Raceology

 

             After reading Beth Coleman’s piece on “Race as Technology”, I’ve come to understand that phrase as positing race as a device, and not something that is naturally formed. What I mean by that, is race was constructed so that it could be used in a very specific way i.e.  controlling people that you have constructed the race for. When it comes to white versus black, black as a race was made so that white people could have something to then manipulate and control. Without this device or technology of race people are just people. And so, the problems that they have are now human problems and not race problems.

Race as a technology for white people, I would liken to something similar to IPhones v.s. Androids.  When we look at people who buy these devices, there is a manufactured understanding that one device is better than the other. Each company is trying to convince the common masses that their device is the best device and that it’s better than the competitor. One of the things they do is constantly improving their cameras and at the same time creating a culture surrounding their products so that people will continue to buy them because they want to be involved in the culture of having that specific device. White people have used race in a similar way, albeit more violently. They’ve created a culture that positions their race as the best, as the thing to strive for, and as the thing that is desirable. This means that they are taking the other races and Convincing them that they are lesser. 

There are also situations where black people even use their race as a device for themselves. Because it has been constructed black people are then able to use the technology as well.For this example I’d say black people do use their race as a way to sell products.In the modern era selling black culture is a great way to make profit.Whether or not this is a good thing is debatable however, it doesn’t change the fact that this technology is being capitalized off of.