Hello Blogger &Guests,Before I begin I would like to say from this blog forward I will refer to "African American" & "Caucasian" as black &white. I figure this is my blog and I want it to represent me, and how I normally speak; don't want it to be overly formal at all. Hopefully this does not offend anyone as it not my intentions...
So how many times have you heard that the environment in which you are brought up mold/mirror the person you become in the future? Are we all just products of our environment, or at some point do we learn to leave the comforts of home with an open mind to the diversities of the world?
I opened with this thought because it is of popular belief that people are products of their environment. I will not go as far as to say there are no loopholes within this "theory", in fact I believe there are cases in which people who have not been exposed to interracial dating/diversity growing up acquire a taste for it later, from varying influences. I will also say that while a person may not have had a diverse upbringing, if the parents always that love has no boundaries, and skin color should not determine whom we develop feelings nor the ones we decide to call friends, then this person may develop curiosities about dating outside their race as well.
Factors that may contribute to interracial dating experimentation:
- Diverse school/Neighborhood
- Interracial/Bi-racial Parent(s)
- Music
- Television
- Internet
- Boredom/Curiosity
My personal experiences with bi-racial parents and growing up exposed to a lot of white people (schools, neighborhood, summer camp) I believe has had a lot to do with my curiosity to explore outside my race. I can remember growing up 3 particular movies that triggered something inside me, and fed this curiosity which I later explored for the first time in high school. Those movies were:
- The Bodyguard (1992), with actress Whitney Houston (black female)& actor Kevin Costner (white male), Houston plays Rachel, a singer who hires a bodyguard as a result of harassing letters and phone calls. Costner who plays Frank Farmer does not anticipate the beauty and soon mixes business with pleasure as he can not escape her charm and wit. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bodyguard
- A Bronx Tale (1993), with Taral Hicks (black female)& actor Lillo Brancato (white male), directed by famous actor Robert De Niro, oddly enough reflects his own experience growing up in a time where interracial dating was completely unacceptable. However, Brancato's character Calogero does not let this stop him. He instantly becomes in intrigued by a black beauty he locks eyes with while taking a ride on his father's bus. Despite his racist friends and disobliging father, Calogero chooses to explore his curiosity and began a romance with Hicks's character Jane. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Bronx_Tale
- Corina, Corina (1994), with actress Whoopi Goldberg (black female)& actor Ray Liotta (white male), set in the 60's. Goldberg's character Corina plays a nanny for Liotta's character Manny, a recent widower. As Corina becomes closer with Manny's daughter Molly, through this hard time Manny becomes more enthralled by Corina's ability to connect with Molly. Before they know it a relationship starts to bloom despite his disapproving mother and neighbors. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corrine,_Corrina
What other factors might contribute to interracial dating? How do you think a person's upbringing and exposure to diversity affects one's curiosity to explore outside their race??
and I think that all of the factors you've listed are definite contributions. I think that a major part of who people choose to date is also due to their interests & finding those they can relate to. I've always felt that I've been able to relate my interests & personality more to African American men & women (only dating the men, but my best female friends are all black). I never CHOSE to only date black men, growing up I always listened to Tupac, Boyz II Men, Jodeci ... music that wasn't necessarily normal for a little white girl to listen to when all the other little white girls had posters of Backstreet Boys & N'Sync on their walls. I think that my interest in dating outside of my race began through music, I loved the music and I related music to the people who sang it, eventually leading me to appreciate and be able to relate myself more to the black race rather than my own race. I'm not really sure if that's a relevant reason, but I definitely feel that plays a role.
ReplyDeleteWhile I do believe that parents telling their children that love knows no boundaries makes it easier for people to bring home of different backgrounds, I do think that ultimately one of the main factors is diverse environments. Attending diverse schools intermingled me with people of all different kinds, and really allowed me to date the men that I could see myself relating to the most. If I had attended an all white school I'm not sure if the opportunity would've ever arisen for me to date black men, and therefore I can't honestly say that I know for sure if I'd still have the same preferences that I have now. However, I do know a hand full of people who tried dating outside of their race in college, some led to actual relationships and others went only as far as experimenting.
Personally, I could never see myself dating someone of my race UNLESS they found themselves with the same interests and demeanor that I carry myself with. As you said in your previous post, I have nothing against white men AT ALL, I just don't feel like I could relate to him on as many levels as I could with a black man (granted, there will be levels I won't be able to relate to him on due to difference in race but that is an issue in its own).
The only way I can think to put this into perspective for people that don't understand is the same way that gay people try to explain to people who tell them to just "go straight": it's not something that I just one day sat down & said, "hey! I'm going to date black guys!" It's something that actually deep rooted inside of me. I love everything about a black man, I just can't help it.