Technology & cyberbullying
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Jiayi Wen
English 96 & 1A
Leila Easa
11/15/17
Transracial Identity
Transracial refers to the aspect of identity with another race other than the one an
individual was born in (Nakamura 4). The concept has become a controversial issue in the 21st
century due to the increased number of such cases that have spark debate on the said topic. The
idea is based on what an individual identifies with other than what indeed a person has in the
DNA. For example, Rachel Dolezal has been the subject of criticism due to her identity with
being black yet her genes show that she is black. The race is the identity of groups of people
based on shared genetics, physical traits, ancestry and social traits. Therefore, thus this analysis
will focus on the reason why transracial is a myth, hence not accurate in real life. People can not
be transracial because you can not change your physical appearance because one's genetic and
social cultures defines them.
Skin color makes it easier for other races to be identified in real life at a glance reducing
the issue of race confusion. People of the same race have relatively similar physical traits (Blay
164).The element of the physical quality among individuals with the same race makes the
transracial issue to be false. Blay states that, “The phenotype is the clear and observable traits of
an organism such as people based on the environment they are in at the point in time.” Therefore,
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people of different races have different physical characteristics that make them be identified by
that race. For example, the black race based on physical characteristics can be identified by the
black color on their skins just like the white counterparts who have the white color on their skins.
Based on this aspect of race associated with physical traits, it is false to be transracial
despite the aspect of some people having a mixture of physical characteristics from different
races (Juffer & Marinus 137). This can be traced in families with parents from various traces.
Despite this, there is a dominant physical trait that carries day based on the identity making it
rather incorrect to say that an individual is transracial like being transgender. In addition to that,
individuals who have been discussed as identifying themselves as being transracial such as
Rachel Dolezal, American women, have a dominant white colored skin despite saying that she is
black.
Ancestry also plays a very crucial role in determining the race of various people. The
aspect of descent in the definition of the race also affects the notion of the existence of
transracial point in real life (Nakamura 158). Nakamura argues that, “Individuals with the same
race are described to be from the same ancestor leading to similarities of their physical traits.”
For example, the Asian race is associated with people of South Asian origin such as the Indians,
Sri Lankans, and Pakistanis among others. Also, the Blacks are associated with African descent
since most of the blacks migrated from Africa to other parts of the world due to various reasons.
The whites based on history originate from the United States, Canada and England and the
ancestors were farmers and laborers.
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Therefore, the aspect of transracial discussion cannot be real under such circumstances
about ancestry which determines race (Crumbley 23). This is because an individual cannot be
identified to be of many ancestral origins despite the intermarriages in the world today. This is
due to the same aspect of the dominance of one ancestral origin over the other making an
individual to be of that dominant race. For example, intermarriage between an Asian and white
gives rise to a child with physical traits that may resemble both races. However, the child has
always the most preferred race thus he or she identifies with that not being transracial as some
others claim.
Transracial is not a thing because people with same ancestry share the similar
characteristic, Racial identities are associated with the genetics composition of the individuals’
concerned (Blay 164) .The most precise way to dispute the aspect of the existence of the
transracial phenomenon is in genetics. Bay in his book illustrates that, “genetics is the study of
genes combinations of an organism such as human beings.” Most Asians lack an enzyme called
acetaldehydes that prevent them from turning red in case they drink. However, these proteins are
in whites that make them drink more before their faces turn red. In addition to that, the blacks
have a pigment called melanin that makes the skin color to be black. The white lack the pigment
hence they have a white skin color. These are just some examples of differences in races based
on the genetic composition of the people concerned.
Based on these scientific discoveries, it is not possible for the discussions on transracial
to be feasible (Juffer & Marinus 137). This is because as discussed on other previous parts
(ancestry and physical traits); there is always a dominant gene that enhances an individual’s
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identity. No scientific proof has shown that an individual has two different genes that define their
race in equal measure. Based on research, some genes are dominant while other is recessive in
the body. Thus the discussion on transgender is indeed false on scientific grounds.
The definition of race entails people with similar cultural backgrounds or social
characteristics. Based on this, the transracial discussion has always been relatively positively
received (Crumbley 20). This is because, with recent technological progress, there has been an
interchange of culture among the various people in the world. “The ancient whites were known
for the culture of farming and mining,” Crumbley stated. The ancient blacks were mainly
fishermen, farmers, and miners based on the subtribes. The clothing and type of food also make
the cultural distinctions. In the recent years, the issue of cultural identification has reduced
tremendously due to the western influence in the world especially on clothing.
Despite this aspect of social or cultural characteristics, there is no justification for
transracial existence in the world today (Crumbley 22). This is because even with the global
village influence there are some traces of culture of origin in people’s lives. It ranges from
clothing, food and even housing based on the weather. Thus individuals can be identified based
on the reaction of the culture they hold dear to thus influencing their cultural identity in life. The
issue of race should not be confused due to the intercultural interactions that interfere with the
original culture since there is always an old culture that individuals identify with.
Implication of the controversy of transracial discussion on understanding race and
gender. Transracial discussion has a very significant impact on the definition of race in different
spheres (Juffer & Marinus 131). Based on the earlier discussion, the race is the identity of a
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group of people based on similar physical traits, common ancestry, similar genetics and culture
(Juffer & Marinus 131). However, based on the argument by Juffer that, “transracial aspect is the
identification of an individual when older in a different race opposed to the one he or she was
during birth.” The issue of transracial can have a very significant impact on race if it is not
discussed and concluded I present. This is because based on the definition of race and the current
increase in intermarriages; people have a mixture of various traits from different races. But as
discussed in the previous parts, there is always a dominant gene, culture or physical state that
contradicts the notion. So if it is not clarified at present and dealt with efficiently, the definition
of race will indeed lose meaning.
However, the named controversy has generally no effect on the aspect of transgender
which has been proven either scientifically or socially (Nakamura 160). Transgender entails the
identification of an individual in a different sex from the one he or she was born with. The issue
of transgender can also be attributed to the issue of having hormones that differ the real sexual
orientation of a person thus affecting their feelings over time. Nakamura explains in his book,
“The issue of transracial has limited impact on the definition of transgender because transgender
has been proven scientifically and physically to exist but transracial is still just a notion with no
clear proof.” This is because transgender people are many in the current world; males were
acting like females and vice versa based on clothing, behavior, and feelings. Scientific research
has also shown that some individuals have more genes of a different sex than the one that they
possess based on the physical, sexual orientation of their body.
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In conclusion, the notion of transracial is not true based on this analysis since a person
cannot possess two or more races despite the increased mixed traits due to intermarriages (Helms
39). The race is the identification of people with similar genetics and physical traits among
others of a group of people. Therefore, the impossibility of the existence of transracial is
attributed to the aspect of dominant genes, cultures and physical traits that define individuals.
The discussion on transracial can have great impacts on the definition of race in the future since
it affects the real fabrics of the meaning. However, the discussion has no effects or implication
on transgender since transgender has already been proven to exist even through scientific
research.
Works Cited
Blay, Zeba. "Why Comparing Rachel Dolezal To Caitlyn Jenner Is Detrimental To Both Trans
And
Racial Progress." Huffington Post, 15 June, 2015,
www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/06/12/rachel-dolezal-caitlyn-jenner_n_7569160.html
Crumbley, Joseph. "Developing positive racial identity." Adoptive Families , Vol. 32.5, 2014,
pp.
20-23.
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Helms, Janet E. Black and White racial identity: Theory, research, and practice. Greenwood
Press,
2016.
Nakamura, Lisa. "Race in/for Cyberspace: Identity tourism and racial passing on the Internet."
Works
and Days, Vol. 13, 1995, pp. 181-193.
Juffer, F., and H. Marinus. "A meta-analysis of studies on self-esteem of the transracial,
international, and domestic adoptees." Psychological Bulletin, Vol. 133, No. 6, 2007, pp.
1067–1083.
