Terry Sarten: We have more in common than we have differences

Geneticist Adam Rutherford has studied the remarkably similarities between peoples.

IT IS time we ditched the words "racism" and "racist" from our language - they allow those who act in racially discriminatory ways to shelter behind the notion that the world can be categorised by race, with some races being somehow superior to others.

While the term racist describes someone who stereotypes and discriminates against people based on how they look, by skin colour, by outward appearance, the notion of race is a red herring.

It hides the reality that race is a social construct about differences that have no relation to human genetics.

Geneticist Adam Rutherford tells us that we are all remarkably similar. DNA links show that globally "we are a small family".

A genetic step back to three and a half million years ago, brings us all to a common ancestor. He notes that understanding how different but how similar we are can overcome the notions of borders by highlighting how much we share as humans.

It can also shift the ideas that drive prejudice. This means we should be able to put aside the idea of race as a way of defining and categorising people and concentrate on what we all have in common. Adam Rutherford expresses this well, noting that whether African, a Scot, Maori or Native American, we all share a common bond of ancestry.

Racism is about an attitude based in superficial differences and little else.

But if we are thinking there is no such thing as race then we need a new description. Instead we could call this "Difference-ism' or perhaps "Otherness-itism" as a way to highlight that this is all about a way of seeing the world as being divided into those like us and other people who are different.

Telling people with clearly discriminatory practices that they are racists often goes nowhere. For some it is an entrenched position from which there will be no retreat no matter what logical ammunition comes there way. Prejudice is rarely based in fact so there is point in arguing.

Calling this out as "Difference-ism" is one way to ensure we are not allowing those who discriminate on the basis of skin colour to get away with it by claiming it is about race when, in fact, skin colour is but one minor factor in the wider scope of what we share genetically that makes us human.

"Difference-ism" is a bit hard to say; "otherness-ism" lacks finesse; "them-and-us-ism" lacks a certain something; calling them idiots is not helpful, while Fascism is an effect rather than a cause, so that's not helpful either. "Appearance Biased Individuals" is too kind and calling them "Nazis" is too harsh ... telling them to go back to where they came from would be too much irony for most too handle.

Of course, calling racism out as prejudice or bigotry is one way of making a point but this still leads back to race as a defining feature when this completely misses the crucial point that we are all so genetically similar.

It always amazes me that the world over, parents sing to their babies in an almost identical way. Children, no matter where they live, share the same need for care and love. Music and dance celebrates life in every corner of the planet.

We have different languages, customs; cultural diversity is everywhere reflecting the human need for identity, but identity cannot be caged into boxes marked with word race.

■ Terry Sarten (aka Tel) is a writer, musician and social worker - feedback: tgs@inspire.net.nz