Interracial marriages surge across U.S.

[Teacher Mark 53]

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2007-0...-marriage_n.htm

My question is how many of you have experienced some form of racism as a result of your interracial or mixed nationality marriage? Personally, when a member of my family found out I intended to marry a Vietnamese woman she asked me "How can you do that after what they did to us". I was shocked to say the least. My response was that

1.) I was relatively certain she had nothing to do with the war since she wasn't even born yet. and

2.) That it was us that probably owed amends since we bombed them to the stone age and then bailed out leaving one hell of a mess behind that continues to kill today. Sounds sort of familiar doesn't it? Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.

P.S. I still haven't asked if a white German would be acceptable.

[chispas 0]

I've gotten a few eeewwws and ohs when I have said that I married an African. I am most often asked if he is a Nigerian , he is not. When I say he speaks French, the next comment is, (Isn't he African?)

[brad836 0]

My wife and I are muslim, I was born in the US, and am sunni, arab, with some irish, german and italian, and my wife was born in Iran, and is shiaa, persian and turkish. We met while both living in a third country, UAE. We've experienced, I don't want to call it racism, some very uncomfortable situations, sometimes humourous, on many levels, family, religous, nationality, ethnic, and islamophobia. The worst probably was when our house was vandalized, but I strongly believe that diversity has so many benefits to our lives and to society. Immigrants built the USA and made it what it is, and we shouldn't forget that. It makes me so happy to read stories like yours, be thankful and happy to be in a mixed, interracial or nationality marriage, it is definitely a plus, celebrate the differences, ignore the haters, and I wish you both all the happiness in the world!

Peace

[athena_ny 1]

Sometimes. It's more people talking ####### about Latinos without thinking it'll offend me. And then when it does having them be all, "Oh, you're one of THEM now." Uh, what?

[Dr. Obvious 49]

P.S. I still haven't asked if a white German would be acceptable.

Well, from my experience, you may be met with some similar bizarre displays of complete and utter tastelessness in that case too. It seems that although there is a realization that most people have that Germans today are not Nazis, they just can't seem to help themselves and though that comment in somewhere 'Is he a Nazi...blah blah blah.'. To wit, I think every member of my family and most of my friends have made reference to it at some point in the very beginning though they know better now not to say things like that even if they are just 'joking'. My dickhole uncle compared my husband to a Nazi at Christmas. Asshat.

Good luck finding any culture or nationality or race people won't make ignorant comments about.

[Tonya 0]

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2007-0...-marriage_n.htm

My question is how many of you have experienced some form of racism as a result of your interracial or mixed nationality marriage? Personally, when a member of my family found out I intended to marry a Vietnamese woman she asked me "How can you do that after what they did to us". I was shocked to say the least. My response was that

1.) I was relatively certain she had nothing to do with the war since she wasn't even born yet. and

2.) That it was us that probably owed amends since we bombed them to the stone age and then bailed out leaving one hell of a mess behind that continues to kill today. Sounds sort of familiar doesn't it? Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.

P.S. I still haven't asked if a white German would be acceptable.

I am from West Virginia and my husband is Jamaican. I am a white American woman who was married to a white American man for 20 years. I also had two sons during this marriage. While married we lived in a 99.9% white community and my 14yo son still goes to the same high school. They watched Roots in class one day. My son doesn't have any problems with me being married to a black Jamaican man. I have taught my children to love unconditionally. Treat others as you want to be treated. Now since I married a black man, the neighbor children of his father, made it known through out the high school that my son had a black step father. A boy my sons age decided one day to keep calling him Toby from Roots and cracker. This boy wanted my son to fight him but my son declined. However, the boy swung at my son and my son laid him out. They were both suspended from school but I was proud of my son for standing up for his mothers decision. We are still in the process of getting my husband here so I really haven't had any negative comments. My husband is the first black man to be introduced into my family. He will be welcomed with so many open arms when he gets here.

Just my two cents!

[*JG* 2]

I am from and we reside in St. Louis, Missouri. My husband is from Jamaica. Our neighborhood is like the U.N.....we have every race and nationality you can imagine. As far as everyday life and the job situation, we've seen no issues. My own family and friends accepted him with open arms.

Ironically, the only time I've ever heard negative comments have been from Jamaican women, here and abroad.

[*JG* 2]

I am from and we reside in St. Louis, Missouri. My husband is from Jamaica. Our neighborhood is like the U.N.....we have every race and nationality you can imagine. As far as everyday life and the job situation, we've seen no issues. My own family and friends accepted him with open arms. My son talked my husband into going to his school one day to give a presentation in his business class. Everyone is accepting.

Ironically, the only time I've ever heard negative comments have been from Jamaican women, here and abroad.

[emt103c 10]

My husband is from Pakistan.

yes

I get ####### for it from all around. Thankfully my family is different than that.

[Alex+R 0]

We don't get any ####### at all for our international marriage, and I wonder if it's BECAUSE of race/socioeconomic stuff. He's a white professional and I'm a white grad student. Also his English at this point is pretty close to flawless and his accent is just trace, and he dresses very American-ly, and gets the majority of cultural references... I don't know, I think all these factors lead to people not saying anything or acting weird at all.

However, when I was still in Brazil, I did have one American friend tell me (via e-mail, he had never met Rey and didn't know anything about him) that obviously Rey just wanted a GC. I haven't really talked to him since. In fact, people really treated the situation differently before they met Rey, and sometimes even after they just saw a picture they relaxed (older family members). I think there's a lot under the surface.

[Kazan' Tiger 1]

It's like I've been saying for a looong time. Give this a few more centuries, we'll all be a mocha sort of colour. Just a bunch of mutts.

[Imua 0]

The only person who has made any stupid remarks is my 86-year-old grandmother who suffered from agoraphobia for many years, has never worked outside the home and lives in a remote corner of the Big Island of Hawaii, so has lived a very sheltered existence. One time I spoke to her on the phone and said I had fallen in love with a Nepali and she said 'Is he very dark skinned? If you have kids and they have dark skin it might be a difficult life for them." This from a woman who has lived for over 25 years in Hawaii but has learned nothing from it.

When I announced my marriage to her this past Christmas her first reaction is 'he's only out for a GC'.

The rest of my family has no problems and hasn't made any boneheaded remarks. I also haven't had any problems with Nepalis either over in Nepal(inlaws or strangers) or here and on the contrary seem happy that I obviously love Nepal and Nepali people - one in particular I live in the most racially and culturally diverse county in the USA so I don't anticipate any problems.

[TRELAWNY PARISH 10]

I am from and we reside in St. Louis, Missouri. My husband is from Jamaica. Our neighborhood is like the U.N.....we have every race and nationality you can imagine. As far as everyday life and the job situation, we've seen no issues. My own family and friends accepted him with open arms.

Ironically, the only time I've ever heard negative comments have been from Jamaican women, here and abroad.

Girlfriend get out of here. Why do people have to be like that. I think ya'll are a beautiful couple and as long as you two are happy to HELL with everyone else. That really gets under my skin.Call me Ms. INTERNATIONAL...I'll date whoever the HELL I want. I just chose to marry a Jamaican, because I've not had luck with men outside of my culture. I've dated American men black and white, but all I hear are conversations about WEED (and these are profesisonal men). If that's the only think you can connect with me about my CULTURE, then keep it moving. I dated an Italian guy for 2 years and his mother and her sisters (his aunts) HATED me. His father and uncles LOVED me. They found that I was EXOTIC. And the fact that I came from Jamaica, just made his father and the males in his family love me more. It was just his mother. He was the youngest son of 10 and he was the FINEST and I was just not good enough for her. They said I was too black and too fat and that all black one do is have babies. So, I made sure everytime I went around them I FLAUNTED by BIG A$$. I always sat on his laps and my mouth was always on his. I would have married him, but his job is too risky and people in his field either don't get married or don't stay married long (according to him). Check this out, they own a lot of propery in Negril and I went on vacation with them for 3 weeks (you know I was LOVING it)...because I was in my ZONE and she was seeing couples of opposite races all over NEGRIL, Mobay and Ocho. I drove her NUTS! She kept pretending that she was having a nervous breakdown and what is this world coming to. Her husband paid her no mind. They were to BLAZED up to address her comments. But this was the last straw, ITALIANS are big on Sunday dinners and well, when she set the table (you ready for this)...she set my place with PAPER plate, forks, knife, cup, bowl--so, we went at it. I was never felt so disrespectful in my life. Now, this woman had no problems with me when I spoke to her on the phone serveral times. We dated 6 months before I met his mom. His dad, brothers, uncles, new I was black. He didn't tell her, so the first time she met me she was in SHOCK! All she kept saying of what I could understand in her langauge was "Negra"...I think that means black or something like it. So, GIRLFRIEND, when you out and about...let them know he's yours...to HELL with everyone else. When we would go out, I got dirty steers from EVERYONE...because let me tell you...he was FINE (oh, did I tell you that already)...but I fell for him, because of his eyes and his zest of life...he was a KID all over again. Who knew that a grown man could get a kick out of going to a THEME park and losing his every loving mind. After that date, I was hooked.

I am from and we reside in St. Louis, Missouri. My husband is from Jamaica. Our neighborhood is like the U.N.....we have every race and nationality you can imagine. As far as everyday life and the job situation, we've seen no issues. My own family and friends accepted him with open arms.

Ironically, the only time I've ever heard negative comments have been from Jamaican women, here and abroad.

Girlfriend get out of here. Why do people have to be like that. I think ya'll are a beautiful couple and as long as you two are happy to HELL with everyone else. That really gets under my skin.Call me Ms. INTERNATIONAL...I'll date whoever the HELL I want. I just chose to marry a Jamaican, because I've not had luck with men outside of my culture. I've dated American men black and white, but all I hear are conversations about WEED (and these are profesisonal men). If that's the only think you can connect with me about my CULTURE, then keep it moving. I dated an Italian guy for 2 years and his mother and her sisters (his aunts) HATED me. His father and uncles LOVED me. They found that I was EXOTIC. And the fact that I came from Jamaica, just made his father and the males in his family love me more. It was just his mother. He was the youngest son of 10 and he was the FINEST and I was just not good enough for her. They said I was too black and too fat and that all black one do is have babies. So, I made sure everytime I went around them I FLAUNTED by BIG A$$. I always sat on his laps and my mouth was always on his. I would have married him, but his job is too risky and people in his field either don't get married or don't stay married long (according to him). Check this out, they own a lot of propery in Negril and I went on vacation with them for 3 weeks (you know I was LOVING it)...because I was in my ZONE and she was seeing couples of opposite races all over NEGRIL, Mobay and Ocho. I drove her NUTS! She kept pretending that she was having a nervous breakdown and what is this world coming to. Her husband paid her no mind. They were to BLAZED up to address her comments. But this was the last straw, ITALIANS are big on Sunday dinners and well, when she set the table (you ready for this)...she set my place with PAPER plate, forks, knife, cup, bowl--so, we went at it. I was never felt so disrespectful in my life. Now, this woman had no problems with me when I spoke to her on the phone serveral times. We dated 6 months before I met his mom. His dad, brothers, uncles, new I was black. He didn't tell her, so the first time she met me she was in SHOCK! All she kept saying of what I could understand in her langauge was "Negra"...I think that means black or something like it. So, GIRLFRIEND, when you out and about...let them know he's yours...to HELL with everyone else. When we would go out, I got dirty steers from EVERYONE...because let me tell you...he was FINE (oh, did I tell you that already)...but I fell for him, because of his eyes and his zest of life...he was a KID all over again. Who knew that a grown man could get a kick out of going to a THEME park and losing his every loving mind. After that date, I was hooked.

[reeses16 8]

Like a lot of other people I've gotten the whole spectrum of reactions. A few people make comments like, "Whats wrong with black men in America, why did you have to get an African?" I've also been asked if he's a member of Al-Qaeda (his last name is "arab sounding"). I also had a few tactless people ask about his sexual performance.... Grandma was convinced he's muslim. Why? Because "All foreigners are Muslim." And...now she's on her latest rant about dark skinned people, and how we're gonna have dark kids. #######? But she's my grandma, I love her, we think she's beginning to show signs of dementia, so were thinking she saying things that she normally would recognize as being inappropriate and keep to herself.

I've learned not to let these things upset me like they once did.

[reeses16 8]

Its is still crazy to me that people are so horrible at geography that they don't understand that Africa is a continent, not a country. And that Ethiopia is different from Nigeria, and South Africa, and every other country in Africa.

When we were engaged, I also had people say, things like I hope you didn't sleep with him you know they have AIDS.