White boy / Asian girl; Black boy / White girl

This entry I originally wrote on my Opendiary blog. I received a lot of feedback from other ODers' about it, so I've decided to copy it to this blog:

I have always fancied myself a sociologist by nature - I'm very observant of those around me, and of society and its trends. This Seattle summer of 2007 offers a lot for one so inclined.

One thing that particularly stands out is the interracial couple phenomenon. It's not new, obviously, but I have seen a great deal this summer, probably more than ever.

The vast majority are either a dark guy (black or mulatto; hispanic, or whatever) and white girl, and then, probably a close second, white guy/asian girl. In fact, it seems that in certain neighborhoods I am seeing (what I would consider) an unprecedented number of white male/asian female couples. The University District, for example. If you walk down "the Ave.", as they call it, you will see them.

I'm not passing judgment - just stating what I and everyone else for that matter, is presented with on the street in this city on a daily basis. I suspect for many, it is not even a "phenomenon", i.e., nothing registers as worth noting for them. But this is a reflection of just how common it has become. The black male/white female thing is kind of old news by now, although their frequency does seem to be increasing. What used to be taboo and illicit and which could even garner outward scorn from passersby has become mainstream. Or at least people generally keep their thoughts to themselves. You even see a good number of mulatto children. Of these, 90% are black male/white female unions, versus white male/black female.

I have always wondered what black women think of this phenomenon...Everyone knows white males don't like it. Most do not, anyway - even if they deny it, I can assure you that most white men do not look forward to seeing a black man with a white woman. The fear of black male sexuality or predation of white women was the fundamental reason for our many years segregation in this country. And it was an overwhelmingly male fear: i.e., white men weren't complaining (well, maybe some were) when black girls were being impregnated or raped in the 18th, 19th centuries.

And now we see new combinations. My adopted neighborhood of Capitol Hill has always had gays and interracial couples, and even transgendered folks. It seems to be a haven, of sorts, for alternative sexuality/lifestyles.A very liberal, progressive neighborhood, tolerant of all kinds of diversity.

The asian female/white male thing is somewhat new, though, at least at the levels I am now seeing it. I would say, for instance, that if you see a couple on the street where the female is asian - Korean, Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, whatever - it will be more than half as likely that she has a white guy on her arm. Or even a black or hispanic guy. One sees this, too.

I tend to believe that this is not insignificant. The phenomenon as a whole is not insignificant. Just look at what results from a black male/white female union - the child is of an entirely new race. Mulatto, as the Spanish-speaking Latin American world termed in years past. And so considering the resulting offspring, the ramifications for society are significant. Maybe profound. To deny this is absurd, in my opinion.

Of course, this is an issue which, because of its implicit (and explicit) ramifications, garners controversy and people often feel strongly on the issue. Issues around sex and children and family are by default among the most contested, and most solicitous of passion. Of course, we find that opinions splinter along racial and gender lines.We know what white males tend to think of the black male/white female thing - what do white females think of it? Black females? What do white females think of the white male/asian female thing? Asian males?

7/18/07 (To be continued...)