As a junior biologist, I remember having the realization that viruses and other quasi-living things are just an epi-phenomenon of life. That was a level-up moment in my training, a lot of things clicked into place.
Meaning, if one could magically remove all viruses from the biosphere, they would re-evolve very quickly. Let alone the fact there are significant numbers of viral fragments in our DNA, some of which have been co-opted and used for crucial purposes, such as the mammalian placenta.
Plus the tendency of some of those fragments to move around the genome, providing a source of variation that is sometimes selected for.
Viruses and maybe this archaea may not meet a binary definition of ‘life’, but any biosphere anywhere in the universe will have things like them in great abundance. Any evolving system will produce them.
So then the statement in your statement seems to be racism should have no social consequences?
You really haven’t thought this through.
Racism bypasses rational thought, it’s a visceral reaction for those steeped in it. People operating at that level are immune to reason in the moment.
Maybe they can change over time? Sure give those sincerely seeking the grace they need. But power must be applied to preserve decent social standards.
I see the wisdom in speaking softly most times. It’s a tough pill to swallow but those soft words must be backed up by strength. There are behaviors and attitudes that simply cannot be allowed to prosper.