When I blend black and white paint, I always get gray. Why aren't biracial children gray?

@Mordechai It’s not a particularly clever question. 🙄

@bijouxbroussard I don't think it's serious

@Mordechai It [b]isn’t[/b]. But it’s rather silly. I don’t think people are really mad, it’s just kind of 🤦🏻‍♂️

@bijouxbroussard Perhaps it isn't clever question but it is a perfectly reasonable one. Darwin didn't know why inheritable traits didn't blend, he didn't know about Mendel even though they were working at the same time.

@ninalanyon Okay, but what does that have to do with black and white [b]paint[/b] and people being [b]grey[/b] ? 🙄

@bijouxbroussard If you don't know anything about genetics but are aware that some traits are inheritable then it seems reasonable to me to express a question about why inheritance doesn't blend traits by analogy with blending characteristics in some other field.

When faced with a 'stupid' question I always feel that we can reduce the total amount of 'stupidity' in the world by answering it so as to inform not only the questioner but also anyone else who might encounter the question and be curious about the answer.

@ninalanyon I just don’t think the person meant it that seriously. And as a mixed-race person myself, I’m pretty sure I have inherited from both sides. But I’m not grey ! 🤨

@bijouxbroussard Perhaps they did not mean it seriously. But surely there could be someone who reads the question and wonders what the explanation is?

And of course you are not grey for the reasons I explained in my response to the post. And also because your parents weren't exactly black or white anyway so that even blending wouldn't give grey. :-)

And also most traits are not quite as simple as red hair and are affected by many genes.