the most part our DNA is identical. The only thing that really seperates us is our skin color, hair type, and eye size. In the video it also talked about how our skin color is really just an adaptation to where we come from. The more UV rays in the environment the darker the skin so that not as many UV rays are absorbed, The less light the lighter the skin is to absorb more of those rays. The video basically summarized all the thoughts, beliefs and ideas as to why we are different, it also brought to attention that we might be different enough as to perform at different levels. While watching the movie I really wondered in the first place how we all got to be so "different" from eachother? Did it have to do with power or location? Or maybe it had to do with being scared of difference and change in a developing world. In the video I liked the DNA experiment done with the kids, where they had to pick which person they were more likely to be like/different from. It is a great reminder that we are all the same, we just have different ancestors and pasts, that shaped who we are now. One thing that I did learn in the video was that sickle cell is carried by greeks and mediteranians, I thought it was mostly an african american illness, so I found that to be intersting. I also learned the definition of eugenics, how it was believed that one gene came from the father, the other from the mother and it shaped the cultural and behavioral ideas of their children. At the end the students doing the experiments discovered that we are all more alike than what was thought. I found it interesting when the teacher told the students that there is more diversity of the DNA of people in Africa than there is in the US. Overall I liked the video because it more than proved the idea that we are all the same and the visual differences are a part of who we are and where we come from, but in no way should they define or give us the right to treat others like they are not as good as us.