Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Haha! You must be joking. See my post in the thread I started. Seattle is the MOST liberal city in the country. They welcome firearms, homelessness, the LGBT community, minorities, weed--it's so laissez-faire and "let people be who they are" it's great
San Francisco can only claim 2 of those five (it's obvious the two)
What more liberal city in this country can you find my dear?
This is a serious question, because if there is an alternative, I may have to live there.
NYC or LA... Both cities are more diverse than Seattle and seem to be less race conscious.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
44,585 posts, read 81,206,701 times
Reputation: 57821
Despite the data in the recent article below, it's the cost of housing and appeal to Asians, not racism, as evidenced by the growth in multi-racial families.
Location: St Thomas, USVI - Seattle, WA - Gulf Coast, TX
811 posts, read 1,147,741 times
Reputation: 2322
Quote:
Originally Posted by LongNote
Race generally isn't a factor for me when prospecting a potential mate. With the exception of women who are of European descent, I would date any race as long as we got along and enjoyed one another's company. Thanks again for your informative and thorough post.
Racism exists all over the U.S. Your statement is perfect evidence of that. How ironic!
Yes, there is racism toward minorities in Seattle. A black man will get pulled over by the cops more often than his white equivalent, for silly things. Etc., etc. It's stupid and frustrating and I've been pissed and indignant about it first-hand in many situations. Whether we realize and recognize it or not, internal prejudgements and misperceptions based on skin color do exist, even in a liberal, tolerant place like Seattle. BUT, steps are continually made in the right direction and perceptions continue to transform for the better, so yes, things are probably better in Seattle than they were two years ago. To say that Seattle is not exponentially more progressive than many, MANY other parts of the U.S. when it comes to transforming beyond racism, social stigmas, and prejudgments is plain silly. It is a place that has progressed passed racism to much greater lengths than the South or in pretty much any other place in the U.S. that I can think of, for that matter. I've seen A LOT of this crazy world, and Seattle is special in the way it has been a leader in moving beyond prejudice behavior and perceptions.
I'm honestly not even sure what is the point of your original question. it seems antagonistic and unproductive. Then, you make it clear that YOU have race issues as well. I can't believe you would come asking about these things and then admittedly disqualify a relationship based on race. Introspect, my friend. Introspect.
Racism exists all over the U.S. Your statement is perfect evidence of that. How ironic!
Yes, there is racism toward minorities in Seattle. A black man will get pulled over by the cops more often than his white equivalent, for silly things. Etc., etc. It's stupid and frustrating and I've been pissed and indignant about it first-hand in many situations. Whether we realize and recognize it or not, internal prejudgements and misperceptions based on skin color do exist, even in a liberal, tolerant place like Seattle. BUT, steps are continually made in the right direction and perceptions continue to transform for the better, so yes, things are probably better in Seattle than they were two years ago. To say that Seattle is not exponentially more progressive than many, MANY other parts of the U.S. when it comes to transforming beyond racism, social stigmas, and prejudgments is plain silly. It is a place that has progressed passed racism to much greater lengths than the South or in pretty much any other place in the U.S. that I can think of, for that matter. I've seen A LOT of this crazy world, and Seattle is special in the way it has been a leader in moving beyond prejudice behavior and perceptions.
I'm honestly not even sure what is the point of your original question. it seems antagonistic and unproductive. Then, you make it clear that YOU have race issues as well. I can't believe you would come asking about these things and then admittedly disqualify a relationship based on race. Introspect, my friend. Introspect.
I'm guessing you're saying that I have "race issues" because I'm generally not attracted to European American women? News Flash! Personal preference isn't racism and we can't help what we are and aren't attracted to, I hope one day you'll be able to see the difference.
Location: St Thomas, USVI - Seattle, WA - Gulf Coast, TX
811 posts, read 1,147,741 times
Reputation: 2322
Quote:
Originally Posted by LongNote
I'm guessing you're saying that I have "race issues" because I'm generally not attracted to European American women? News Flash! Personal preference isn't racism and we can't help what we are and aren't attracted to, I hope one day you'll be able to see the difference.
Very clearly, your purpose on this thread is antagonism, not honestly obtaining an answer to a question or encouraging a thought-provoking discussion. Yes, it is racist to come to the conclusion that you are not and will never be attracted to someone based on their race. Putting someone into a specific, pre-judged box and making blanket assumptions about who they are and about how you can or cannot relate to them due to their race is EXACTLY what racism is. Not having an open mind about an individual past the color of their skin for ANY reason, be it a job qualification, how intelligent you think they are, how dangerous you might think they are, or whether you could ever possibly be romantic with someone is the definition of prejudice and racism. You're generalizing based on RACE. Pretty simple. The dangers of modern racism are exactly what you have exemplified: You don't even know that racism exists in you. People balk at the horrid idea of being racist, but fail to recognize that it's embedded in their own brains, behaviors, and "preferences." Open your mind and your heart, friend. Best of luck to you in finding happiness and what you view as equality, somewhere.
BTW - I have cousins who are half German/anglo and half African American with a bit of Hawaiian in there. Most people's brains would immediately classify them as "black." I suppose your romantic radar would smell their majority-European-descent a mile away.
Last edited by IslandCityGirl; 07-07-2015 at 12:00 PM..
Very clearly, your purpose on this thread is antagonism, not honestly obtaining an answer to a question or encouraging a thought-provoking discussion. Yes, it is racist to come to the conclusion that you are not and will never be attracted to someone based on their race. Putting someone into a specific, pre-judged box and making blanket assumptions about who they are and about how you can or cannot relate to them due to their race is EXACTLY what racism is. Not having an open mind about an individual past the color of their skin for ANY reason, be it a job qualification, how intelligent you think they are, how dangerous you might think they are, or whether you could ever possibly be romantic with someone is the definition of prejudice and racism. You're generalizing based on RACE. Pretty simple. The dangers of modern racism are exactly what you have exemplified: You don't even know that racism exists in you. People balk at the horrid idea of being racist, but fail to recognize that it's embedded in their own brains, behaviors, and "preferences." Open your mind and your heart, friend. Best of luck to you in finding happiness and what you view as equality, somewhere.
BTW - I have cousins who are half German/anglo and half African American with a bit of Hawaiian in there. Most people's brains would immediately classify them as "black." I suppose your romantic radar would smell their majority-European-descent a mile away.
The premise of your argument is grossly flawed. When it comes to potential mates, someone who we're going to take a romantic interest in, we hold them to a different standard than people who we're OK being just friends or acquaintances with. Me saying that I prefer women of color is no different than a woman saying she could only date a guy who's taller than her, or a man saying he prefers brown eyes, or a woman saying she wants to be with someone who's older than her, or someone saying they would never be with someone who smokes, even though that isn't a biological trait... My point is, people have a right to their preferences, especially when considering someone who's going to be their mate. I didn't say I would never date a woman who's of European descent because I'm attributing some negative quality to any and all women who are of European descent, it's just my personal preference, it's not racism. I'm no more "prejudging" European American women than the woman who's "prejudging" men because they're too short for her...
Hopefully now you can see the difference.
To your last comment, I would date a Mulatta in a heartbeat, African mixed with anything is A-OK with me!
The premise of your argument is grossly flawed. When it comes to potential mates, someone who we're going to take a romantic interest in, we hold them to a different standard than people who we're OK being just friends or acquaintances with. Me saying that I prefer women of color is no different than a woman saying she could only date a guy who's taller than her, or a man saying he prefers brown eyes, or a woman saying she wants to be with someone who's older than her, or someone saying they would never be with someone who smokes, even though that isn't a biological trait... My point is, people have a right to their preferences, especially when considering someone who's going to be their mate. I didn't say I would never date a woman who's of European descent because I'm attributing some negative quality to any and all women who are of European descent, it's just my personal preference, it's not racism. I'm no more "prejudging" European American women than the woman who's "prejudging" men because they're too short for her...
Hopefully now you can see the difference.
To your last comment, I would date a Mulatta in a heartbeat, African mixed with anything is A-OK with me!
When it comes to potential neighbors, someone who is going to live next to us for a long time, we hold them to a different standard than people who we're OK being just friends or acquaintances with. Me saying that I prefer white people is no different than a black couple saying they would only only do business with other black people... The point is, people have a right to their preferences, especially when considering someone who's going to be their neighbor. I didn't say I would never live next to a black/hispanic/jew because I'm attributing some negative quality to any and all people who look different than me, it's just my personal preference, it's not racism.
Location: St Thomas, USVI - Seattle, WA - Gulf Coast, TX
811 posts, read 1,147,741 times
Reputation: 2322
Quote:
Originally Posted by LongNote
The premise of your argument is grossly flawed. When it comes to potential mates, someone who we're going to take a romantic interest in, we hold them to a different standard than people who we're OK being just friends or acquaintances with. Me saying that I prefer women of color is no different than a woman saying she could only date a guy who's taller than her, or a man saying he prefers brown eyes, or a woman saying she wants to be with someone who's older than her, or someone saying they would never be with someone who smokes, even though that isn't a biological trait... My point is, people have a right to their preferences, especially when considering someone who's going to be their mate. I didn't say I would never date a woman who's of European descent because I'm attributing some negative quality to any and all women who are of European descent, it's just my personal preference, it's not racism. I'm no more "prejudging" European American women than the woman who's "prejudging" men because they're too short for her...
Hopefully now you can see the difference.
The same narrow-mindedness that leads to racism is what you are giving a stamp of approval when it comes to prejudging the potential for a relationship based on race, height, age, eye color. My point is that ALL OF THOSE PREJUDGEMENTS are narrow-minded and misguided, however common they might be. Common does not equal correct. As a man complaining about experiencing racism, you know this very well. Don't you agree that a potential romance should never be based on anything other than getting to know the individual? Isn't that what/who you should or should not be attracted to: the INDIVIDUAL?
If not racist, then your thinking is shallow, to say the least. Your distinction between two types of narrow-mindedness is hair-splitting. It's not different. You don't get to give yourself a pass on this. In the same way that I shouldn't see a white girl walking down the street and ASSUME that I won't be attracted to her because she's white, I shouldn't see a black man walking down the street and ASSUME he is a thug, prior to getting to know either of them. Maybe she's a charm-less idiot and he actually is a thug, but I shouldn't decide that ahead of time, based on race. Pre-generalizing (even if you changed your mind later after getting to know a person) is still racism. In order to move past racism - prejudices in general - in our society, we have to change the way our minds and hearts work on these things. To say it's NOT okay for me to categorize someone by race for reason A, but it is okay for me to categorize them for reason B is folly. You might be surprised at who you could be attracted to if you would look past the superficial stuff in people. That is my point. Thinking that generalizes or categorizes people superficially is at the root of racism.
The same narrow-mindedness that leads to racism is what you are giving a stamp of approval when it comes to prejudging the potential for a relationship based on race, height, age, eye color. My point is that ALL OF THOSE PREJUDGEMENTS are narrow-minded and misguided, however common they might be. Common does not equal correct. As a man complaining about experiencing racism, you know this very well. Don't you agree that a potential romance should never be based on anything other than getting to know the individual? Isn't that what/who you should or should not be attracted to: the INDIVIDUAL?
If not racist, then your thinking is shallow, to say the least. Your distinction between two types of narrow-mindedness is hair-splitting. It's not different. You don't get to give yourself a pass on this. In the same way that I shouldn't see a white girl walking down the street and ASSUME that I won't be attracted to her because she's white, I shouldn't see a black man walking down the street and ASSUME he is a thug, prior to getting to know either of them. Maybe she's a charm-less idiot and he actually is a thug, but I shouldn't decide that ahead of time, based on race. Pre-generalizing (even if you changed your mind later after getting to know a person) is still racism. In order to move past racism - prejudices in general - in our society, we have to change the way our minds and hearts work on these things. To say it's NOT okay for me to categorize someone by race for reason A, but it is okay for me to categorize them for reason B is folly. You might be surprised at who you could be attracted to if you would look past the superficial stuff in people. That is my point. Thinking that generalizes or categorizes people superficially is at the root of racism.
Agreed! And as for the O.P., who appears to think he isn't racist, he penned this gem back in April in another thread: I personally wish that all people who are of West European descent would go back to Europe and stay there.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
