Interracial marriage: more than double the rate in the 1980s

[frigidmagi]

CSM

[quote]Americans are more likely than ever before to marry outside their race or ethnicity.

Nearly 1 in 7 marriages in 2008 was interracial or interethnic, according to a report released by the Pew Research Center Friday. That’s more than double the intermarriage rate of the 1980s and six times the intermarriage rate of the 1960s.

Also, most Americans say they approve of interracial marriage, with more than 6 in 10 saying they’re OK if a family member marries outside his or her group. Thirty-five percent say they already have a family member who is married to someone of a different race or ethnicity.

“Race relations have certainly changed in a positive way,â€

[Mayabird]

[quote]“A lot of this has to do with cultural definitions of beauty and stereotypes of gender roles ... the exotic Asian woman and the patriarchal man,â€

[General Havoc]

Eh...that really could've been better worded as "Asian women are getting more liberated but the men still trend towards 'pig'." Though maybe more diplomatically said.

I fail to see how that is, in any way, a better wording.

[Mayabird]

It makes it clearer instead of possibly implying that Asian women love innately stronger and more virile white men instead of their own possibly wimpier girlier men, which is how it comes off to me, when it's more that they're picking men who are more willing to wash their own damn socks, change the baby's diapers, and snuggle with them instead of pretending that it's all below their masculine pride and then going to the bar with coworkers instead.

[rhoenix]

It makes it clearer instead of possibly implying that Asian women love innately stronger and more virile white men instead of their own possibly wimpier girlier men, which is how it comes off to me, when it's more that they're picking men who are more willing to wash their own damn socks, change the baby's diapers, and snuggle with them instead of pretending that it's all below their masculine pride and then going to the bar with coworkers instead.

*blink*

I'll grant that this may be very true from your perspective, Maya - I quite honestly didn't even think of this until you mentioned it.

More to the topic at hand though, I say awesome. I never understood why blue-eyed blonde women suddenly became the epitome of beauty in America, especially when women like Selma Hayek also lives here. As a white male, I would chase after her or Gabrielle Union in a heartbeat when compared to, say, Alicia Silverstone.

[Dark Silver]

Honestly, I'd chase after all three of them rhoenix.

But that's me.....and my dick doesn't discriminate.

[rhoenix]

Honestly, I'd chase after all three of them rhoenix.

But that's me.....and my dick doesn't discriminate.

I hear that, but if I hear "...and I don't eat meat, because I'm a veterinarian", it tends to spoil the mood. Know what I mean?

[General Havoc]

It makes it clearer instead of possibly implying that Asian women love innately stronger and more virile white men instead of their own possibly wimpier girlier men, which is how it comes off to me, when it's more that they're picking men who are more willing to wash their own damn socks, change the baby's diapers, and snuggle with them instead of pretending that it's all below their masculine pride and then going to the bar with coworkers instead.

So instead of that, we shall decide that the reason is that Asian men are 'pigs'? I'm not even an Asian man, and I find that equal parts ludicrous and insulting. If you want to clean up the implication that Asian women are going for virile white men because they are manier, there are ten thousand ways to do it without introducing that tired old standby of the extreme wing of the 70s feminists.

I'm sorry, replacing a poor implication with an out-and-out ridiculous stereotype (even if it's true) is not an improvement.

[frigidmagi]

I never understood why blue-eyed blonde women suddenly became the epitome of beauty in America, especially when women like Selma Hayek also lives here. As a white male, I would chase after her or Gabrielle Union in a heartbeat when compared to, say, Alicia Silverstone.

Suddenly? That one has been around longer then you've been alive Rhoenix, there's no suddenly about it.

[Hotfoot]

It makes it clearer instead of possibly implying that Asian women love innately stronger and more virile white men instead of their own possibly wimpier girlier men, which is how it comes off to me, when it's more that they're picking men who are more willing to wash their own damn socks, change the baby's diapers, and snuggle with them instead of pretending that it's all below their masculine pride and then going to the bar with coworkers instead.

So instead of that, we shall decide that the reason is that Asian men are 'pigs'? I'm not even an Asian man, and I find that equal parts ludicrous and insulting. If you want to clean up the implication that Asian women are going for virile white men because they are manier, there are ten thousand ways to do it without introducing that tired old standby of the extreme wing of the 70s feminists.

I'm sorry, replacing a poor implication with an out-and-out ridiculous stereotype (even if it's true) is not an improvement.

Since when is the truth not an improvement? If the society is largely sexist, why not say that it is largely sexist, and comment on common practices? If the reason more asian women are interested in western men is because they know they're more likely to be respected than if they marry an asian man, why would you not bring that up?

[frigidmagi]

I do have to point out that it's such a problem that a large part of an entire generation of Japanese women have refused to marry over it. When that happens, yes, your society has a problem with sexism.

[rhoenix]

Suddenly? That one has been around longer then you've been alive Rhoenix, there's no suddenly about it.

hmph. I work in Roseville, CA, which is almost Little LA. Maybe I'm just overloaded with all the bottle blondes around here.

[General Havoc]

Since when is the truth not an improvement? If the society is largely sexist, why not say that it is largely sexist, and comment on common practices? If the reason more asian women are interested in western men is because they know they're more likely to be respected than if they marry an asian man, why would you not bring that up?

By all means bring it up if you think that's the case, but don't toss it in as an offhand comment in the frame of "as you all know, all [Ethnicity] are [Stereotype]." You want to have that discussion, fine. But don't just gloss it over as an assumed fact that a billion and a half men are all pigs.

[frigidmagi]

By all means bring it up if you think that's the case, but don't toss it in as an offhand comment in the frame of "as you all know, all [Ethnicity] are [Stereotype]." You want to have that discussion, fine. But don't just gloss it over as an assumed fact that a billion and a half men are all pigs.

*Coughs* points to last post.

hmph. I work in Roseville, CA, which is almost Little LA. Maybe I'm just overloaded with all the bottle blondes around here.

Oh Hair dying! That one is easier. See Sweeps (I don't care I'm still calling you sweeps) hair dying been around forever but in the last couple generations was considered a kinda low rent, white trashy thing to do unless you could do it so well no one would be sure. These days, it's completely acceptable for even guys to dye their hair (subtlely and tactfully, women are allowed to have more recognizable dyes). Because it's acceptable, more people do it.

[rhoenix]

Oh Hair dying! That one is easier. See Sweeps (I don't care I'm still calling you sweeps) hair dying been around forever but in the last couple generations was considered a kinda low rent, white trashy thing to do unless you could do it so well no one would be sure. These days, it's completely acceptable for even guys to dye their hair (subtlely and tactfully, women are allowed to have more recognizable dyes). Because it's acceptable, more people do it.

Honestly, I did it for a lame attempt at a running gag. In a thread about prejudice, talking about how I don't like blondes? ha ha...ha...

Yeah, lame I know.

That said though, I still think Uma Thurman's hot.

[The Minx]

Call me cynical, but I suspect that part of the reason for the gender disparity in inter-racial marriages has to do with how the media presents different races and the ideals regarding gender.

Black men are often presented as rugged and a bit edgy compared with their more square white and Asian counterparts, while Asian women are presented as simultaneously cute and smart with favorable connotations.