Race Relations
During a recent lunch with two girlfriends the conversation got around to love, marriage and race. None of us could not wrap our brains around the fact that in many cultures love between two people of different races or religions are forbidden. As I looked around the table, I realized that we were all from a different race. I had long become oblivious of their skin colour and I never really thought about it before then. When it comes to matters of the heart, does race really matter? Should our skin colour be a barrier to love?Of course not. I may sound naive but it seems to me ridiculous that in 2006 many people see race as a factor even when it comes to love. My personal philosophy is that people are people. Skin colour should matter only when you are trying to choose the right shade for your hair. Okay, let’s get serious here. For centuries men and women have been falling in love with people outside of their own race.
Cleopatra fell in love with Julius Cesar in 46 BC, Iman fell in love with David Bowie in the 1970s and now the supermodel Heidi Klum has fallen for the singer Seal. So, what exactly is the issue with race and love? Why can’t we all just love who we love and judge others not on their shades or tones but on their characters and personalities.
In many countries, including our sweet St Lucia, dating someone from another race attracts stares, frowns and sometimes nasty comments form strangers. I mean, come on people, why can’t we all just get along? As Sir Paul Mc Cartney and Stevie Wonder said in their song: “Ebony and Ivory, live together in perfect harmony, side by side …” For more on this I spoke to someone I regard as an expert on interracial dating: my own sister, whose ex-boyfriend is from Luxembourg and her current from Australia. She said that even though the colour of their skin is a non-issue to family and friends, and that many of their friends are dating or even married to people outside their race, some strangers seem to object to their union. Other black women dating white men have been called traitors to their race.
Now people, I am not telling you who to date but if your rule is to date only people of your own race, imagine how many great, interesting and good-looking men and women of other races that you will never get the chance to know. I have had the privilege of having white, black, Hispanic, Chinese, Arab friends, and I realize skin colour is just that: a colour, a descriptive word, nothing more. When you get to really know people, we are all basically alike. Some good and some bad.
posted by Love Chronicles | 7:37 AM
2 Comments:
A good man is hard to find, but the challenge is in the search. You are very bright and attractive woman and a strong woman like you needs a strong man who understands a woman like you. A few men from home have a difficult time engaging intelligent sisters who have a mind and wants to be treated like the queens they are. If I was back home, I would be idiot to ignore such a brilliant individual. I envision us in some deep thought provoking discussions on the many issues that plaque St Lucia and life. Connecting on a deep inner level is my goal, where we can satisfy each other not only intellectually but spiritually. Lets get to know each other.
The thing is many black people will forever suffer the hang-over of slavery and I can't really blame them. It's just too hard to forget sometimes, the torture and all the evil they put our fore parents and even us through. Blacks will never fully accept whites and vice versa. Let's face it! As much as it may seem rightful to move from that mentality, things are just what they are. At the end of the day it seems as though the norm is ignorance and arrogance. I mean we all know that love is a powerful thing and race is nothing to stop it when it wants to happen. I have no problem in anyone who is black dating another race but admittedly like any other I tend to give a hard stare to the so called "odd couple"...(lol). Do I stare hard because it's too different races?...maybe. Or do I stare because our black men handle/treat them differntly?...Hell yes! I stare for many reasons but don't hate on them. I have tried dating outside my race once and publicly I was not at all times comfortable. He too was complaining about the hated stares and what not. I've seen such relationships survive the time and believe strongly in freedom of choice. I think now that people are begining to embrace this thing a little more, especially the youth. From what I've noticed even now that am staying abroad, racism is mostly common among the seniors. It's crazy though it shouldn't be. Love freely people! Be true to youself and to love! Impossible is nothing...it's your world with your guy, shake off the hate!! We're all equal before God Almighty!
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