LETTER: We’re all one race: The human race

There is a common term applied to people in general: the human race. Genetically and biologically, that is an undisputed fact. People, no matter their skin color or other outward appearance, are equally human.

Yet when people of differing colors marry the media often report these events as interracial marriages. And the children of these couples are referred to as biracial. Everyone understands what these references are intended to mean, but they are factually meaningless. Yet something that has no factual basis continues to be given space in the public sphere.

It would seem that the word “race” as applied to humans has acquired a toxic connotation. Factually, the visible differences among humans are cosmetic. These outward differences may have had some evolutionary value with respect to locations, temperatures, humidity and elevations in ages past. Currently, however, there is no known advantage biologically or genetically for have a certain pigment, hair color, eye shape or other outward physical configurations.

Perhaps it is time to stop using the word “race” with reference to humans and substitute some other word, such as “style.” When people are asked to indicate on surveys what race they are, it may be better to ask what is their “style.”