For this assignment you will apply the knowledge you’ve gained from reading and discussing Dorothy Roberts’ Fatal Invention to a contemporary issue found in traditional written news outlets (e.g., newspapers and magazines) or the blogosphere. Select an instance where the myth of the biological concept of race is being used in medicine/pharmacy, ancestry testing, or criminal justice and write a 2-3 page paper that includes the following: 1. Describe (contextualize) the issue: What incident took/is taking place? Where and when did it happen? Who are the parties involved? Where did you first come across this event/incident? (cite using the proper in-text APA formatting and include in bibliography) 2. Digging deeper into the use of science: Explain how science is being used to justify what happened. Using what you’ve learned from the Roberts book, critique the logic and reasoning of those defining race as a biological concept. Where are they going wrong? 3. Those who benefit and those who suffer: Who benefits from science being used in this way? How? Think about both immediate and long-term benefits. What are the potential detrimental effects of using science in this way? Why? Think about both immediate and long-term consequences. Does this issue relate to any specific fights for social justice? 4. Personal reflection: How is the issue related to your life, experiences, feelings and ideas? For instance, what emotions did exploring this topic arouse in you? You must include a bibliography.
TO BE RE-WRITTEN FROM THE SCRATCH
Biological concept of race and the spirometer
1. The issue
The spirometer is used to measure lung capacity among people. It has implications on clinical diagnoses, disability measurements and pre-employment medical analysis. However, the spirometer has embedded internal corrections to show that blacks have a lower lung capacity, leading to implicit discrimination in diagnosis, self-awareness and employment.
Still widely used today, the spirometer can be traced to a study by Benjamin A Gould in the 19th century to quantify the bodies of Union borders soldiers after the American Civil War. As discussed by Shaban (2014), the study showed that blacks have an inherent biological deficiency of having lower lung capacity.
2. Scientific justification
Following Gould’s study, a scientific consensus that whites have higher lung capacity emerged and was developed over the next few decades. While Gould’s study was quantitative and looked accurate and objective, he did not offer explanations for his findings. But due to politics, Gould’s study was preferred to other more accurate, qualitative studies such as those of Jedidiah H Baxter, Kelly Miller and WB Du Bois. The blind acceptance of Gould’s findings led to a spirometer that has inbuilt correctional facility triggered by the required racial identification. The spirometer design and production is hence based on beliefs and values rather than empirical scientific research.
The spirometer negates studies of the human genome that show there are more differences in genetic makeup within a race than across races. Most genetic differences are hence a result of individual personality and characteristics rather than race. The studies that attribute racial differences in lung capacity further ignore environmental and economic factors. It has been established that people who live in highly polluted areas have lower lung capacity, the abode for many of the traditionally economically deprive who constitute many blacks.
3. Consequences
The spirometer validates race biologically, leading to misdiagnosis of people based on the sociological construction of race. In the short-term it denies those perceived as black opportunities enabled by accurate measurement of their lung capacity, such as employment opportunities. The benefactors are the whites who are seen as having better lung capacities.
The lack of opportunities for blacks affects their livelihoods such as diet and health. It also increases crime rate among the group as the deprived try to uplift their lot in all ways possible despite the employment rejection. By wrongly labeling people as disabled due to incorrect spirometer measurement, it also lowers the people’s self-esteem. In the long-term, it affects their economic situation by lowering the earning potential. Further, it affects their life expectancy, leading to passing on of economic struggles to their dependents and subsequent generations.
4. Reflections
The spirometer has led to stereotyping of many blacks as unworthy of employment and susceptible to being criminals. The consequences have been that various security agencies such as some police departments racially profile the afflicted, leading to unnecessary deaths and tension in the community and society. Tension is further escalated by the sense………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
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Dorothy Roberts’ Fatal Invention
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