Lena Flores
10/3/14
SOAN 339
Semester 1
Ted Thornhill
1,726 words
Interracial Relationships:
Then and Now
Some Americans would like to live in a world where the color of one’s skin has no bearing on an individual’s freedom. Perhaps American society, where freedom of choice and individuality are highly valued and intertwined, should allow marriage and family’s attitudes concerning moral and legal freedom to choose a partner from another race. Interracial relationships have been legal in the United States since 1967 (Loving vs. Virginia, 1967). Interracial relationships are now fairly common in many places in the US, and are portrayed even more often in the media (Vancey, 2009), however still they remain highly scrutinized today by much of
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Since the 20th century, the social distance between ethnic groups has been slowly but steadily decreasing. The increase in interracial marriage is one indicator of the changes in boundaries between groups. Based on census data, Stevens and Tyler (1988) estimate that the percentage of all marriages that were interracial, increased from .4 percent in 1960 to 2.9 percent in 1990. Between 1980 and 1990, interracial marriage increased within all gender, educational and racial groups, but especially among the more educated (Qian 1997). Although increased rates of interracial marriage may move us closer to a more multiracial society it is relevant to ask how much opinions have changed from previous years. In this paper I will analyze how interracial marriages and relationships have changed from the past and how they still need help in today’s society. The term interrelationship encompasses a broad range, including relationships regarding parents and children, peer-groups, dating, and marriage/intimate relationships among all sexual orientations. However in …show more content…
Although there are many reasons people choose not to date interracially the most direct reason is because they are not attracted to people of a different race (Vancey, 2009). Preference is the main reason behind this statement. There are many personal preferences and reasons people choose not to date certain ethnic groups, however this is often a media influence (Vancey, 2009). There is also the notion that dating interracially brings a lot of unwanted attention, and the added burden that members of one’s family can bring. Whatever the reason, individuals seek out interracial relationships for the same reason they seek out same race relationships (Vancey, 2009). Although people may seek out those in another culture or race, one should be careful not to place stereotypes to these wants in a way that would make it seem peculiar. Interracial relationships are just like same race relationships (Vancey, 2009). More education and awareness is needed for people of all cultures, class, and age to begin accepting, seeing, and treating interracial romances as the new norm. We need to begin not questioning those who are in an interracial relationship and get to a state of accepting, as well as advocating for those who are currently involved in
Sollors, Werner. I Interracialism: Black-White Intermarriage in American History, Literature, and Law. New York: University Press, 2000.
This book discusses twentieth century biracial and bicultural and the increase in biracial couples and therefore people. This books goal is to explore the complex and ever-changing definition of certain races and
Luther, Catherine A. and Jodi L. Rightler-McDaniels. ““More Trouble than the Good Lord Ever Intended”: Representations of Interracial Marriage in U.S. News-Oriented Magazines.” Journal of Magazine & New Media Research. 14:1. 2013. Web. 12 Nov. 2013.
“How to Date a Blackgirl, Whitegirl, Browngirl, or Halfie” written by Junot Diaz follows the superficial advice of the narrator (Yunior) as he walks the reader through how to date different ethnicities of women. Also, the title implies how to date difference ethnicities and people’s reaction on different races and social class. Daniel Bautista stated that “Despite the baldly provocative title, Diaz subversively reveals the limits of stereotypes by treating race and ethnicity as performative, provisional, and even strategic roles that individuals assume or take off according to the demands of the moment” (83). In the short story, “How to Date Blackgirl, Whitegirl, Browngirl, or Halfie,” the narrator mainly highlights and describes stereotypes
Race and ethnicity is a main factor in the way we identify others and ourselves. The real question here is does race/ethnicity still matter in the U.S.? For some groups race is not a factor that affects them greatly and for others it is a constant occurrence in their mind. But how do people of mix race reacts to this concept, do they feel greatly affected by their race? This is the question we will answer throughout the paper. I will first examine the battle of interracial relationship throughout history and explain how the history greatly explains the importance of being multiracial today. This includes the backlash and cruelty towards interracial couple and their multiracial children. Being part of a multiracial group still contains its impact in today’s society; therefore race still remaining to matter to this group in the U.S. People who place themselves in this category are constantly conflicted with more than one cultural backgrounds and often have difficulty to be accepted.
Marriage, as an institution, has evolved in the last few decades. As society progresses, the ideas and attitudes about marriage have shifted. Today, individuals are able to choose their partners and are more likely marry for love than convenience. While individuals are guaranteed the right to marry and the freedom to choose their own partners, it has not always been this way. Starting from colonial times up until the late 1960’s, the law in several states prohibited interracial marriages and unions. Fortunately, in 1967, a landmark case deemed such laws as unconstitutional. Currently, as society progresses, racism and social prejudice have decreased and interracial marriages have become, not only legal, but also widely accepted.
Fools Rush In is a romantic comedy but deals with serious issues-interracial marriage, cultural differences. Alex Whitman, a nightclub executive temporarily relocated from Manhattan to Las Vegas with a job to do, only to get distracted when he meets Isabel Fuentes a struggling flirty Latina photographer in a Mexican restaurant with only one bathroom. Alex is waiting in line to use the bathroom. He lets Isabel cut in line ahead of him. They end up in the sack together. Isabel, who slips away from Alex but shows up three months later to tell him she's pregnant, which sets up their speedy nuptials and progressive courtship. Alex tries to do what is right. He is struggling with chance and fate. Isabel believes meeting outside of the bathroom is fate (Fools). The film shows the married life of a couple that just met; each learns things about their spouse that people usually learn on their second date. They soon discover how much they don't have in common. He wants to go back to Manhattan; she loves the sun and the desert. Alex is boring and disciplined; Isabel is colorful, hot-tempered and spontaneous. He never talks to his parents, she talks to hers constantly. Isabel has hot-tempered relatives ready to kill, and Alex's rich parents feel like he is marrying beneath his place in the class organization (Fools). You know that happily-ever-after will need work, and Isabel and Alex will try. There are many things to consider in interracial marriages such as family, religion, and cultural variances such as language.
Steve Sailer talks about how white people accept interracial marriage while a numerous amount of Asian men and black women are opposed to this. In the article he says that in the past, there was a case of a couple in a Virginia suburb of Washington D.C. where they bought a house to live in, but they weren’t allowed to live together according to the laws of the state. He was black and she was white. On January 1967 the Supreme Court got rid of the anti-interracial-marriage laws in Virginia and another 18 states. Two years before the civil rights revolution, a Gallup poll it was found that 72 percent of southern white and 42 percent of the northern whites still wanted to ban interracial marriage.
1. Since interracial marriage became legal in 1967, only 7.5 percent of marriages are between people of different races. This means America is progressing, but it is not yet “color-blind”. People of different races are starting to date more (which shows the progression) but it is less likely to lead to marriage, compared to same race couples. Henderson and Rockquemore talk about how Americans believe we have developed a “color-blind” society, but they don’t specify what American think that or where the information comes from. This means the Americans they are referring to could all be in same race relationships. If that is the case, then the people who it matters to the most, the people in interracial relationships, might not think the same. Henderson and Rockquemore then go on to say, people in interracial relationships feel unique external pressures due to racism,
Women and men always have different perspectives on topics. Not always will a married couple see eye to eye. Even individuals from the same culture and race still have different opinions. A couple may spend their life together, consequently to discover they have grown apart. As a result a husband and wife were in the kitchen, doing the dishes when the topic of interracial marriage came up. Tobias Wolff’s short story “Say Yes” uses the main characters point of view and symbolism to address interracial marriage and racism.
America has had a long history of racism. This fact is more easily understood if racism is understood for what it really is. It is more than just personal hatred. Racism is the “belief that a particular race is superior or inferior to another, that a person’s social and moral traits are predetermined by his or her inborn biological characteristics” (What is Racism). The 21st century has brought a lot of changes to the American society. Nevertheless, racism still exists owing to the truth that it is still impossible to persuade the hearts of mankind in terms of racism, which leads to many people wondering how and when black and white racism will end in America. Many solutions have been suggested, and one of the various solutions is black and white interracial relationships. Such relationships have recently been successful in the 21st century, which leads us to the definitive question: can interracial relationships help reduce black and white racism in the 21st century?
The growth in the multiracial population in the United States of America since the 1970’s has greatly increased and is continuing to increase. Although the number of biracial and multiracial Americans is relatively small to the total population at 5 million, the multiracial population is growing at a rate of ten times faster than that of the White population (Stuckey 2008). These facts weren’t officially known until the United States government’s verdict to allow individuals to claim multiple races on the 2000 US census. Along with these aspects, the increased exposure of multiracial public figures and celebrities such as Tiger Woods, Halle Berry, and Barack Obama, has caused the focus of public discussion and scholarly attention on multiracial people to increase greatly. Much of this discussion focuses on racial identity. Racial Identity is put to question in censuses and other polls, applications, and in personal meetings. When it comes to answering in these situations I believe most biracial White-Black people internally identify as Black, and describe how both Blacks and Whites see them as Black. I argue that the one-drop rule still shapes racial identity.
Before 1967, interracial unions were illegal. Once the legislature overturned the ruling of the laws against interracial unions, the biracial population increased. Census data reveals that the US’ multiracial population has approached more than nine million individuals. In 1997, due to this dramatic increase, a change was made which allowed the biracial population to check off more than one racial category on the 2000 United States Census. This feat was not accomplished without controversy. A federal task force was set up to investigate the political and social implications of creating a new racial classification....
When a person of color is in a relationship with a white person, their relationship is often met with great tension. The history of issues with interracial relationships in the United States is long. Loving someone across the color line was once illegal, but now that segregation is over, more people are having interracial relationships.
Interracial marriage is a union between two people from different racial backgrounds. Over the past decades, interracial marriage has been on the rise and has predominantly become popular among recent generations. Interracial marriages, despites the challenges it faced in the early centuries due to slavery and racial segregations is now common across many cultures. Since the abolishment of laws banning interracial marriages in the late 1960’s, society has embraced interracial marriage disregarding racial and cultural differences in the process. Several researchers have attributed the growing trends of interracial unions to immigration. While there is popular support for the growing trend of interracial marriage, it is imperative to consider whether becoming a multicultural society has impacted interracial marriages. This paper will place much emphasis on the growing trends and patterns of interracial unions in America. In addition, more emphasis will be placed on marital satisfaction in interracial unions and finally societal attitudes towards interracial couples.