Equals?

In The Heart of Darkness, an obscure side of European colonization is exposed. One of the most shocking occurrences that are seen throughout the novel is the mistreatment of humans towards other humans. This is not the first time we read about human's cruel treatments. As a matter of fact, this topic has been present through most of history. It's interesting to see the variety of opinions on the subject. Those who believe all men are created equal, may have had ancestors who thought they were superior to other human beings. There are those who still believe their skin color reflects their status, and men who still hold women responsible for the sex of their child. Biology however, insinuates another reality which eliminates the validity of these affirmations.

Many texts focus on the equality of men. The Declaration of Independence, where Thomas Jefferson so expressively writes: "we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness," is the most evident example. Nevertheless, it's hard to acclaim this renowned piece of work when it's author wrote one thing but lived another, praised liberty but owned slaves. The idea of human equality is very romantic but also highly unrealistic.

Life is a competition and our main purpose is to survive. No, we are not born equal. We do not have the same skin or eye or hair colors. Some are smart, some are athletic, some are both, unfortunate ones are neither. We aren't born with the same opportunities or beliefs. If we were, then who would survive and who wouldn't?

Jefferson's utopic ideals can't explain this. Biology, on the other hand can. In fact, biology not only explains human inequality. It also turns the story upside down. The "superior" ones slide down the status triangle and those "inferior" human beings now find themselves on top.

Let's begin with the typical example: light colored people are superior to dark skinned individuals. Most History textbooks are full with stories where Europeans colonized and killed Native American tribes. American history beholds slavery as the perfect example. It was okay to exterminate a whole population because they were inferior right? In comes biology with a different story at hand. Dr. Susan C. Taylor, a Harvard-trained physician speaks about the advantages of having a darker skin color. "Our skin is made up of three distinct layers: the epidermis, the dermis and the subcutaneous layer. The only visible layer, the epidermis, is composed mainly of keratinocytes-cells that provide a protective barrier to the skin." The epidermis also contains cells that produce melanin, the pigment which gives skin color. The more melanin you have in your skin, the darker tone you have. "Our melanin has many significant health as well as beauty benefits," Taylor adds. Some of these include a natural protection from the sun, less risks of skin cancer and guarding the skin from long term damage associated with aging like wrinkles and age spots. So according to biology, not only are dark skinned people are less common to suffer from the harmful effects of the sun, they preserve their young complexion for a longer time as well.

Another common belief proved wrong by biology has to do with women being responsible for the sex of their child. All those men who mistreated, killed or left their wives for having baby girls instead of boys have no one to blame but themselves. Humans have two sex chromosomes represented by the letters X and Y. Women have two X chromosomes and men have one X and one Y chromosome. When a man and a women produce an offspring, each one gives one of his/her chromosomes to the baby. Since women's two chromosomes are the same, they will always contribute an X. It is therefore on the male's hands whether or not the child is a male or a female.

Even if you don't consider one race being superior to another, or hold females or males responsible for a particular event, you should question yourself if everything you believe in can be supported by some sort of evidence. It's easy to create stereotypes and easier yet to believe in them. Once you do, the words you say about certain subjects stop being your own.