[Dante Hicks]

Originally Posted by s|k

Well then don't. Are you trying to influence me, give me a lecture, or would like to see my emotional response raise to another level?

The first two. The last you hardly need any assistance.

I never said that race isn't real (or at least I didn't mean to). I said it isn't based on genetics or biological explanations.

What does "based on [...] biological explanations" mean though? In your example of the red shirt, people's interpretation of what 'red' is, is of course a subjective process. However what they are interpreting often has a physical basis (the dyes used in the shirt or whatever).

People of African descent share a lot genetic traits (sickle cell for instance), as is expected, but this is separate from race.

Here's a good example of what we're talking about. We're all of African descent aren't we? But that's OK because we know what you meant by this. As JBG says, this is why terms like 'black' or 'white' are useful, if everyone is careful that you know what you mean.

Also, a lot of the health issues that black people versus white people experience have cultural explanations (such as lifespan (standard of living), heart disease (diet), etc).

Thanks for pointing out the breathtakingly obvious. I'm not really sure who you think you're arguing with here but some of us are aware of some of the issues despite lacking your obviously superior educational background...