Interracial Marriage - Essay Example

Reasons of Interracial Marriage: Love or Escape? Introduction Interracial marriage is common in our time. People marry others outside their race. There are two main reasons why people of color marry others: (1) because of the desire to escape from one’s inherited race; and (2) because of love regardless of skin color. This paper examines the traditional and popular cultural beliefs concerning interracial marriages. Also, this paper argues that the desire to escape from one’s color is more persuasive than love itself. Traditional belief Mixed marriages, especially Blacks marrying Whites, imply the attempt to escape from one’s skin color.1 This argument has parallelism to the line: “Father, mother, / I married a woman not of my color. / What is it I want to escape?2” At the surface, the speaker in the poem is a black person married to a white one, or vice versa. Clearly, the persona is confused about his or her identity. On the other hand, it is quite interesting to note concerning the people that the speaker chooses in asking for guidance or enlightenment: the parents. There appears to be a conflict arising from this seemingly disrespectful action done by this son or daughter. It is as if one disowns and hates his or her inherited race. But more than anything else, it is self-hate that drives the person to marry someone outside his or her racial heritage. As the phrase implies, self-hate is the hatred or dislike to one’s self or identity. Consciously or unconsciously, social environment and the media greatly influence the thoughts and feelings of the individual belonging to a particular society. The chief factor that triggered self-hate is evidently society itself. The persistence of racism within the community inevitably results to the niggers’ self-hatred.3 Also, white-centric media facilitates in the continuance and propagation of non-whites’ self-hatred. In his younger years, David Mura exemplifies self-hatred. Mura never identified himself as a sansei but rather as a white man in the person of John Wayne, a white-skin Hollywood actor. Brought up in a white neighborhood, young Mura believed that being “normal” means being white. Mura appears to have accepted the doctrine of white supremacy. Obviously, Mura’s skin is white. And part of him is American. Thus, it was not hard for Mura to perceive himself as White. Back in his High School years, Mura’s friend made a comment saying, “I think of you, David, like a white person.”4 He was kind of proud of it upon hearing such compliment. It implies, at least in Mura’s mindset, that the white race is a group of people placed above other races. And referring himself as a white person makes him feel that he belongs to the supreme race. Undoubtedly, racism exists in this contemporary epoch. The principle of hypodescent justifies the validity of the ordering of races. It is argued that non-white people marry the White because the former wants to become part and parcel of the latter’s superiority. At certain rate, the non-white people admit and accept the truth of the so-called White supremacy. Popular cultural belief People of color marry because love has no color. To marry someone outside one’s skin color is perfectly reasonable. Race or any other factors does not matter at all. And what truly matters is love. Whether white or non-white, a marriage without love is a failed marriage. By and large, marriage is grounded on love between two couples. People usually prefer to get married rather than stay single for life.5 Humans, after all, are social animals. One cannot live alone. The underlying principle of marriage is the bonding of two persons to create and sustain a family. And marriage becomes a genuine marriage when the couples put love at the center of their lives. Despite the enduring racism, it is love that motivated people of color to cross the color line.6 Interracial couples face many challenges. Mostly, these challenges arise from their family’s objection. The parents of these couples openly disagree to the union of two different people of color. Interracial marriages are not yet socially acceptable although this kind of marriage is quite common in the modern time. The dominant mindset remains to be the belief that White marries White and Black marries Black. In fact, it is a taboo that a white woman marries a black man. Love, on the other hand, keeps the two interracial couples to keep their promises. After all, love allows them to combat the challenges of an interracial married life. Love ultimately rewards happiness and wholeness.7 Of course, there are many expressions of love. Physical intimacy is one of them. Love is expressible, among others, through love making. Also, merely the bodily presence of each other signifies a level of emotional attachment. Emotion and a sense of security play an important role in a happy marriage. Furthermore, an open and honest conversation permits the two interracial couples to express the content of their hearts and minds. These things make them a whole person. One’s personhood is affirmed by his or her partner. Traditional versus popular The traditional belief acknowledges the existence and persistence of racism in these time and place. Thus, interracial relationship is inevitably subject to racial slur. On the other hand, the popular cultural belief strongly disregards the reality of racism. It contends that love makes a happy married life. However, it is interesting to know that love in an interracial marriage is primarily triggered by the need to remain in the couples’ arms amidst others’ racial attack. Paradoxically, racism makes their relationship stronger. While the society vehemently objects in this type of marriage, interracial couples steadfastly stay together because they feel that they need each other’s support more than anything else. It is them against the world, so to speak. And it is only through them that they will experience unconditional love. Without question, love is a necessary ingredient for any marriage to work and last. Nevertheless, the popular cultural belief explicitly denies the truth of racism. It is as if there is no racism but love. Ultimately, it hides the truth and spreads lie. Love does not exist in a vacuum. There are other forces that make love as itself. Moreover, interracial marriage has the power to unite and separate. Marriage bonds two people into one. Ironically, marriage also separates the interracial couples to the mainstream society. It is the society’s cruelty that obliged them to totally detach from the community of racist. Interracial couples are then forced to move away from their racist parents in order to live peacefully. In the other side of the scale, it is a valid question whether or not love exists. David marries Susan because he wants to escape from something. On the other hand, the reason why Susan marries David was that she saw in him a sort of “otherness.” Apparently, neither David nor Susan marries his or her partner for love’s sake. Color is the chief factor why people of color marry others. Conclusion Racism is a fact. It may be harsh but it is true. People of color unavoidably encounter social criticisms upon marrying someone outside their skin color. Yet they choose to marry someone outside their race not because of love but rather of an attempt to escape from their innate color. Obviously, they hate their racial identity. In fact, they want to produce children that are different from them. They want to belong to the superior race. And the only way to deal with this self-hate is to marry the white race. Read More