The most ridiculous thing about humans

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Imagine you are a member of an advanced alien species, which is studying humans. What is the thing you would find the most ridiculous about them?

I think I would quadruple-facepalm over racism. I've decided racism falls into distinct categories, which would all baffle me:

1. Psuedoscientific racism. This began in the 19th century and is built on a non-understanding of the theory of evolution. The fact that there isn't really enough genetic diversity amongst humans to classify any as inferior or superior invalidates it. The fact that humans are not dissimilar in any partiucularly significant way invalidates it. The fact that people who are pseudoscientifically racist always consider themselves to be a member of a superior race, this would remind me of the earliest forms of human arrogance in considering one's own clan or tribe superior. It is the same thing with a Darwinist gloss over it.

2. Cultural racism. This is the assumption that ones culture is massively superior to that of another 'tribe', and that those different cultures are intrinsic to those people as people. Human cultures are evolutionary in origin, so in some ways 'culture' itself is intrinsic to humans. Which one it is, however, is an accident of birth. If you step far enough away, all human cultures share many similarities - marriage, trade, religions. This makes you consider that humans are much more similar than they are different on cultural matters. Religious racism falls under this category. Plus, all cultures are not static entities and neither are so-called 'races'.

3. Historical racism. That is to say 'our people once had a war with those people, so all their descendants carry the taint of their ancestors!' This doesn't really need an explanation as to why it's stupid.

4. Aesthetic racism. This is, simply, 'they look funny'.

Any thoughts on what you would find most ridiculous about humans?

Pretty much everything about them. My dad actually told me that, if there are advanced aliens in the universe, they would have no reason to bother with us, and I have to agree.

[quote="puddingmouse"

2. Cultural racism. This is the assumption that ones culture is massively superior to that of another 'tribe', and that those different cultures are intrinsic to those people as people. Human cultures are evolutionary in origin, so in some ways 'culture' itself is intrinsic to humans. Which one is, however, an accident of birth. If you step far enough away, all human cultures share many similarities - marriage, trade, religions. This makes you consider that humans are much more similar than they are different on cultural matters. Religious racism falls under this category. Plus, all cultures are not static entities and neither are so-called 'races'.

[/quote]

Every functioning human collective has produced a culture of some sort. The primary ingredient of a culture is the mode and manner of family structure and above all a language. Every human society has either adapted or produced a language.

In larger societies, family modalities have evolved into more general social customs and laws.

There is no human existence without some kind of culture. Humans are social and cultural animals. We are not, however, hive animals or herd animals.

ruvey

#2 is drifting dangerously into cultural relativist territory. Is a culture that allows the mutilation of a girl's genitals without her consent equal to a culture that views this practice as wrong?

Our incomprehensible social rituals.