Now here's what I find insulting,
Jordan is insinuating that one has to marry a white American male in order to integrate into American society. C'mon...seriously?
For years, that was also the path followed by successive generations of immigrants and children of immigrants in the U.S., including Hispanics and Asians. But new data indicate that the age-old notion of assimilation in America is slowing.The overall number of interethnic and interracial marriages continues to grow, as taboos against it have faded significantly. An estimated 8% of all couples in the U.S. belonged to distinct ethnic groups in 2008—with more than 10% in California and Texas—a sharp increase from the 3% overall rate in 1980.But new research concludes that intermarriage rates between Hispanics and non-hispanic whites and between Asians and whites have declined or stagnated over the past two decades, due in part to a surge in immigration that has expanded the pool of people of marrying age in those groups. Scholars call the phenomenon a "retreat from intermarriage."
This is exactly why people like this are making it harder for American born Asians like me to assimilate. I grew up in a very white community, yet was frequently made fun of for being Asian. It sucks being an outcast when you're just a kid and want to fit in with everyone else. Now here I am two decades later and it seems like 1980 all over again.
That Wall Street Urinal article is just reflective of the nervous angst that White America feels when minorities do not give up their heritage and assimilate into the White Mainstream, as all well-behaved minorities should do.
ReplyDeleteDeclining IR marriage rates are seen by the American establishment as an unhappy reminder that not everybody buys into the White is Right worldview, whether that be in the choice of a spouse or otherwise.
What we may be seeing here is an increased awareness in the minority communities when it comes to assimilation into the prominent white American subculture. In general.
ReplyDeleteThe decline in IR marriages where it involves a white man is only one of many things resulting from this increased awareness.
I would think that having pride in one's heritage is a good thing. It shows that a person has respect for him/herself and where their roots lie.
While in one sense I think its unreasonable to think that interracial marriage and dating is wrong in itself, on the flip side of the coin, its really stupid to see a person sell out to the white mainstream at the same time. It shows that such a person has no respect for him or herself, let alone their cultural heritage.
I have to question the overall accuracy of these findings however since the data only covers trends with marriages. What about unmarried younger couples?
That's a good question. I'm starting to really see that the younger generation is a lot more open to interracial dating. At least the women are.
ReplyDeleteAnother piece of the article I found despicable is how the author asserts that white American men are the only viable channel to assimilation. What about Hispanic and Asian men dating white American women? Can't ethnicities assimilate dating the women as well?