Question.1948 - The proposition is: The Afrocentrist thinker, Leonard Jeffries often speaks of the theory that Europeans are “ice people” who are violent and cruel, while “Afrikans,” Asians and MesoAmericans (the triple “a”) are “sun people” who are compassionate and peaceful. Specifically, he is a proponent of melanin theory and claims that melanin levels affect the psyche of people, and that melanin allows non-white people to “…negotiate the vibrations of the universe and to deal with the ultraviolet rays of the sun.” Develop an argument (a series of claims supported by data used as evidence) against that proposition (two pages maximum) . Write it as “convincingly” as you can. Pay attention to examining the author's underlying assumptions, sources of data, counter arguments you may glean from the literature, clearly stating your own argument, discussing your assumptions/justifications citing appropriate sources to support your position.
Answer Below:
Leonard Jeffries is an Afro-centrist thinker, so it is obvious that he is against the thoughts of Africans, Asians, and Mesoamericans. Here the controversy seems to take place with the pigment melanin, which is supposed to give color to skin. The higher the level of melanin in the human body darker the skin, eyes, and hair color in human beings. However, the presence of melanin hugely depends on the ancestral population. Melanin is supposed to have the potential to absorb the UV rays of the Sun and thus protect skin and cells from getting damaged and prone to diseases (Ramnefjell, 2023). But the fact which is explained by Leonard Jeffries that non-white people with melanin have an extra advantage in their psyche is not correct because every skin tone has melanin pigment within them. However, the concentration of that pigment increases or decreases according to the habitat of that individual. Research shows that white-skinned people can increase the melanin content in the skin by taking enough antioxidants which come in the form of flavonoids. Taking vitamin, A can also work for increasing melanin content (McMillian, 2021). The melanin theory, which contends that melanin levels have a direct impact on behavior and psychology, is a key tenet of Jeffries' argument. However, this theory is not supported by any reliable scientific data. Melanin has been found not to have a major and direct impact on a person's mind or behavior, despite its significance in pigmentation as well as certain elements of physiology (Barnet, 2001). Lacking a scientific foundation, the assertion that melanin enables not white humans to "negotiate with the motions of cosmic affairs as well as cope with the harmful UV rays of the sun's rays" seems more similar to pseudoscience than actual research. Jeffries' argument has problems because it oversimplifies human variety by making broad generalizations that depend on race (Ramnefjell, 2023). The variety of human experiences, behaviors, and personalities is not adequately reflected by racial categories, which are social constructs. It is not just factually unjustified, but it also feeds negative preconceptions and racial biases to attach certain characteristics to entire racial groupings (McMillian, 2021). Furthermore, Jeffries' claim is refuted by historical and modern facts. All ethnic and racial communities have demonstrated violent as well as peaceful behavior throughout history, refuting the idea that any group has a natural tendency toward either (Barnet, 2001).. In addition, there are innumerable examples of people overcoming prejudices and expectations related to their race. The proposition in this study runs like Europeans are ice people and violent and cruel but there are no reasons for them to be cruel just because of their skin color and the Africans, Asians, and Mesoamericans being the sun people to be very compassionate and strong (Ramnefjell, 2023). Dark skin people are not prone to get any skin burns. Dark skin does not allow 100% light to enter the skin because melanin present in the skin releases a hormone called melanocytes which helps in protecting the skin from getting damaged (Barnet, 2001). As is mentioned here non-white people can deal with the ultraviolet rays of the Sun but according to the study conducted by the CDC study, 2010, says that even dark-skinned people are now prone to skin-related diseases and UV rays are affecting them. It is seen that every year 13% of men and 9% of women having black skin are getting sunburns. Moreover, it is also recorded that 38% of Hispanic women and 32% of Hispanic men are prone to sunburns (McMillian, 2021). There is evidence that white people get affected by the ultra-violated rays more than non-white people but the main reason behind that is that non-white people's skin gets damaged by the ultra-violated rays of the Sun but it remains unnoticed. It remains unconcerned to many people that even if the burns are not seen the skin damage still exists. Non-white-skinned people experience a lot of skin irritations, pain, and sensitivity due to the UV rays and they are more prone to skin cancer than white-skinned people (Barnet, 2001). According to a CDC study, it was recorded that in every 100 non-white people 1 person gets skin melanomas each year and 4 Hispanic people get melanomas. So, it can be strongly said that non-white people too are prone to getting skin cancer and there are reports of, every 4 non-white people 100 people suffering and ultimately dying from skin cancer and the reason solely being the ultra-violated rays of the Sun (Ramnefjell, 2023). References Barnet, S. (2001). Current issues and enduring questions: A guide to critical thinking and argument, with readings. https://philpapers.org/rec/BARCIA-3 McMillian, J. (2021). How Did We End Up With Donald Trump?. Reviews in American History, 49(2), 310-321. https://muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/article/796684/summary Ramnefjell, J. (2023). The Notion of a Self-hating White American Elite: Debates about how to define, teach, and morally assess America's culture (Master's thesis). https://www.duo.uio.no/bitstream/handle/10852/103608/1/MA-thesis---compiled.pdfMore Articles From Literature
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