[Hayley21437]

Why is it that if a black person says that they only want to date black people, they are showing racial pride, but if a white person says they only want to date white people, they are racist?
Original Code R580. Click here to see responses from the original archives. Click “to respond” below to reply.

User Detail :  

Name : Hayley21437, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 28, City : Chicago, State : IL, Country : United States, 

[Marugada]

I’d like to begin by recommending that you be very careful when considering the content of Dave’s message (first response, Original Archives). It would seem to me that angry white men such as he are part of the reason your question exists.

Perhaps the answer lies in this country’s history. Unfortunately for all of us, the white individuals who came before us have left us a racial legacy, so to speak. Thus, it appears that most interactions between individuals are measured against this legacy. It seems clear to me that history has demonstrated that when white individuals purposely exclude others, it is generally fueled by racial bias. And although racial bias may not be behind every white person’s decision to, for example, date only other white individuals, that decision is nevertheless colored by our country’s history.

I don’t have a solution for you, but perhaps you could better understand if you kept in mind that in light of this country’s history, people of color have legitimate grounds for concern when they are subject to exclusions based solely on the color of their skin. Currently, the playing field is not level, and until it is I daresay that race relations will continue to be analyzed through the eyes of history.

User Detail :  

Name : Marugada, Gender : F, Race : Latina, Age : 30, City : Philadelphia, State : PA, Country : United States, 

[Author]

Posts