Sunday, January 08, 2012

Racial Discrimination has Nothing to Do with Biology

The 1965 International Convention to Eliminate All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD) defines the term in the following words. Please note there is nothing in here requiring biological, physical, or genetic categorization. Discrimination on the basis of ethnic and national categories is legally racial discrimination under international law. There are no other definitions of racial discrimination that have any standing under international law.

1. In this Convention, the term 'racial discrimination' shall mean any distinction, exclusion, restriction or preference based on race, colour, descent, or national or ethnic origin which has the purpose or effect of nullifying or impairing the recognition, enjoyment or exercise, on an equal footing, of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political, economic, social, cultural  or any other field of public life.

Definitions of racial discrimination that require an exact imitation of Nazi practices basically make the term meaningless by excluding every regime except Nazi Germany from the charge of racial discrimination. Even South Africa under apartheid would escape the charge because their distinctions, exclusions, restrictions, and preferences were officially based upon ethnic origin not some biological category of 'race.'

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