Sunday, October 23, 2016

The Idiotic Theory of Scientific Racism

Scientific racism is "the use of  scientific techniques and hypotheses to support or justify the belief in racism, racial inferiority, racialism, or racial superiority" Thankfully this theory has been denounced by the scientific community since the 1950's, however at one point in history, this was widely believed and used to enslave, kill, and mistreat other races. One particular example of this theory being used for evil is the holocaust and nazi movement. The Nazi's used this theory to justify their awful treatment of jews in concentration camps as well as the whole holocaust in general. They believed that the aryan race was the only race fit enough to be worthy of life. They also classified many other types of people into the "unfit category", which led to the extermination jews, homosexuals, and mentally disabled. 

The one thing that MAUS does exceptionally well is portraying what the nazis did in such an accurately historical manner. On page 58 of volume 2 they show this theory of "unfit" being applied. They selected who was fit enough to live and who was unfit to die. 

The thing about scientific racism that scared me the most was that it was used in the united states as well. I was doing research and I stumbled across what scientific racists believed in regards to blacks. Scientific racists "described black men as uniquely fitted for bondage, because of their "primitive psychological organization".In 1851, in antebellum Louisiana, the physician Samuel A. Cartwright (1793–1863), considered slave escape attempts as "drapetomania", a treatable mental illness, that 'with proper medical advice, strictly followed, this troublesome practice that many Negroes have of running away can be almost entirely prevented'."(Samuel Sillen "racism and psychiatry, 1972)

This theory is probably the worst theory ever created, it's even worse that it was applied as vehemently as it was in the U.S and nazi germany. This has caused so many unnecessary deaths in our world. At the end of the day, there is only ONE race; the human race. 

1 comment:

  1. Wow, you really have extreme feelings on this subject. The part about "drapetomania" really caught me off guard. It is such a warped explanation of the natural human want for freedom. Great post, though! Consistently passionate tone throughout.

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