What's my race got's to do with it?

I'm one of those people who doesn't mind if someone asks "Are you Chinese?" or "What country are you from?" Although, typically when the second question is asked, depending on whom the inquirer is, I would reply "I'm Canadian", knowing fully well that they had meant my ethnic background. At this point I wait for them to follow up with "No, I meant where did your parents come from?" or "What asian country did your family originally come from?" I don't mind at all.  I get curious too and have often asked another those same questions.

However I do admit that I'm pretty particular about avoiding using the word "race". Though I'm not known for my political correctness, the very-Canadian side of me always shudders abit whenever I encounter this word, which has become frequent since I've begun my readings from my very-American epidemiology textbook. The numerous tables and figures in this textbook often categorizes health research results by age, gender, bmi and... race.

"Race" to me emphasizes physiological and genetic differences (may they be actual or perceived), and connotes superior vs. inferior, and divisiveness, while "ethnicity", which is what I'm more used to saying, connotes culture, heritage, and of course differences in physical traits; yet it seems to lack the air of prejudice that is typically associated with "race".  

To what extent is race a determinant of health compared to other socio-cultural-economic factors?

There have been various studies on breast cancer that have found higher rates of the cancer among white women and lower rates in blacks and hispanics.  Can these differences be attributed to race, or other factors known to be related to breast cancer like the number of children a woman has in their twenties, or the use of oral contraceptives.  Studies also show that whites have higher survival rates compared to blacks and hispanics.  Does that mean they are more resilient?  Nope.  It's because on average, a white person in the United States is more likely to have access to medicare, which leads to higher chances of early diagnosis, treatment and survival.

So maybe comparing race when conducting health research in a multicultural context is useful if you think of it as a sort of potpurri surrogate for socio-cultural-economic determinants.  

I think it's interesting that on an individual basis we must not generalize and stereotype a person based on the color of their skin, but at a population level, all is fair in epidemiology.       

The Earth Charter - A Global Covenant

Have you heard of the Earth Charter? I had only first heard about it 2 weeks ago in my Ethics and Sustainability course. First conceived for the Earth Summit in Rio de Janerio in 1992, formally launched in 2005, it has been referred to as “a landmark covenantal expression of he common principles for a just, sustainable, peaceful, and democratic world community”. (J.Ronald Engel, Ph.D, 2008)

PRINCIPLES OF THE EARTH CHARTER

I. RESPECT AND CARE FOR THE COMMUNITY OF LIFE

1. Respect Earth and life in all its diversity.
2. Care for the community of life with understanding, compassion, and love.
3. Build democratic societies that are just, participatory, sustainable, and peaceful.
4. Secure Earth's bounty and beauty for present and future generations.

II. ECOLOGICAL INTEGRITY

5. Protect and restore the integrity of Earth's ecological systems, with special concern for biological diversity and the natural processes that sustain life.
6. Prevent harm as the best method of environmental protection and, when knowledge is limited, apply a precautionary approach.
7. Adopt patterns of production, consumption, and reproduction that safeguard Earth's regenerative capacities, human rights, and community well-being.
8. Advance the study of ecological sustainability and promote the open exchange and wide application of the knowledge acquired.

III. SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC JUSTICE

9. Eradicate poverty as an ethical, social, and environmental imperative.
10. Ensure that economic activities and institutions at all levels promote human development in an equitable and sustainable manner.
11. Affirm gender equality and equity as prerequisites to sustainable development and ensure universal access to education, health care, and economic opportunity.
12. Uphold the right of all, without discrimination, to a natural and social environment supportive of human dignity, bodily health, and spiritual well-being, with special attention to the rights of indigenous peoples and minorities.

IV. DEMOCRACY, NONVIOLENCE, AND PEACE

13. Strengthen democratic institutions at all levels, and provide transparency and accountability in governance, inclusive participation in decision making, and access to justice.
14. Integrate into formal education and life-long learning the knowledge, values, and skills needed for a sustainable way of life.
15. Treat all living beings with respect and consideration.
16. Promote a culture of tolerance, nonviolence, and peace.

Lofty and utopic goals aren't they? Wouldn't we want to live in a world like the one described by the Charter? Yet we are so acclimatized to being in a world that's plagued by poverty, corruption and conflict (though none of it may directly impact us), that we are just too darn cynical to believe that these principles can be achieved. There is no denying that each of us have good intentions and believe ourselves to be good people, yet collectively the human race is so utterly messed up. I think mostly it's because of fear. We do nothing because of the mentality of “better them than us” and we're use to thinking: “doesn't someone have to be at the bottom?” Nevertheless, the Charter is calling all people and governments to commit to taking actions and enacting policies that align with this higher standard. The Charter is asking us to see ourselves are global citizens, and to recognize the moral and ethical obligations that we have to those within and outside of our national borders. You might have guessed now that my passions and values seem to align well with Part III of the Charter on social and economic justice.

People have asked me why I like working with people in “poor countries” and the best answer that I can give them is: “Well, if I were in their shoes, I would hope that there are people out there who would have the compassion to want to help me.” The Earth Charter might sound terribly political and redundant with its talk about participatory democratic, accountability, ecological integrity, etc., but the essential message it’s advocating is that we are all equal and everyone, especially those in developing countries, have just as much right to be treated justly, and to be freed from tyranny. They are not second-class citizens. They were not born to play the roles of slaves in our market economy (aka. neo-colonial system). We are not entitled to pillage as much as we'd like from their land and sea, simultaneously polluting it, just because we have the power to. We innately know these concepts to be true, even if the prevailing economic and political climate ignores it. Numerous organizations (i.e. UNESCO) and even several government ministries (i.e. Brazil, Mexico) have already made formal commitments to consider the Earth Charter in the development of their policies and programs. Lofty goals? Yes. But isn't it worth striving for, considering the billions of people who lack the voice and capacity to do it all on them own.

Humanity is something to be realized, not in each individual human being, but rather in communion between all humans” - (Charles Taylor, 1998)