Many Americans have no friends of another race

[one...two...tree 2,762]

NEW YORK (Reuters) - About 40 percent of white Americans and about 25 percent of non-white Americans are surrounded exclusively by friends of their own race, according to an ongoing Reuters/Ipsos poll.

The figures highlight how segregated the United States remains in the wake of a debate on race sparked by last month's acquittal of George Zimmerman in the shooting of unarmed black Florida teenager Trayvon Martin. President Barack Obama weighed in after the verdict, calling for Americans to do some "soul searching" on whether they harbor racial prejudice.

There are regions and groups where mixing with people of other races is more common, especially in the Hispanic community where only a tenth do not have friends of a different race. About half of Hispanics who have a spouse or partner are in a relationship with non-Hispanics, compared to one tenth of whites and blacks in relationships.

Looking at a broader circle of acquaintances to include coworkers as well as friends and relatives, 30 percent of Americans are not mixing with others of a different race, the poll showed.

Respondent Kevin Shaw, 49, has experienced both integration and racial homogeny. He grew up in downtown Kansas City, Missouri, and attended a mixed high school where he was one of only two white teenagers on the mostly black football team. His wife, Bobbi, is Hispanic. They met in high school and have been married for 27 years.

Eleven years ago, they moved to a predominantly white neighborhood in the suburb of Liberty. "Soon after we moved in, my mother-in-law came to visit and a neighbor asked if she was my maid. It was just a matter of ignorance," he said.

In the time he has lived there the neighborhood has become less blinkered, helped by the arrival of younger families.

He also puts prevailing attitudes down to environment. "A lot of it comes down to where you grow up," he said.

As a group, Pacific states - including California, the most populous in the nation - are the most diverse when it comes to love and friendship. By contrast, the South has the lowest percentage of people with more than five acquaintances from races that don't reflect their own.

Some of this is down to precedent. "This country has a pretty long history of restriction on inter-racial contact and for whites and blacks, even though it's in the past, there are still echoes of this," said Ann Morning, an associate professor in the department of sociology at New York University.

"Hispanics and Asian Americans have traditionally had less strict lines about integrating."

In his comments two weeks ago, President Obama expressed optimism about the future, saying his daughters' experiences show younger generations have fewer issues with race. "It doesn't mean we're in a post-racial society. It doesn't mean that racism is eliminated. But...they're better than we are, they're better than we were, on these issues," he said.

Younger American adults appear to confirm this, according to the poll. About one third of Americans under the age of 30 who have a partner or spouse are in a relationship with someone of a different race, compared to one tenth of Americans over 30. And only one in 10 adults under 30 say no one among their families, friends or coworkers is of a different race, less than half the rate for Americans as a whole.

"My Mom's school, they had ended segregation, but she told me there was still basically one side of the road for whites and one side of the road for blacks," respondent Carlon Carter, 18, said.

A keen athlete and music fan, his racially diverse group of friends in Birmingham, Alabama, comes from these shared interests.

"There's a big difference now. We don't see each other so much like 'you're white and I'm black'. If you like the same thing I like, then that's all that matters," he said.

http://news.yahoo.com/many-americans-no-friends-another-race-poll-050540573.html

Edited August 8, 2013 by Lincolns mullet

[Danno 1,228]

No surprise here, people generally gravitate towards people like themselves they one exception being romance.

They could have wrote the same story with the same result had they studied other metrics as well.

-Income

-I.Q.

-Social views

-Education

-White collar -Blue collar.

Consider your best friend, odds are very good your intelligence is similar.

Research shows even in interracial relationship, the two partners differ on race but are quite similar in other areas such as Faith intelligence, social viewpoints.

in fact they are more similar in these areas than same-race couples suggesting a compensation factor.

when people are younger they enjoy more diversity of associations but as we age we more often seek those who look, think and live more like ourselves.

This seems to be a pretty universal occurrence in nearly all cultures.

I personally enjoy interacting with people wildly different than me, but when it comes to those closest to me, I find this to be a pattern in my life and every one I know, Black white, Left or Right.

[GandD 5,966]

Brown people smell funny.

[The Nature Boy 4,224]

NEW YORK (Reuters) - About 40 percent of white Americans and about 25 percent of non-white Americans are surrounded exclusively by friends of their own race, according to an ongoing Reuters/Ipsos poll.

The figures highlight how segregated the United States remains in the wake of a debate on race sparked by last month's acquittal of George Zimmerman in the shooting of unarmed black Florida teenager Trayvon Martin. President Barack Obama weighed in after the verdict, calling for Americans to do some "soul searching" on whether they harbor racial prejudice.

There are regions and groups where mixing with people of other races is more common, especially in the Hispanic community where only a tenth do not have friends of a different race. About half of Hispanics who have a spouse or partner are in a relationship with non-Hispanics, compared to one tenth of whites and blacks in relationships.

Looking at a broader circle of acquaintances to include coworkers as well as friends and relatives, 30 percent of Americans are not mixing with others of a different race, the poll showed.

Respondent Kevin Shaw, 49, has experienced both integration and racial homogeny. He grew up in downtown Kansas City, Missouri, and attended a mixed high school where he was one of only two white teenagers on the mostly black football team. His wife, Bobbi, is Hispanic. They met in high school and have been married for 27 years.

Eleven years ago, they moved to a predominantly white neighborhood in the suburb of Liberty. "Soon after we moved in, my mother-in-law came to visit and a neighbor asked if she was my maid. It was just a matter of ignorance," he said.

In the time he has lived there the neighborhood has become less blinkered, helped by the arrival of younger families.

He also puts prevailing attitudes down to environment. "A lot of it comes down to where you grow up," he said.

As a group, Pacific states - including California, the most populous in the nation - are the most diverse when it comes to love and friendship. By contrast, the South has the lowest percentage of people with more than five acquaintances from races that don't reflect their own.

Some of this is down to precedent. "This country has a pretty long history of restriction on inter-racial contact and for whites and blacks, even though it's in the past, there are still echoes of this," said Ann Morning, an associate professor in the department of sociology at New York University.

"Hispanics and Asian Americans have traditionally had less strict lines about integrating."

In his comments two weeks ago, President Obama expressed optimism about the future, saying his daughters' experiences show younger generations have fewer issues with race. "It doesn't mean we're in a post-racial society. It doesn't mean that racism is eliminated. But...they're better than we are, they're better than we were, on these issues," he said.

Younger American adults appear to confirm this, according to the poll. About one third of Americans under the age of 30 who have a partner or spouse are in a relationship with someone of a different race, compared to one tenth of Americans over 30. And only one in 10 adults under 30 say no one among their families, friends or coworkers is of a different race, less than half the rate for Americans as a whole.

"My Mom's school, they had ended segregation, but she told me there was still basically one side of the road for whites and one side of the road for blacks," respondent Carlon Carter, 18, said.

A keen athlete and music fan, his racially diverse group of friends in Birmingham, Alabama, comes from these shared interests.

"There's a big difference now. We don't see each other so much like 'you're white and I'm black'. If you like the same thing I like, then that's all that matters," he said.

http://news.yahoo.com/many-americans-no-friends-another-race-poll-050540573.html

I am married to an Asian, and help look after the Mexican lady next door, I call My second momma. Do I get points?

[GandD 5,966]

I am married to an Asian, and help look after the Mexican lady next door, I call My second momma. Do I get points?

Hug no less than three random black people a day and you will receive no less than 9 points per day to be used as you see fit.

[Penny Lane 8,159]

Since moving here, this is very true. I have no friends of another race because people of another race are so damn rare here.

Back in Canada, it was much much different.

Edited August 8, 2013 by Penny Lane

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

Thanks for the new siggy, Danno!

[Marilyn. 340]

I am completely surrounded my Hispanic people where I live. I am also married to one..

I have gotten used to sticking out like a sore thumb...lol

[Danno 1,228]

Thanks for the new siggy, Danno!

What can I say,

I'm here to serve the greater good.

[duraaraa 203]

*Shrug* I have no white friends.

[GandD 5,966]

*Shrug* I have no white friends.

Whites are better at being friends than all other races. Just another example of our overall superiority.

[duraaraa 203]

Whites are better at being friends than all other races. Just another example of our overall superiority.

I am white, though. Maybe it's because I like to make friends with people who can give me a new perspective on things.

In fact, I don't have many friends with whom I communicate in English. I have friends with whom I speak Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, Mongolian... I think it's because I'm a major xenophile, and I like to meet people from unique places.

The other white people who live nearby seem to love complaining about everything. The Indians, Iranians, Koreans, and Japanese are the ones whose kids get along with mine.

I will say, though, my older stepson plays soccer at the park every Tuesday. The other people who play are so incredibly racially varied. It's like looking at a rainbow of people -- Arabs, Mexicans, Blacks, Whites, Asians... even a Nigerian guy. Kids and adults. And they all get along and are brought together by playing soccer at a junior varsity level.

[RGinWA 816]

Brown people smell funny.

And they scare me.

I have good friends that are not of my own ethnicity, but from the same race...the human race.

Diversity in your friendships gives both you and them access to ways of thinking that are beneficial to us all.

Whites are better at being friends than all other races. Just another example of our overall superiority.

I love the superior white folks...they're fun to imitate.

[RGinWA 816]

I am married to an Asian, and help look after the Mexican lady next door, I call My second momma. Do I get points?

Not really.

We all married foreigners! But the lady next store counts.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

I have no friends of another race. So what?

I have a lot of Russian, Ukrainian and Belarusian friends. If you don't, then you must hate them