There's no racism anymore! Whatever you say, pal. Ask Clarence Thomas about that, since he (and several other black men known to "associate" with white women) received death threats.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/04/10/thomas.threats/index.html?eref=rss_politics&iref=polticker
I love how the FBI uses the word "associate." The "association" Thomas and these other black men have with white women is an "association" called marriage.
White people want to act like there's no sense of superiority by white people in America anymore, but when it comes to the most significant "acceptance" of another person - marriage - white people won't give it to anybody but their own.
In 2006, one in five white people said they would marry outside of their race. Taking it as a given that people respond in a more socially acceptable way to public opinion polls, and given that only .4% of white Americans actually DO get married outside of their race, we know that most of the one in five Americans are liars. In fairness to all the white folks, it's not as if all the other races are beating down the doors to intermarry, but white people have the lowest percentages by far.
Have you ever wondered about how TRULY equal you can think a person is to you if you rule them out as marriage partners with a per se rule? Even the one in five said they would CONSIDER it. That means 80% of white people would NEVER even THINK about it, regardless of whether it was Barack Obama or Angela Bassett. Eighty percent would NEVER do it, regardless of how "culturally alike" they may be.
How many people working in HR can say, "Yeah, I'd love to hire this African-American man/woman, even though I would find it beneath myself to marry ANY African-American person." How many police officers can legitimately say, "I don't treat black people any differently even though...icky....I'd never marry one."
Many people may say, "Yeah, but Chris...that doesn't make the person a racist. (S)he probably just believes it will be more difficult because of societal pressure. And those people would be right. But "societal pressure" is a euphemism for racism itself. White people will SAY there's no racism, but at the same time they will fear what OTHER white people would think about them if they were romantically "with" a black person.
At least that's what they'd say if they were truthful with themselves. Unfortunately, at least 19.6% of white people won't be.
18 comments:
I'll be sure to tell my wife we're both lying racist.
Haven;t all your wives been white?
This whole anonymous thing is confusing as hell! Anonymous 6:39...why would you tell your wife you're both lying racists? And Anon 8:06...are you talking to me or anon 6:39?
Generally, I have to agree that refusing even to consider marriage with a person of different race is per se racist.
Where I have to cry foul is the statistical analysis applied to the numbers. Just because one has chosen to marry within one's own race doesn't mean they couldn't have been truthful when they say that they would consider marrying outside their race. It just means it didn't happen THIS time. I'm not saying NONE of those people are "acting" socially acceptable by responding so, just that many or most of them could still legitimately claim to be open to the idea, yet in practice not have actually chosen to marry someone of a different race (or been lucky enough to find that person who's willing to do the same thing, like some people I know...) Right?
blog on brotha
Your argument is full of holes.
Are you talking about "on the street where you live", Indiana, the US, globally?
Did you even take any other ethnic group into account besides US blacks and whites?
Racism abounds, but you're living in a little exclusivist world of your own imagination.
Miklo and Varangia, let me do two for one.
First, Miklo, you are on the money. Totally. Stats are dangerous things, indeed, and every person who marries in their own race doesn't deserve to be branded automatically. Anybody who thinks about the "mechanics" of dating would agree with you. Most people are not keen on rejection. If he/she starts with a preconception that maybe someone black, Asian, or Latino might say no just because he/she (the asker) is white, you'd have fewer attempts by white guys and gals, which means even fewer first dates, relationships, and ultimately, marriages. In other words, I hold out the possibility that more people are open to the idea but that the "transaction cost" is too high.
But what I can't shake, Varangia is that EIGHTY PERCENT of white people in this survey of America (national sampling), say they wouldn't even THINK about it.
I don't know how you can say this number means I'm living in an "exclusivist world of my own imagination." I didn't tell 80% of white people what to say.
But I did compare all ethnic groups, and there is resistance in most racial groups, but not to the same degree as with white people, which is why I had the title I did. It wasn't "white people are the ONLY racist people." They're just the "MOST" racist.
Even though I didn't go into this, it is simply a fact (for which the interpretations could be argued, of course) that the closer a group is to a white person's own skin tone, the more likely he/she is to accept them in marriage. Here's the white person "preferred mate" scale:
white>Asian>Latino>African-American. In other words, the darker the person is, the LESS LIKELY a white person is to marry them. What would be your explanation for this phenomenon?
Seriously, if you have an alternative explanation for why 4 out of 5 white people say they wouldn't marry outside of their race under any circumstances that ISN'T based on an insult to the people of other races, I'd love to hear it because the statistic is just outright depressing.
And I did want to add the the reason disputes over racism are so contentious is because (a) people get defensive when someone accuses them of thinking they're better than others; and (b) the definition itself is not universally agreed upon.
What I mean in my post when I say white people are "racist" is not the more clinical definition of believing a particular race has certain taxonomic characteristics that make them inferior, but rather, that for reasons either individual or societal (that these white people are willing to accept), they believe marrying someone outside of their race would be "beneath" them or would cause others to look "down" upon them. I imagine that most white people would try to tell you their reservations are not personal, but rather, are born out of a feear for how "society" would respond.
And that's the MOST compelling argument for how pervasive racism, (as I define it) really is. After all, who knows what white people think about inter-racial marriage more than white people themselves?
I don't disagree with your numbers, just your unfounded conclusion.
It's my experience that (generally) Chinese, Hindus, then Black women are the least likely to "marry outside their race". And way ahead of the White numbers you mention (80%).
Now, let the "defensiveness" fly...
Varan,
I'm always a work in progress. I'll dig more. The Indian phenomenon is one I haven't studied because I thought (maybe mistakenly) that it's caste-based, religious-based, and only then racial when they opt not to marry outside of their "race." But I give you all kinds of respect for qualifying your remarks with an "in general." It drives me crazy when people think there's a monolithic group of ANYBODY.
No matter what "race" one is talking about, people tend to choose mates who share similar values and culture. I think that is why most people tend to choose people of the same race most often. Not necessarily that their eventual choice somehow has a racist foundation. It could, but it doesn't have to.
In the US, the lone exception to that rule would be black males. Culturally, I think, some black males grow to believe that acquiring a mate of a different race, especially a Caucasian woman, somehow is a badge of success somehow. It shouldn't be surprising, after all young males (of any color) are constantly bombarded by media messages that blonde, white women are the sure sign of masculine success from an early age.
In the case of India, there is no monolith there when it comes to race, religion or culture. Traditional choices for marriage tend to be a complex combination of all those factors (try looking around an Indian dating site sometime). Officially, caste no longer holds force. Effectively, that is more often than not, not true. There are several major racial groups in India, and they normally don't mix. Then, there is religion. That is where the whole process becomes really intricate. Of course, there is also urban vs. rural, and economic compatibility.
In my opinion, all races are racist, some more than others (a debate for a different day). I don't have either the psychology or sociology to explain it, but via long observation I find it to hold true, as a general rule. It is probably some kind of ancient, hard-wired survival mechanism that civilized humans no longer need, but cannot easily shed. Individuals can overcome this bias, but it does take two to tango, and so the potential for inter-racial marriage or partnering decreases in some fashion.
What the heck is the white race? Do you mean mainstream America or just degrees of skin color? The Black and White of Racism
And all gay men are sexist for not considering a female spouse.
And anyone who wouldn't consider a senior citizen as a spouse is ageist.
Not to mention anti-blond[e], -brunette, -redhead, -bald, -long hair, -short hair, -curly hair, -taller, -shorter, -heavier, and -leaner bigotry.
It's one thing to say "I would not approve if a member of my family wanted to marry outside of my race". It's quite another to say "That's not where my romantic and sexual attraction lie". I don't think we get to call someone racist (believing their race to be superior) or otherwise bigoted because they are not universally attracted to every skin color, hair color, body shape, voice, athleticism, and clothing choice.
I think the previous poster is right. Where do you draw the line for your preferences as being racist or what turns you on.
In my mind, the better question would be would you be upset if your child dated/married/had kids with a person from another race. This would be revealing.
I started out considering voting for Sen. Obama, then I saw his minister, Wright, asking God to damn my country, went on Wright’s churches website to read more, then read more about Black Liberation Theology, visited some Black-African-american blogs and now am basically a very different person regarding my attitude toward people who consider themselves Black.
For me it is time to ignore them as much as possible. I use to attempt to be nice to people who consider themselves Black and receive, most often, an negative Attitude.
I did not understand that Attitude then, but now I do and these Black people can take their Attitude with a dose of my not giving a damn anymore.
Now I start off expecting the negative-black-Attitude from Blacks and ignore them. I use to say thank you, but not now it the person handing me the burger is black, I assume they have an Attitude and ignore them other than to take the package. If they say something nice, I acknowledge the gesture with a minimal reaction.
For me people who consider themselves Black are beginning to vanish as anything relevant to my life.
So I say, why would anyone in mainstream American care what some Black racist says about anything anymore. They already blame and hate us all mainstream Americans with olive or lighter skin.
Why care or even attempt to explain. Let them all go off together and rant.
What a stupid rant. So if I prefer White women over Black women, I am racist? That's just stupid. I actually find Hispanics and Whites attractive; no offense, I just prefer those races. Personal preference has nothing to do with racism when it comes to relationships.
By the way, most of the time I see blacks as being way more racist than whites. I have had blacks who will not hold the door when I am behind them entering a building, and some blacks who are just plain rude for no apparent reason. I can also recall a few incidents in the past when a black person turned a simple argument into a racist argument by saying something like "you white boy" "white motherfxxxer" etc.
Blacks teach their children mistrust and resentment toward White people. When a Black person refers to a sister or brother, the black definition of the words exclude White people.
This “community” of Black mistrust and resentment has resulted in a Black culture of hatred toward White people. The unReverend Wright’s call on his Black God to damn America is typical of the Black hatred of what they perceive as “White America”.
Black freedom today was won by White blood fighting for individual freedom and liberty for all humankind. Blacks neither understand nor appreciate this realty.
Most recently mainstream America opened the way for people who consider themselves Black to fully integrate into mainstream American society. Blacks responded with “Black Nationalism” and “Black Liberation Theology”. Today Black Colleges and Universities, use federal funds to further Black racialism and feed a conspiracy to further divide America.
A white man advised our nation early on that “United we stand, divided we fall”. America today, because of Black racialism, is divided. Because of this division, America is falling in the world.
The polarization of America is taking form. American Tribalism is beginning. In time there will be the Black Tribe, the Hispanic Tribe, the Asian Tribe, and yes, the White tribe.
Currently there is no cohesion among people considered White. This group is actually so diverse and multi-cultural that they would never unite except under extraordinary circumstances. The process will be more of exclusion. Not being Black, Hispanic or Asian, this group will begin to form the White Tribe. Soon the White tribe will be in the minority in America.
The White tribe will likely continue in the spiritual evolution that brought them to
America in the first place and cease to be a governing factor in America. The tribal struggles and wars will begin. America will slowly go the way of Rwanda, South Africa, and Haiti today.
The light of Liberty will be dimmed in the world, if not lost.
is this blog serious? i live in san francisco and the most racist people i have encountered are chinese immigrants... one of them or their children marrying a black person? unheard of. in fact, i've encountered considerably more racism amongst immigrants than domestic born people, probably because in other countries they don't grow up learning that racism is wrong and shameful. i'm white and married to an arab so i guess i'm not one of these white racists you speak of... but i'm not attracted to white guys, so i guess i'm racist against white people? but i'm a white person? wait... i'm confused. how did i get here?
There's an extremely large difference between hating a different race and marrying into a different race.
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