Quote by S. I. Hayakawa
By the definition accepted in the United States, any person with even a small amount of Negro Blood... is a Negro. Logically, it would be exactly as justifiable to say that any person with even a small amount of white blood is white. Why do they say one rather than the other? Because the former classification suits the convenience of those making the classification. Society, in short, regards as true those systems that produce the desired results. Science seeks only the most generally useful systems of classification; these it regards for the time being, until more useful classifications are invented, as true.
Summary
This quote highlights the arbitrary nature of racial classifications and the role of societal convenience in determining racial identity. The author challenges the accepted definition in the United States, which categorizes anyone with even a small amount of African ancestry as Negro. They propose that it would be just as valid to classify someone as white if they have even a small amount of European ancestry. The author suggests that the choice of one classification over the other is influenced by the convenience of those creating the classification. Additionally, the quote implies that society perceives as true those systems of classification that serve their desired outcomes, while science seeks classifications that are generally useful until more refined ones are developed.
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