Inter-racial Relationships

[kusojiji]

To what extent is this still an issue today? Outside of some serious knuckle-draggers, I don't see it as an issue much at all in the US today, but I know in some other countries it is still a consideration for individuals and families.

Thoughts?

 

[Jericho Desu]

Generally the whole idea seems to be more accepted nowadays, but here in the England other than London there are still quite a few individuals who frown on this. Many will be quite outspoken about it (such as hooligans) who will shout their abuse or whatever, but there are many who will just either give you the 'stare' or most likely just be thinking their disapproval.

For me, being a result of an inter-racial relationship myself (middle eastern-white), I think this is a very important barrier to break down. I'm not going to state all the reasons why since most are fairly obvious, but I believe humanity can't grow until it has overcome this.

 

[Malamis]

Of all Scotland's racist problems, interracial marriages/relationships are not really at the forefront. The worst i've heard or seen is the generic lewd commentary, as opposed to outward racial antagonism.

 

[Amigo]

Well, if it hadn't been for interracial relationships I wouldn't have experienced any relationship by the time being. I've never had a serious relationship with a Spanish girl. The first one were from Dominican Rep. the second one were from Switzerland and the last one were from Japan. I've never had any problem neither with my family nor my friends.

I think that the world's countries are getting closer and closer and any kind of relationship is going to be the most normal thing in daily life. With the revolution of international communication (Internet, mobile phones, satellite...) human being is mixing more and more.

To make an issue of it is just a matter of every culture. I think interracial relationships is something interesting and alluring.

 

[bakaKanadajin]

Within the context of Japan they're still not very common. They're just not done in most places outside of large urban centers. I think as long as people are together because they want to be together for the right reasons and they love each other you can't find fault with it. Hopefully the Japanese will eventually see it that way and their attitude will change, particularly if they want to increase their population and create a sustainable workforce.

 

[ShadowSpirit]

I'm still trying to draw my conclusion of what most people think of interracial relationships. Growing up in California, I didn't see it being as much of a problem. That was until I traveled to different parts of the states and have been in the company of some extremely racist people. Then when I've gone on dates with women who weren't white (myself being white and while living outside of California) I was met with some very interesting line of questioning about it. Such as. "Ever dated a black girl before?" My reply. "Does it really matter?" The conversation would sort of branch off from there.

Where I've met the least resistance for interracial relationships is from visiting outside of the US believe it or not (which I do find amazing, as US is supposed to be a 'melting pot.') I dated a woman in the Dominican Republic who has a law degree. Her father was also a lawyer, a pilot, and runs an ID tag business (which is very lucrative in the Dominican Republic, as most places require employees of any business to have an ID to avoid police confrontations for being out after dark.) Her family were very accepting of me and welcomed me to their home warmly.

I've seen similar reception from other parts of the world as well. I just wanted to use that Dominican family as an example to avoid this argument I sometimes encounter of. "It's because they're poverish and you aren't." That Dominican family was much better off than I was, and their daughter already had access to the U.S., so it wasn't about that either.

I like to believe that even in a clouded judgment. That people have the ability to see pass prejudice and accept a race, culture, or even lifestyle that is different from their own. It's all about helping a person to understand their position, that they will come to be accepting and maybe even curious or appreciative of it.

 

[Kinsao]

I think it's sometimes accepted in the UK and sometimes not. It depends what the races are. There are some British Asian families for example that still don't like their daughter to have a white boyfriend or even choose her own boyfriend. Yes it sounds 'backward' or closed-minded but it still goes on - most definitely. White British I think tend to be a bit more open-minded but it depends where they are from. I'm luckily from a cosmopolitan city so it isn't usually looked twice at. Nevertheless, there are still certain 'pairings' that are looked askance at more. White woman with black man being one of them (it isn't so common yet).

 

[justin]

The way I see it if a person likes another person (be it they are of another race or what not) it shouldn't matter what others think.

Then again I did spend high school in a town where most people would have nothing to do with me due to my mixed blood (mexican/german american). So, I think inter-racial relationships are frowned on more by people in smaller communities and the like.

Heck, when I lived in Southern California there was an unwriten law that said it was okay for people to have friends of a different race, but it wasn't okay to date someone of a different race. I remember one guy was killed in a drive-by because he was dating someone's sister (he was white and she was black).

I feel that communities that are smaller or have less diversity when it comes to race look down more on inter-racial relationships than larger communities.

Sorry didn't mean to rant a little. . .

 

[kusojiji]

I did spend high school in a town where most people would have nothing to do with me due to my mixed blood (mexican/german american). . . .

Um, where and when was this?

 

[Tsuyoiko]

Nevertheless, there are still certain 'pairings' that are looked askance at more. White woman with black man being one of them (it isn't so common yet).

That really surprises me, because I live not a million miles from you, and it's about the most common mixed-race pairing here. The two that are most common and pretty much accepted are white woman/black man and white man/South-East Asian woman.

I grew up in a small village where the only non-white person was the Indian doctor. My sister had a half Indian boyfriend who she met through me as I was at college with him. I remember once when his dad came to our house to pick him up. Later, a lady across the street asked my mum who was ill; an Indian guy knocking on our door? Who else could it be but the doctor

 

[isuzu_bathory]

Of all Scotland's racist problems, interracial marriages/relationships are not really at the forefront. The worst i've heard or seen is the generic lewd commentary, as opposed to outward racial antagonism.

Oh I live in England, and I have the same viewpoint,
I had to get out of school because staff wouldnt do anything to stop bully, now I am a home-based student, I dont really go out, but I still have some troubles when some people from my school find me, its quite complicated I think [and feel too]...

 

[Kinsao]

That really surprises me, because I live not a million miles from you, and it's about the most common mixed-race pairing here. The two that are most common and pretty much accepted are white woman/black man and white man/South-East Asian woman.

Well, I live in a city that has a LOT of people from Asia but not AS many black people (though it has been rising of late due to more immigrants from African countries). So I guess we're a lot more used to seeing white/Asian pairings than white/black. If I lived in Birmingham it might be a different story as there's a higher proportion of Black people there.

 

[justin]

Um, where and when was this?

Small town in Washington. Its been almost ten years.

 

[Malamis]

Oh I live in England, and I have the same viewpoint,
I had to get out of school because staff wouldnt do anything to stop bully, now I am a home-based student, I dont really go out, but I still have some troubles when some people from my school find me, its quite complicated I think [and feel too]...

1. ack. I assume this was colour based violence, as opposed to provincialist antagonism.
2. Probably quite a story there.

 

[kusojiji]

Small town in Washington. Its been almost ten years.

Hmmmm...not sure I buy it.

 

[justin]

Hmmmm...not sure I buy it.

Buy it or not I don't care.

 

[kusojiji]

I'm glad you don't care. That will save you some hurt feelings.

 

[bakaKanadajin]

kusojiji, there's very little you could possibly say that would hurt anyone on here because it's quite obvious you're an ignoramus whose sole purpose is to just troll for arguments and post obnoxious BS without anything to back it up.

In this thread you allude to the fact that in certain arenas the US is essentially racism free 'aside from a few knuckle draggers' because interracial relationships are a non-issue, yet in the other thread I created about racism in Japan you have contradicted yourself because there you are unwilling to admit that in large urban centers like NY racism is lower than in rural areas, despite having essentially said something similar in this thread. Make up your mind.

Moreover you take the personal experiences someone has taken the trouble to share here and turn them down outright for what reason? This person is lying about their background and personal experiences in order to simply participate in your thread? And therein, anything that doesn't fit within your narrow POV is policed immediately without any rhyme or reason?

I have a feeling you wouldn't last 2 seconds in a verbal argument if you can't even take 5 minutes to cohesively put together rebuttals online from the comfort of your own home.

 

[kusojiji]

kusojiji, there's very little you could possibly say that would hurt anyone on here

I hope so. I don't want to hurt anyone.

because it's quite obvious you're an ignoramus whose sole purpose is to just troll for arguments and post obnoxious BS without anything to back it up.

Wow, see that hurts right there.

In this thread you allude to the fact that in certain arenas the US is essentially racism free 'aside from a few knuckle draggers' because interracial relationships are a non-issue

Let's see:

I didn't say any place was "racism free," did I? DID I?

yet in the other thread I created about racism in Japan you have contradicted yourself because there you are unwilling to admit that in large urban centers like NY racism is lower than in rural areas, despite having essentially said something similar in this thread. Make up your mind.

I"m sorry your feelings were hurt over another thread, but NOT responding to a given point is NOT a contradiction with an assertion. If you'd like to PROVE whatever point (I honestly don't remember) you were trying to make about rural/urban racism, go for it.

Moreover you take the personal experiences someone has taken the trouble to share here and turn them down outright for what reason?

For the reason that I don't buy for a second that a kid in Washington in 1999 would be totally ostracized for being the shocking, taboo racial combination of Mexican/German. That sounds to me like a complete load and I would be dishonest to say anything else.

I have a feeling you wouldn't last 2 seconds in a verbal argument.

That is very, very intimidating.

 

[bakaKanadajin]

Originally Posted by bakaKanadajin https://jref.com/showthread.php?p=626497#post626497

If you are from a metropolitan Western city where racism is relatively scant,
​

LOL! Where's that, Atlantis?

Inter-racial Relationships
To what extent is this still an issue today? Outside of some serious knuckle-draggers, I don't see it as an issue much at all in the US today

I didn't say any place was "racism free," did I? DID I?

What you implied first is that race relations in the US are a big problem for you, and now at the same time you've said that from your POV it's simultaneously a non-issue. If you're going to hide behind semantics go ahead but the intentions behind what you posted are clear and moreover contradictory.

but NOT responding to a given point is NOT a contradiction with an assertion.

The contradiction wasn't within what you said in that one thread it was between the two threads, as I have already mentioned. Your lack of support for your own position in the former thread via at the very least some kind of anecdotal evidence is a separate issue, and none of it has to do with my, your or anyone else's feelings. I guess you just assume people here are as emotional as you. Me, I just like a good debate/argument, especially with someone who's being unreasonable and has stuck their foot in their mouth.

For the reason that I don't buy for a second that a kid in Washington in 1999 would be totally ostracized for being the shocking, taboo racial combination of Mexican/German. That sounds to me like a complete load and I would be dishonest to say anything else.

Who care's what you 'buy'? You think racism isn't possible in a rural area in this day and age? In America TODAY Arabs are still openly ridiculed in the media much the same way blacks and Asians were in the prior to the civil rights movements. The 'war on terror' ensures a rubber stamp on that kind of thing.

Mexicans also experience racism, and it's not inconceivable that justin experienced racism where he grew up. With the illegal alien controversy in the US at the moment Mexicans still face a lot of racism, otherwise you wouldn't have regular citizens running around on horses with shotguns re-living Wild West fantasies in the form of 'border protection'.

The main point is that you simply have no reason to doubt him aside from harboring personal biases, which have little bearing on the discussion.

That is very, very intimidating.

It's not meant to be, it's just an assumption.

If you wanna continue this or get one last punch in go ahead, I've said my piece and I won't post off topic here anymore. Feel free to IM me if it's really that important.

 

[kusojiji]

What you implied first

You need to stop looking for implications and take words at face value.

is that race relations in the US are a big problem for you, and now at the same time you've said that from your POV it's simultaneously a non-issue. If you're going to hide behind semantics go ahead but the intentions behind what you posted are clear and moreover contradictory.

Did I say exactly that "race relations in the US are a big problem for" me? You need a little more thinking and a little less imagination.

The contradiction wasn't within what you said in that one thread it was between the two threads, as I have already mentioned.

Contradictions are created for you, by you, of you because you don't read carefully.

Your lack of support for your own position in the former thread via at the very least some kind of anecdotal evidence

Anecdotes are proof of nothing.

I guess you just assume people here are as emotional as you.

Am I emotional?

Who care's what you 'buy'?

No one is required to.

You think racism isn't possible in a rural area in this day and age?

When did I say that? Are you moving from 'imaginative interpretation' to outright dishonesty?

In America TODAY Arabs are still openly ridiculed in the media. The 'war on terror' ensures a rubber stamp on that kind of thing.

You might want to start a separate thread to prove that wrong.

Mexicans also experience racism, and it's not inconceivable that justin experienced racism where he grew up.

Yes, German/Mexican-Americans are an oppressed group in Washington. It's so bad that people won't even talk to them!

With the illegal alien controversy in the US at the moment Mexicans still face a lot of racism, otherwise you wouldn't have regular citizens running around on horses with shotguns re-living Wild West fantasies in the form of 'border protection'.

Thank goodness you didn't feel the need to dump a lot of silly exaggerration into that fact-filled statement.

The main point is that you simply have no reason to doubt him aside from harboring personal biases, which have little bearing on the discussion.

Over your lifetime living in the US have you found the complete oppression of German/Mexican-Americans to be a prevalent and intractible problem?

When folks say things like "in Western cities racism is almost non-existent," it's almost as funny as Achmedinejad declaring that there are no homosexuals in Iran.

 

[justin]

Forgive me, my last post was rude and disrespectful. I let a bad day at work follow me to the forum.

You see, my high school was in a small farming community. Where aside from a chinese family and my own family whites are the majority. It was mostly the older generations that had problems with me and my family. They thought we were going to pollute the gene pool and turn their whole little world upside down.

Some of the younger folks did take after their parents and grandparents. One even had the nerve to say 'my kind' was nothing more african americans turned inside out. That was the only time I enjoyed headbutting someone. I'm pretty sure anyone else here would do the same. Finished high school left that town in the dust and never looked back.

I respect your view kusojiji and the passion for which you defend it. However, I ask that you do not call other Jref members as a 'kid.' Jref is a place where even if people don't see eye to eye they can still be civil.

And thank you to bakaKanadajin for coming to my defence.

 

[kusojiji]

Forgive me, my last post was rude and disrespectful. I let a bad day at work follow me to the forum.

Don't apologize for being human. I know I won't. I still don't buy the story of the villagers coming out with torches and pitchforks over the super threatening German/Mexican ethnicity in their midst. I think some folks exaggerrate personal experiences (especially to themselves) and that's what this sounds like to me.

But whatever, I wasn't there.

 

[comorbid]

I still don't buy the story of the villagers coming out with torches and pitchforks over the super threatening German/Mexican ethnicity in their midst.

Good thing, tooﾂ… since that's not the story that was told.

I think some folks exaggerrate personal experiences (especially to themselves) and that's what this sounds like to me.

Regardless, in response to the actual topic at hand, it's not just the "knuckle draggers" that I see who have problems with interracial relationships. Like some people, I saw it more often in high school. Probably because everyone tends to be in everyone else's business more often during that time (whether they want to be or not), or where high school in general is the "hotbed," so to speak. Students, teachers, parentsﾂ… occasionally the news media, which then gets the neighborhood, state, or even the nation involved.

Once "73h childrenx0rz!!!!11!11" are affected, you get to see people who you may or may not have previously figured were "capable of civilized thought" let some of the most uncivilized, unfounded, and unnecessary things just fall out of their mouths. Aside from certain areas that don't exactly get much of an influx of "secondary" races, I doubt that it matters what part of the world your in, you're likely to experience that.

Maybe not so much specifically in high schools these days, but I haven't been in a high school for 10 years. In fact, this post probably would have been about college campuses if I'd seen more people get riled up about that sort of thing going on post-coming-of-age.

Still, a lot of kids who take after their parents may have that sort of mindset, and at least some of them are bound to carry it with them for the rest of their lives, and maybe even pass it on to their own children.

 

[Proud Asian Kid]

It is prideless and a shame to your born in race when you love someone who is not the same race as you.