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Times Store * Second Opinion * Subscriptions (BUTTON) + Manage Subscription + EZPAY + Delivery Issue + eNewspaper + Students & Educators + Subscribe + Subscriber Terms + Manage Subscription + EZPAY + Delivery Issue + eNewspaper + Students & Educators + Subscribe + Subscriber Terms Copyright © 2021, Los Angeles Times | Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | CA Notice of Collection | Do Not Sell My Personal Information (BUTTON) Sections Los Angeles Times * California * Entertainment * Sports * Food * Climate * Opinion * | * Place an Ad * Crossword * eNewspaper (BUTTON) Show Search ____________________Search Query (BUTTON) Submit Search Advertisement * Facebook * Twitter * Show more sharing options Share (BUTTON) Close extra sharing options * Facebook * Twitter * LinkedIn * Email * Copy Link URLCopied! * Print PLATFORM : The Human Race By JANET CHOI June 4, 1995 12 AM * Facebook * Twitter * Show more sharing options Share (BUTTON) Close extra sharing options * Facebook * Twitter * LinkedIn * Email * Copy Link URLCopied! * Print The obvious problem with assumptions--stereotypes--based on race is that all people with the same superficial physical characteristics are not the same. They cannot be contained in neat groups the way, say, all balls of the same color can be. Racial groups are like mercury. They disintegrate into ever tinier pieces with a touch. On close inspection, each piece reveals itself to be a separate culture. Lines are drawn around mutually hostile groups because they appear identical to the outsider. But it is differences in culture that explain the distinctions among people within apparently homogeneous racial groups: Indians and Pakistanis, for example; Vietnamese and Cambodians; English and Irish; Tutsi and Hutu. Races are no more uniform than are families, which also contain members with whom we might prefer not to be associated. It’s time to put our cultural as well as our racial biases aside. For whether we consider Adam or Lucy to be our common ancestor, the end result is the same. Let’s get on with the things that really matter. __________________________________________________________________ Subscribers Are Reading * Politics Trump retreats from his job, and Pence fills the void as ‘acting’ president President Donald Trump walks to board Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2021, in Washington. The President is traveling to Texas. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert ) Politics Trump retreats from his job, and Pence fills the void as ‘acting’ president With President Trump isolated in the White House since the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, Vice President Mike Pence increasingly fills the void in their waning days in office. More Coverage Will Trump’s mishandling of records leave a hole in history? * California ‘Light at the end of tunnel’ or a small blip? 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More Coverage Noticias en español Kamala Harris says nation will ‘find a moment’ to celebrate inauguration amid pandemic grief * Science How the new COVID-19 vaccine rules could help the pandemic end sooner Los Angeles, CA - January 07: A nurse Cherry Costales prepares Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at St. John's Well Child & Family Center on Thursday, Jan. 7, 2021 in Los Angeles, CA. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) Science How the new COVID-19 vaccine rules could help the pandemic end sooner Health officials set aside carefully considered plans for rolling out COVID-19 vaccines and made the shots widely available. That may hasten the pandemic’s end. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement (BUTTON) Advertisement Los Angeles Times Subscribe for unlimited access Follow Us * twitter * instagram * youtube * facebook * + eNewspaper + Coupons + Find/Post Jobs + Place an Ad + Media Kit: Why the L. A. 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