Breeding Out Racism

[Dr. Shane]

Here is a commentary I wrote for a local paper.

****************************************************************

The term race may not be the best word to use when we discuss racism. I prefer to use the term ethnic groups because we are all members of the human race. Many Americans who would never consider themselves to be racist are still hesitant when asked if they would marry someone of another ethnic group or like to see their children marry someone of another ethnic group. Interethnic marriage was first ban in the US under a Maryland law in 1664. Later many other colonies and states would follow. After the Civil War Congress passed laws to prohibit states from banning interethnic marriages but these laws were struck down by the Supreme Court. It wasn’t until 1967 in Loving v. Virginia that the Supreme Court would reverse itself and ban states from banning interethnic marriage.

Interethnic marriage accomplishes something that laws and education simply cannot. It brings members of different ethnic groups together in loving harmony. The marriage relationship involves the most intimate form of love where hearts are twined together. This love extends from the couple to their extended families and, of course, their children. Regardless if it be a White with a Black, Hispanic with an Asian or Native American with a Pacific Islander, the in-laws of one ethnic group interact with the in-laws of the other ethnic group in family settings in a way no other circumstance would allow. The children of these marriages are raised in an environment of ethnic tolerance, which makes racism unnatural for them.

It came as no surprise to me when my son’s first crush was on a little Hispanic girl. Although I am White, my son’s mother, my wife, is Hispanic. So becoming fond of a Hispanic girl is as natural for him as eating or breathing. America really is a melting pot and since Loving v. Virginia we have seen the number of interethnic marriages balloon. They continue to do so with an estimated 7% of marriages in the US now being interethnic. The children of such marriages include Barrack Obama, Tiger Woods, Derek Jeter, Vin Diesel, Bob Marley, Vanessa Williams, Mariah Carey and Jessica Alba to name a few. Interracial marriage gives America the mechanism to literally breed out racism.

There are some that discourage interethnic marriage because the rate of divorce is higher. Studies that have dug into this issue have discovered the cause for divorce is rarely the ethnic background of either of the spouses. The cause of divorce is because the two spouses have little in common to begin with. They have different levels of education. They have different religious affiliations. They come from different economic backgrounds. The key to success in an interethnic marriage is no different than any other marriage. Both spouses belonging to the same religion is perhaps the most important thing to the success of the marriage. Good and frequent communication is another necessity. Marriages that have those two things going for them have the odds in their favor regardless the ethnic background of the spouses.

Interethnic marriages are the epitome of multiculturalism. Perhaps the only way America will ever get past racism is by breeding it out. As the number of interethnic marriages continues to increase more and more people will have relatives or in-laws from other ethnic backgrounds. This will promote understanding and acceptance between ethnic groups, which will promote a better society where communities are not divided by skin color. Those in the melting pot will blend together not so much by assimilation but by understanding resulting from personal experience.

[Taylor]

Great job Shane!

[cricket]

Quote:

There are some that discourage interethnic marriage because the rate of divorce is higher. Studies that have dug into this issue have discovered the cause for divorce is rarely the ethnic background of either of the spouses. The cause of divorce is because the two spouses have little in common to begin with. They have different levels of education. They have different religious affiliations. They come from different economic backgrounds. The key to success in an interethnic marriage is no different than any other marriage. Both spouses belonging to the same religion is perhaps the most important thing to the success of the marriage. Good and frequent communication is another necessity. Marriages that have those two things going for them have the odds in their favor regardless the ethnic background of the spouses.

You say that the divorce rate is higher in interethnic relationships not because of the difference in ethnicity, but because of the differences in education, religious affliation and economic backgrounds. Are the rates of difference higher in interethnic marriages than they are in marriages of a single ethnicity?

Why do they have different levels of education?

Why do they have different religious affliations?

Why do they have different economic backgrounds?

[Dr. Shane]

Racial minorities in the US, as a group, tend to come from poorer families. So they answer to why they come from different levels of education and economic backgrounds is simply that. The religion question applies mostly to Hispanic and Asians marring blacks and white more than blacks marrying whites. Hispanics tend to be Catholic and Asians tend to be of an eastern religion when they have a religious affiliation at all. Whites and blacks tend to be Protestants. However when there is a match in the religion that gives the couple a very big advantage in having their marriage succeed.

[cricket]

What I keep hearing you "not" say is that certain ethic groups in the United States "tend" to...

Be poorer.

Have different levels of education.

Have different economic backgrounds.

Be of opposing religions.

And so, if a person were to choose a relationship with someone based on any of the above criteria (i.e., level of education, economic background, religion), he or she, when choosing a person of a different ethnicity will likely find that their prospective mate "tends" to be an incompatible match, and that there will be more obstacles to overcome than if he or she were to choose someone from a more similar background.

Does choosing someone from a similar background necesarily make one racist?

[Dr. Shane]

Choosing someone of the same ethnic background is not prejudice at all. Some people are only physically attracted to people of their same ethnic background and physical attraction is very important for many people.

However the two most important things, as I pointed out in the article, is that 1) they are of the same faith and 2) they have good communication within their marriage. In fact, I am inclined to believe those two are of equal importance; one is not more important than the other.

The thrust of the article is basically saying rather than looking down on biracial couples, they should be commended as they are contributing to ending ethnic prejudice in our society. They should be commended much like a young man who decided to marry a single mother who gave birth outside of marriage to another man's child. These are acts that make society better.

[phkrause]

Good Post Shane.

pk

[Tom Wetmore]

Very good Shane! This is very much the position and approach of my Social Psychology professor in college, way back in the late 70's. The blending through inter-racial marriage would eventually result in a more homogenious human race.

And it should be pointed out that Obama as you see him and hear him is very much a very positive product of this.

Tom

[cricket]

Rebuilding the Tower of Babel.

[fccool]

Choosing someone of the same ethnic background is not prejudice at all. Some people are only physically attracted to people of their same ethnic background and physical attraction is very important for many people.

However the two most important things, as I pointed out in the article, is that 1) they are of the same faith and 2) they have good communication within their marriage. In fact, I am inclined to believe those two are of equal importance; one is not more important than the other.

The thrust of the article is basically saying rather than looking down on biracial couples, they should be commended as they are contributing to ending ethnic prejudice in our society. They should be commended much like a young man who decided to marry a single mother who gave birth outside of marriage to another man's child. These are acts that make society better.

So "Gandhi" of you, Shane. It was Gandhi's hope that India's cast system would disappear through intermarriage. And it worked in part.

[Dottie]

One of my children is prospecting for a spouse. We discussed a possible intermarriage of two cultures, ethnicities, and "pigment level." I told that one that it doesn't matter to me what color or other differences there are, but what matters is their relationship to God.

A problem that might be encountered is their acceptance in the community, and their children's acceptance with their peers. People in some areas of this country simply would make it unbearable for them to live in that area, whereas in other areas others would hardly notice.

[Bravus]

Technically 'ethnic' refers to a member of an 'ethnos' - a cultural group. This only partly overlaps with the question of race, so I'd challenge your replacement of the term in the original article just on that technical point. We use the term 'human race' imprecisely too - it really should be 'human species'. Within our species, homo sapiens, there are a number of genetically distinct (more or less) racial groups, but it is also true that genetic differences *within* a race are actually greater than the genetic differences *between* races.

Now, in terms of intermarriage, there are two sources of problems: one is racism, and relates essentially to physical appearance (which is actually a not very good marker for race) and the other is cultural differences. The latter is the field covered by the term 'ethnic'.

But, with all those little academic quibbles and details laid aside, I agree with your basic premise: I look forward to to the time when the races are so mixed that definitions no longer work, and we can all just be human together. Racial differences essentially arose due to geographic isolation (in both creationist and evolutionist accounts), and as the most travelled generations in history, we are rapidly breaking down that isolation, and race with it.

Still, given human nature, if we can't hate one another based on race I'm sure we'll find other grounds... religion is already a perennial favorite. Transformation by the gospel is the only cure - and even it seems not to be efficacious among all believers.

[Gerr]

My wife (White) and I (Asian) celebrated our 40th his year. There have been a few bumps along the road for sure, some cultural, some purely personal differences, but never about color. We do belong to the same church, but since SDA divorce rate is almost the same as the rest of Christendom, I think that commitment is probably even more of a determining factor for success. We have one son who pretty much look like a mestizo. He married a girl of German background and gave us a beautiful grand-daughter. She looks totally Caucasian except for her Filipino nose!

Gerry

[carolaa]

Yes, I would think that the cultural difference would be one of the biggest factors, and both people would have to be very open and tolerant of the other. But if both ethnicities are of the same culture, such as "westernized" for instance, it is much easier than if they are from two different cultures. The more their backgrounds are the same, the easier it is, generally speaking.

[Dr. Shane]

Cultural differences can be overcome with good communication. Race is a touchy word as it generates all kinds of different feelings in different people. It is a good idea when discussing a sensitive issue such as this to avoid using the "R" word. Ethnic groups tends to be good because even when people of different color are from the same society (i.e. US) they are normally from different sub-cultures. Marrying someone of another faith is a bad idea regardless what ethnic group they are from.