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Have you ever asked yourself why race defines how SOME people view themselves? Starts at home. Is reinforced by institutions like school. Reinforced by your peer associations. By society in general.
This is very true. Unfortunately, race is thoroughly embedded into the fabric of American society.
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When someone views themself as a "race" and NOT as an individual, are they assuming some kind of mantle of a "race" and all of the stereotypical, social, political things that go with it?
Many people use race as a crutch. If I had a penny for every time someone discussed the superiority of their race over another, I'd be a very wealthy woman. People should judge others (and quite frankly themselves) by individual achievements. It means relatively little to espouse the greatness of one's ancestors, or 'race' for that matter, if the individual in question hasn't achieved much.
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Have you ever asked yourself why people view others as a "race" and not as an individual?
I've never really felt compelled to ask that particular question. I'm fully aware of the impact of socialization. Our thought processes are greatly influenced at an early age; what we tend to perceive as 'normal' is actually defined for us by our families, communities, schools, and the media...
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The differences between people are purely superficial.
I'm in total agreement with you.
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It's not about ignoring the obvious. But about accepting that we look different, our ancestors migrated from different parts of the world and here we are - so what? Time to stop arguing over the same old garbage that is a waste of energy and time and effort.
All human beings originated from the African region; therefore we are all kin.
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There is no such thing as race, it's a superficial social construct.
I concur, but it's a very real social construct. In truth, the European concept of "race," along with many of the ideas now associated with the term, arose during the age of European Imperialism and colonization, which established political relations between Europeans and peoples with distinct cultural and political traditions. As Europeans encountered people from different parts of the world, they speculated about the physical, social, and cultural differences among various human groups.
"The Atlantic slave trade, which gradually displaced an earlier trade in slaves from throughout the world, created a further incentive to categorize human groups in order to justify the subordination of African slaves.Drawing on Classical sources and upon their own internal interactions — for example, the hostility between the English and Irish was a powerful influence on early thinking about the differences between people. Europeans began to sort themselves and others into groups associated with physical appearance and with deeply ingrained behaviors and capacities." Smedley, A; Smedley, BD (January 2005). "Race as a biology is fiction, racism as a social problem is real: Anthropological and historical perspectives on the social construction of race."
"A set of beliefs took hold that linked inherited physical differences between groups to inherited intellectual, behavioral and moral qualities. Similar ideas can be found in other cultures, for example in China, where a concept often translated as "race" was associated with supposed common descent from the Yellow Emperor, and used to stress the unity of ethnic groups in China." Takaki, R (1993) (paperback). A different mirror: a history of multicultural America. Boston: Little, Brown.
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Then your thread should have asked the question that I asked you above instead of trying to make a connection about why is interracial dating more acceptable in England than in the USA.
I asked the question because I am interested in understanding the differences in socialization practices, -and how this translates into interracial pairings between American and British white men and black women or the lack thereof...
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Yes that's right. The government is a major obstacle in perpetuating race thinking by categorizing people by "race" instead of more accurate categories such as economics, lifestyle, and level of education. It's time for the government to come clean about why they continue to categorize people by race in this country.What about petitioning the government to remove all racial categories from how they track people. Because it's irrelevant.
If such a petition existed, I'd be the first to sign on the dotted line.
In more Caribbean households we're taught not to date black America women due to attitude, if you're bothered by this I cannot help you but the point remains attitude has alot to do with it and many overseas are generally more accepted and less hated. I'm not saying racism doesn't exist because I've though more than my share but the American culture is a good part of the problem.
When one travels and expands their understanding of the essence of humanity, their mind awakens to certain basic realities: there are many people of all different shades, colors and hues with attitudes. Despite your perception, no racial group or gender can be classified as having more or less attitude.
This is yet another example of socialization. As you clearly stated, '[you] were taught..." by your family. Many people are taught at an early age to assume. An assumption however, is a proposition that is taken for granted, as if it were true (in all instances) based upon presupposition without preponderance of the facts.
That's an interesting point, but truth be told, most black Americans are middle class, meaning they fall more or less in the center of the American mainstream. What's depicted via MTV and BET does not represent reality.
I think it's quite interesting that the U.S. media tends to relish in sensationalism by highlighting pathological behaviors. Don't you find it odd that the most ignorant individuals are routinely given lucrative record contracts by SONY, Warner Brothers, etc, and by virtue of this, chosen to represent the so-called authentic 'black experience?'
It's quite sad that many people actually believe these destructive images.
Why did you choose to explain that your husband is "black" before he's a man?
You married a man. Not a "black" man.
This is what I am talking about people thinking of everything in terms of "race".
Your husband is a man. FIRST.
Your husband is a MAN... of African descent.
Calm down and stop looking for reasons to be outraged. I specifically noted that my husband was black, because right before that sentence I stated I was more open-minded about dating all types of white men. So, by just saying I was married, folks may not have been clear on whether or not I did choose to be more open-minded and, as a result, married a white man.(Did any of that make sense? )
I'd have no problem dipping into the vanilla bucket .....but I'm 10 years too late.
same here (Brooklyn, Queens and Long Island) and I went to Hofstra where both blacks and whites were both middle class and yet segregated themselves.
There's also a ton of places in New York where if your Italian, you mainly socialize and are expected to marry Italian. Don't get it and I don't see that hardly at all in the Western US.
I’ve been all over the UK and I can tell you there are some areas there is absolutely no blacks and whites dating.
I have friends of all races that automatically discount the opportunity to date Black women. This includes Black, white, Hispanic and Asian guys...But, if they see a Haley Berry looking woman they change their tone every time..So not so turned off as they claim to be. My black male friends think I'm nuts for seeing black woman, but they almost exclusively date white/hispanic woman anyway, go figure?
I’ve always been attracted to black woman, but haven't dated until recently due to some of what was already said above "White guys aren’t supposed to be attracted to black woman" and "Black woman don't like White guys". That actually encouraged me since I don't like being told who I can't see!
Ive had some of those bummer moments where I approached a black woman at a bar who shot me down because I was white and pretty much said just that, Ouch! Also, had one gal I dated twice that had to tell me all of the reasons she dated white guys. How about a nice date without having to hear about everyone else you dated! Woman I'm dating in SD is super nice and could care less that I'm white even though she says she primarily dates white guys. She is a little bigger but I find her quite stunning. She says White and Hispanic guys won't approach her at the bar, because she's black. What's funny is she gets approached by those same guys when I'm at the bar and I’ve gone to the rest room or I'm talking with friends?
Absolutely NOT!!! I've openly stated, several times, Im a black man, married to a white, blonde haired, blue eyed woman. I've traveled extensively in the UK and let me tell you, the racism, racist attitudes, and remarks, rival being in the south. About the only country I've been too, which I have NOT had overt racism, is Germany.
This makes me chuckle, I was chatting to an American tourist in NZ and he asked me when he noticed my wife if interracial marriage was common.
So I told him it was compulsory, a big brown bloke like myself had to marry a white English girl.
Got another clip over the ear from the wife while she told him it was not compulsory
White guilt makes White Male-Black Female relationships a borderline taboo. It hearkens back to when slave owners had relationships with enslaved Black women. Whether consensual or not, the power imbalance made such relationships illegitimate if not an abuse of power.
Black Male-White Female relationships are far more politically correct since it reverses the shameful time when black men were accosted or even killed for whistling at White women.
You can't try to continue a social order where White Privilege accord you social, economic and political advantages if White Men are dating and marrying and having children with Black women in large numbers. Unless of course, you don't feel a need to preserve that social order.
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I specifically noted that my husband was black, because right before that sentence I stated I was more open-minded about dating all types of white men. So, by just saying I was married, folks may not have been clear on whether or not I did choose to be more open-minded and, as a result, married a white man.(Did any of that make sense? 
)
.....but I'm 10 years too late. 
