Prepare yourself for the end. This, the final episode of the internet’s most invincible show that is not a show, Keith and David try to come to terms with the inevitable end of the Unshow. Naturally, we decide to clone each other and carry on the show. What follows is… well why don’t you just watch it and find out.

The Invincible Unshow, Episode 5 from David Toyne on Vimeo.

In this episode we contemplate whether the Unshow is racist, Keith makes a documentary about me and we visit the Korean DMZ. So much less than a show it’s more. Incidentally, this 4th episode is the penultimate one for this season. Episode 5 is in the editing room now and it’s promising to be a thrilling finale. Stay tuned.

The Invincible Unshow, Episode 4 from David Toyne on Vimeo.

It’s been a week since the last one and the long wait in between is over. Episode 3 is here, featuring Buttons, Bad Trailers, Korean CSI and BBQ. Oh and the return of Dr. Paul. Don’t miss it.

The Invincible Unshow, Episode 3 from David Toyne on Vimeo.

When man began, it was a branch-out on evolution’s part. It might have failed, like all those other attempts failed, but man did branch out and slowly developed and grew. There was something in his gait, primitive man, which set him apart from the monkeys and humanoids. He had what it took, both soft and rugged and most importantly, smart. He outwit all others and rose to dominance. As man developed, and his numbers grew, he spread out. He started to cover more and more of the planet.

However, over the millennia, as the tectonic plates shifted, the land grew farther apart and the various tribes became separated. Some regions were hot, some were cold, some humid, some dry. Over thousands upon thousands of years, generation after generation slowly improved their abilities in certain areas. Those individuals who showed skill in vital areas to the culturewere prized as mates and passed on their genetic material with more certainty. As time passed, the skills of these superior mates became commonly accepted by the whole population, as the genomes met and bore new versions. Some developed dark skin, others light skin and a whole host of variations in between.

There are very obvious differences between the races of humanity. The question is, where do you draw the line between race and humanity, in other words, where do our differences end and our similarities begin? That is, of course, the fundamental question of how racist you are. If you view the extreme view that almost everything is different between races, then golly, you are a racist. If you think it ends at skin color, then you are a PC moron.

Just where our similarities end and our differences begin is still not fully explained by science. It was long thought that hormones were different between races. This was used as a basis of the idea that certain behaviors were linked to race. However, recent studies have shown that there are almost insignificant differences between testosterone levels between black, white and latino men. The idea that certain races are predisposed to certain behaviors is tenous at best.

Yet we must admit certain differences do exist. Why are all the best sprinters black, the best long distance runners Kenyan or the best swimmers white? These differences in physicality are obvious, as certain body-types are suited to certain sports, but is this where the differences end? Compared to my asian friend, I am missing the ability to produce melanin at a fast enough rate to prevent damage from the sun. After 30 minutes, I get redder and redder whereas he just gets darker. On the other hand, he, like many Asians, has difficulty drinking milk due to lack of the enzyme used in the stomach to break down the proteins, whereas I can guzzle it down like a champ.

The trouble we have in our society is that we are so busy trying to stamp out racism that we sometimes forget to acknowledge the very real differences we have with each other. Whenever race is brought up as a topic of discussion, it is tiptoed around for fear of causing offense or not being PC enough. We, as a generation have been born into this guilt of the sins of our forefathers. Yet we can’t help but feel indignation at feeling a guilt for a thing that we had no part in. There have been many atrocities throughout history, yet it’s slavery which is often leveled as something we ourselves should be sorry for. I want to help the less fortunate, regardless of their color, but I take issue with the idea that because I’m white, I am in some way related to those racist white men and women of history.

This original sin of slavery seems as inherently racist as the policies of segregation. Both further propogate the idea of grouping people by their race, rather than as individuals. It may be for a more positive end and done with good intent, but that doesn’t make it right and it doesn’t help to solve the bigger issue.

I don’t think that humans will ever stop forming groups, however I do think that as society develops, groups will be formed on grounds less elemental than skin color. Not only that, but as genetic research continues, we may very well benefit from all the differences we have with each other. The thousands of years apart, developing differently has ended. We are now citizens of the world, who will join our strengths to form a stronger whole.