You can't talk about race without talking about selfish genes. We have a natural disposition to make babies with people who share (most) of our genes. We have created cultural taboos against incest so that we can be as consanguineous as possible without losing robustness. Our idea of beauty is based on genetic stability. No one is inherently "ugly"; but some people appear less capable than others of producing offspring the bear our own traits.

Race is a first-order selfish-gene issue. Who KNOWS what horrors lurk beneath the skin of another color? The idea of racial "superiority" is just a psychological makeweight. Our genes want racial "continuity." We call it "superiority" for the same reason the government calls bail-out money "stimulus"; it creates a popular basis for urges most of us don't have the time or tools to explore.

Race is just part of a larger selfish-gene mosaic. Women's genes find success and power sexy because those genes are most likely to persist if their sons have wealth and power. Men's genes find an hour-glass figure sexy because they will persist if their daughters are sexually desirable.

Absolutely, "otherness" is a critical concept. But otherness scares our genes. Race may be a construct, but otherness is a genetic fact, and race is just a proxy for a certain kind of otherness.

Nothing about selfish gene theory demands obeisance to what our genes want. We can learn to overcome our genetic hang-ups, mostly by tolerating those who don't share them. Everything in genetics happens on a spectrum. Most people are not attracted to people who look different, but a few are, and the majority's tolerance of the latter is the key to educating our genes not to be afraid of certain differences. The prevalence and social acceptance of beautiful and successful mixed-race specimens will do more to end racism than pleas to disregard race entirely.

I suspect that we will evolve out of racism, genetically and politically, in tandem. But ideological anti-racism is as much a facade as "superiority." Our genes demand reproduction; we just make shit up to convince ourselves that we and not they are in control.