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[font="times new roman"] [/font]I never thought that it was such a big issue when it came to dating. People should date the one they like, end of discussion. I had no clue that there was more to it than just liking someone. When we are young, we don’t let the world influence our opinions or decisions. We are immune to the conflicts that the world brings, but slowly we begin to change. As we become older, we realize that you have to care about what the world thinks. But, just because we care bout the world’s opinions doesn’t mean that we have to let those opinions run our lives.
Just before I became a teenager, my dad told me how he felt about interracial dating. Truth be told, I never thought he would have a problem with it. I was wrong. My dad told me that he didn’t approve of two people from different races dating. I knew that if he felt that way than my grandparents would be no different. I always cared about my dad’s and my grandparent’s opinions, but I knew that their view on this issue was wrong. I just couldn’t understand what the problem was. To me a relationship isn’t based on race and it should never be.
In 2001, my family and I moved to Germany and my eyes were opened to an entire new culture. I was able to see first hand that a person’s skin color wasn’t a factor in everyone’s relationship. In ninth grade, I started attending AFNorth International High School. I loved it. I was drawn to the different nationalities and most of all the mixture of cultures. It was an amazing experience and I am very lucky to have been apart of it. During the middle of my ninth grade year, I started to develop a crush on a blonde haired, blue eyed, Caucasian boy. I know that it may not appear to be a problem, but to most people it becomes one when I explain that I am African American. At first I was scared to tell him how I felt, but I knew that I just had to. Eventually I spilled the beans. It was not a fairytale relationship, but it had its share of good times. If I would of let the opinions of the world and our skin colors control my actions then I wouldn’t have experienced the things I did. I was able to experience my first kiss, the feeling of being liked, and most of all the truth of the world. That relationship gave me a front row seat to seeing how society felt about interracial dating.
Throughout the years, people have started to accept interracial relationships. In the past dating outside of your race was known to be unacceptable to many people. Some felt that it was a sinful act or it was disagreed upon due to ignorance. How can we let ignorance hold us back? In order to rise above the world’s views than we have to step outside of our comfort zones and expand you outlooks. Do not be hindered by the world’s barriers and accustoms. Break past all of that and explore the opportunities that are offered to us.
It has been reported that 5.8 percent of African Americans, 70.6 percent of American Indians, 28.7 percent of Asians, and 23.2 percent of other groups date outside of their race. In 1998 the Eagle Tribune announced that interracial marriages have increased from 651,000 in 1980 to 1.3 million in 1996. More people are starting to look beyond what is expected of them and my dad is a prime example. The man who told me that interracial dating is not good is now engaged to a Caucasian woman. Anyone can change, no matter how deep they are rooted in their beliefs.
Sources:
Naomi Foster. "Interracial Dating". 4 December 2006. Broadsideonline.com. 26 December 2006.
[link=http://www.broadsideonline.com/]http://www.broadsideonline.com/[/link]