Post 7/?
8. Interracial Relationships not free of racists nor necessarily making society free of racism
And a comment by that blog owner of which I'm not sure under what heading it belongs:
8. Interracial Relationships not free of racists nor necessarily making society free of racism
Quote:Larry says:
May 31, 2010 at 6:57 pm
@ dizzle
[color="#0000FF"]Interracial dating and marriage do NOT necessarily cause ââ¬Åprogress towards inter-cultural relationsââ¬Â and they donââ¬â¢t equal racial justice or equality.
That is a common fallacy.
For instance,[/color] a significant portion of Black people in the USA have always had some European ancestry in their background, and significant numbers of White people have always had non-White blood in them.
Hell, the very category of LATINO is a mixed race identity, encompassing people of White European, Indigenous, Black, or Mestiza background.
But this mixed race reality doesnââ¬â¢t change Americaââ¬â¢s racist criminal injustice system where a disproportionate number of African Americans are arrested, sentenced, and imprisoned.
Nor does it alter the rising ride of American racist xenophobia towards ââ¬Åillegal immigrantsââ¬Â (aka Latinos), as evidenced by things such as Arizonaââ¬â¢s racial profiling law SB 1070ââ¬âwhich a majority of Americans support?
Even noted Southern segregationist Strom Thurmond had a Black mistress and fathered a mixed race child with her. But that didnââ¬â¢t affect his racist political views one whit.
Racial equality and justice on a broad societal level will not be achieved through whom you sleep with or marry.
They are achieved through political activism and struggle.
dizzle says:
June 1, 2010 at 10:26 pm
Larry
Do me a favor and re-read what I wrote. In no way was I saying that IR dating and marriage is the answer for racial justice or equality. It was never stated as such. IRs are a reflection of the a shift in the paradigm of how WE ALL view different cultures. Nobody in their right mind would advocate entering an IR for the sake of social or racial justice. Nobody.
The rise in IR mates and racial justice have a complementary role in society. If you grow up in a house where dating anything other than what you are is an abomination then youââ¬â¢re less likely to do it. But if this person turns on the tele or has friends that are in IRs then they might be curious even on a xenophobic level. This bit of curiosity is just enough to maybe pry that mind to an open one.
You really missed the point, man. My statements never said that to gain racial justice or equality you had to enter an IR. When you date someone the goal in the relationship is to understand the other person. Without it the relationship fails. If both people make an effort to understand each otherââ¬â¢s culture then are we not making racial progress? It doesnââ¬â¢t happen for everyone or every relationship but dating is a great arena for such change.
Your quote: ââ¬ÅRacial equality and justice on a broad societal level will not be achieved through whom you sleep with or marry.
They are achieved through political activism and struggle.ââ¬Â
My quote: ââ¬ÅThe more WE all mingle the closer we move towards understanding the cultural differences and therefore we increase tolerance.ââ¬Â
Political activism does not work if there is no effort to understand the other side as well.
Please donââ¬â¢t cherry pick my statements.
Iââ¬â¢m too tire for this shit. Spewing facts does not make your argument a valid one.
Larry says:
June 2, 2010 at 7:43 pm
Dizzle: I did read your comments, man. And I do understand your point.
Youââ¬â¢re basically trying to insinuate that there is some implicit progressive aspect to IR relationships. If not impacting racial justice directly, then IR supposedly helps to create a broader ââ¬Åculture of toleranceââ¬Âââ¬âwhatever the hell that means.
You wrote:
ââ¬ÅThe rise in IR mates and racial justice have a complementary role in society.ââ¬Â
ââ¬ÅThe more WE all mingle the closer we move towards understanding the cultural differences and therefore we increase tolerance.ââ¬Â
That ainââ¬â¢t true. Like I said before, those are straight up fallacies.
Itââ¬â¢s the We-Are-the-World, Letââ¬â¢s-Sing-Kumbaya version of racial justice that mainstream America loves to peddle.
Too bad they are feel-good (White) lies.
-Did Strom Thurmondââ¬â¢s decades-long IR relationship with a Black woman help to promote ââ¬Åunderstanding of cultural differencesââ¬Â in himself? If it did, he had a strange way of showing it, given his racist political views throughout his life.
-Does Michelle Malkinââ¬â¢s IR marriage with some White guy create a more ââ¬Åtolerant cultureââ¬Â? If so, how do you explain her support for the Japanese American internment?
-Does Amy Tanââ¬â¢s IR marriage with some other White guy cause her or America to become more ââ¬Åunderstandingââ¬Â? This is the same Amy Tan who has made a lucrative career out of pandering to White stereotypes about ââ¬Åsexist and male chauvinistââ¬Â Asian culture.
-How about all those White boys who buy, sorryââ¬Â¦ fall madly in love with mail-order brides from Asia? Usually, these White boys are some of the most Orientalist and racist fuckers you will find, as they have visions of ââ¬ÅGeisha girlsââ¬Â and ââ¬ÅChina dollsââ¬Â dancing in their head.
[color="#0000FF"]The bottom line: Dating or marrying somebody of a different race or ethnicity does not necessarily create some feel-good culture of understandingââ¬âinterpersonally or otherwise.
There is nothing intrinsically positive (or negative) about IR relationships. Usually, they tend to reflect the broader society in which they occur.
And in a country that is based upon White racism and racial hierarchy like America, IR relationships will more likely reflect this racial inequalityââ¬ânot meliorate it.[/color]
BTW, if you are so tired talking about IR, why do you post on this thread to begin with?
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Leon says:
June 3, 2010 at 11:35 am
[color="#0000FF"]Damn Larry, youââ¬â¢re absolutely right. Some of the most racist white guys I run into are those married to Asian women. Itââ¬â¢s like being married to a minority is a carte blanche to be complete assholes toward that personââ¬â¢s community. After all, you always have, ââ¬ÅIââ¬â¢m not racist, Iââ¬â¢m married to a ___ââ¬Â argument to fall back on. That is one of the greatest ironies of this whole IR issue. The AF married/dating these guys are undermining their own status and hurting themselves without even realizing it.[/color]
[color="#800080"](Again, the above clearly fits that anti-Hindu indologist to a T. The one that said "I'm not racist, my *girl* is Chinese." He used the word girl. I remember very well.)[/color]
jaehwan says:
June 4, 2010 at 10:01 am
Thanks, RCR! Those are excellent points about them not talking to you. Seriously. With Asian women married to the two most powerful White men in media (Wendi Deng and Rupert Murdoch; Julie Chen and Les Moonves), youââ¬â¢d think OUR stories would be all over the media, both in broadcast and print. But alas, no.
By the way, I just caught this:
Black Women See Fewer Black Men at the Altar
nytimes.com/2010/06/04/us/04interracial.html?hp
So 22% of black men who wed in 2008 did so with non-black women?
(Related to this other, but somewhat less extreme IR disparity: www.thefighting44s.com/archives/2007/08/10/browns-wall-of-shame-in-inter-racial-dating/ <- paste into Internet Archive)
And this:
ââ¬ÅAmong all married African-Americans in 2008, 13 percent of men and 6 percent of women had a nonblack spouse. This compares with nearly half of American-born Asians choosing non-Asian spouses. ââ¬Â
Half of us? [color="#0000FF"]If you consider that the proportion of AF/non-Asian men to AM/non-Asian women is like 4 to 1 by marriage and like 100 to 1 by dating, things donââ¬â¢t bode well for us.[/color]
And a comment by that blog owner of which I'm not sure under what heading it belongs:
Quote:[...] the only other guy I know who read Free Food For Millionaires. Which means youââ¬â¢re the only other guy I know in the whole universe who understands how Min Jin broke my heart.
[...]
And you actually bring up something that I hadnââ¬â¢t realized before. Even though I thought Unu was a cardboard anti-stereotype, and even though Min Jin nailed us by putting in an Asian rapist elsewhere in the novel, Unu was never hit with the normal Kingstonian tar and feather. There was at least some effort to make it right. So in that sense, even though she broke my heart, I have to give my respects.