There are some truly amazing interracial dating websites out there and their number is definitely on the rise. Interracial dating used to be illegal. Thankfully, it hasn’t been so in over five decades now in the United States. Still, there are so many misconceptions surrounding the concept of interracial dating that need to be addressed once for all. Here are a few glaring ones.
Interracial Relationships are Uncommon
Some people think that interracial couples are some types of anomalies. This is not only a paranoid and bigoted view, it’s also completely false. If you haven’t seen that many interracial couples around in your area, that surely doesn’t mean they aren’t there. In fact, the number of interracial couples has been on a constant rise ever since the ban on interracial marriage was removed some 50 years ago. Today, according to some research centers, about 15% of all couples in the US are interracial. Love is winning over prejudice and racism and thankfully we have more and more mixed couples around us every day.
It Can’t Be About Love
Another common and quite cynical myth about interracial dating is that people in such relationships aren’t in it for love, but for other, less noble reasons. For instance, a Latina dating a white man is sometimes perceived as trying to climb the social ladder or to improve her financial status. Needless to say, this is a terribly racist, sexist and unfair comment and it tells more about the person saying or thinking it than about the actual couple. Other motives that are sometimes wrongfully attributed to people in interracial relationships is that they are trying to make some sort of political statement, to be rebellious or simply to upset their mother. Why would anyone go to such great lengths for such motivations is beyond us and this is definitely one of the stupidest myths about interracial dating that needs to go away ASAP.
Interracial Means “Black and White”
This is one of the biggest myths surrounding interracial dating. If you log into any interracial dating website, you’ll see people of all sorts of races – Hispanics, Latinos, Asians, South Asians, Arabs… and yet people reduce interracial relationships to one black and one white partner. This might be because black and white couples used to bear the biggest stigma in the society and their relationships, when public, were highly scrutinized. But such myth does nothing but downplay or ignore the existence of other races and as such it needs to end.
People in Interracial Relationships Have a Race Fetish
Another common and ugly myth about interracial dating, this one is based on the fact that there must be something wrong or kinky about a person interested in dating a person of a different race. Again, we’re talking about reasons other than love and we are reducing these couples to sexed up crazies incapable of deep and honest feelings such as love. It gets even worse if one partner has a “history” of dating people of a certain race. He or she will instantly be “accused” of racial fetishism. People who think this way have a hard time understanding that interracial dating is just as about love, companionship and happiness as any other kind of relationship.
Minorities “Date Down”
By now you’ve probably noticed how racist all these myths are. This one is particularly so. When seeing an interracial couple, some people will comment that people of color in such couples are way more attractive than the other partner and that therefore they are “dating down.” It doesn’t even have to be about physical appearance – money and social status are also perceived as personal qualities in the minority partner. The logic behind this is that even though the other, non-minority partner, is not a particular catch, minorities can’t be picky so they settle for what they can get.
Interracial Relationships are Accepted
It would be terrific if this myth was true. Unfortunately, it’s not. Our society may be on the right track, but interracial dating is still facing a lot of judgment and stigma from others, even on daily basis. Curious looks on the street, rude remarks, indiscreet questions, even open hostility – these are the things that many interracial couples have to deal with regularly. People need to see the beauty and progressiveness in interracial couples and just let them be.
People in Interracial Relationships are Special
Interracial couples are special because every person is special. However, they are no more special than any other couple. They do not have special needs. They do not have different hopes and aspirations. Their relationships face the same ups and downs just like everyone else. Being of a different race doesn’t make us extraordinary by default. It’s our own personal experiences, qualities and behavior that make us extraordinary (or not).
