Interracial marriage is at an all-time high. According to a report done by the Pew Research Center, there are 4.8 million interracial marriages in America. The report also concluded that blacks are now more likely than before to marry outside of their race.
When it comes to relationships, love and compatibility should be the most important things to consider. Race should never be a hinderance. However, have blacks turned their backs on each other when it comes to dating and relationships?
If you were to subscribe to the ideologies on interracial dating presented by many in the mass media, it may seem apparent. There are books, blogs and TV shows that provoke thought on why blacks should date outside of their race.
Niki McElroy wrote the book, A Black Girl’s Guide to Dating White Men. Rajean Persaud wrote the book, Why Black men Love White Women. Controversial blog titles include, 10 Reasons Black Women Prefer White Men, and 8 Reasons to Date a White Man. ABC’s hit TV show “Scandal” features a powerful black female who falls in love with a married white president.
Furthermore, top black celebrities are choosing to date outside of their race. Halle Berry, Kanye West, Kerry Washington, Eve, Kobe Bryant, Venus Williams and Eddie Murphy are all involved in an interracial relationship.
Again, love should never be limited by race. But do those ideologies on race and celebrity dating choices play a part in destroying the self-worth of young blacks? From a psychological standpoint, young blacks may believe that their self-worth can only be elevated when dating outside of their race. In turn, they may devalue potential suitors of the same race.
Instead of judging a potential mate on compatibility, some may detest the thought of falling in love with someone who shares the same ethnicity. There are an abundance of black men and women who will only date outside of their race. It can be hard for blacks to love themselves and those who look like them when society and mass media continues to offer reasons on why they should buy into self-hatred.
There are major problems with titles such as Why Black Men Love White Women and 8 Reasons to Date a White Man. Those titles attempt to solve a problem without ever figuring out why the reader is single in the first place. Dating a white woman or white man won’t help if there are personal issues that must be dealt with first.
As a result, it’s never wise to date someone or seek companionship simply because they are of a different race. When it comes to relationships, it’s imperative to value that person because of the way they treat you, not because of the color of their skin.
