Thursday, April 7, 2011

The argument against interracial marriage

When we asked about the interracial marriage issue in Mississippi we got an e-mail from a poll respondent explaining her answer that it should be 'illegal:'
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I believe God made us a different color for a reason and should be honored by not marrying outside of the race that God picked for me, however the color of one's skin does not make him/her better than another color.

59 comments:

Nick said...

Well...at least there's some level of tolerance there.

but jeez, what century are Mississippi Republicans living in?

Anonymous said...

This is utterly absurd. Where does God talk about marrying only in one's race in the Bible? Get a clue.

mattand said...

Oooookay. Excuse me for minute.


AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Strangely, I don't feel better. It's so depressing to think a fellow American thinks this way nearly 50 years after the Civil Rights Act and 150 years after the Civil War.

Way to perpetuate the cycle, lady.

vp said...

Hmmm. Why should that logic apply only to skin color? Why not, say, hair color or eye color? Shouldn't we make illegal for blondes to marry brunettes?

twistfinger said...

If she thinks that God made us different colors so that we don't marry outside our race, why not go further and say you don't marry outside your gender because they are different? Ugh.

Anonymous said...

I guess this argument also applies to marrying outside of one's own gender!!

(Why is it that I doubt the poll respondent is a strong supporter of gay rights?)

Chad Stanton said...

Basically she's trying to say "I'm not a racist buuuut I don't think people should be allowed to marry outside their race"

Anonymous said...

So this person is advocating Christianity directly determining whether something is illegal in a secular society.

I Am Iron Man said...

When these terrible people use religion as their excuse to be racist bigots it makes even worse.

Robert Johnson said...

She gave an explanation for why she doesn't want to marry outside her race, not any sort of explanation for forcing others through democracy to adhere to her preferences or go to jail.

ret3 said...

Decrypted for non-southerners: "I don't want my grandchildren to look like the President."

Christian vdB said...

I believe God made us a different gender for a reason and should be honored by not marrying outside of the gender that God picked for me, however one gender is not better than another.

tattooed heathen said...

Clearly, God is a douche.

Unknown said...

lawls, I am a New England Republican and I am ashamed of such ignorance.

Unknown said...

Hilarious. ROFL, I'm sure the lady meant it as a epic troll attempt. haha

Jayant Reddy said...

Even in Mississippi I'm actually surprised a large plurality of MS GOPers still are THAT racist, so much so as to admit that. But it just shows how backward Deep South whites still are. Outside that area they show their racism as conspiracy theorists through birtherism and religious bigotry.

Brendan said...

@vp - You're right. In fact, the same logic could suggest we should all marry within our own family!

LOL.

...

OMG.

Anonymous said...

The South had to be "broken" of their victory culture the same way Germany and Japan were after World War II. Unfortunately this did not happen, and now it has infected the rest of America.

The original judge in Loving v. Virginia said "if God wanted the races to mix he wouldn't have put them on different continents." I'm sure if he was alive he'd be a Tea Partier.

Anonymous said...

That's the age-old argument against interracial marriage... think it was from Victorian eras.

talkingmonkeywork said...

Does this mean that Speaker of the House Boehner needs to marry a fellow Orange-American like Snooki?

Anonymous said...

"But it just shows how backward Deep South whites still are."

You are the ignorant one now! No I do NOT repeat NOT side with the woman's explination, however for you to say all southern whites it makes you sound racist! Racism: the discrimination of a person based on their skin color or the society they are from... hmmm... sound familiar?!? UUGGHH... people seriously need to get over the racist thing... on both sides. I cannot say how many times, I as a white southern woman have been called a cracker, or worse at that! Why do some African Americans still believe they are owed something. My ancesters were slaves right along with yours! Look up Irish slaves (I said slaves NOT NOT NOT indentured servants, do the research!) UUGGHH!!!

Californian said...

I don't think people should marry outside their race either. And don't call me ignorant, I have a masters degree from UC Berkeley.

Anonymous said...

Are you going to poll the 2 special elections for the US House of Representatives ?

jonolan said...

Here's an odd point - I'm White and my wife is Black. We've recieved no complaints from any White, but have recieved multiple complaints from Blacks.

They're - especially their women - rather against the idea that my wife married a White man.

The arguments have ranged from racial / cultural purity or continuance to accusations that she was just looking for a White man to support her and get her into White society.

BTW - we've live in NYC.

talkingmonkeywork said...

@Californian:

Fine. I won't call you ignorant. But having a master's degree does not exempt you from being a hateful, self-centered tool. If you are going to claim that people should not marry out of their own race without sounding ignorant, you really need to provide some kind of explanation as to why that is not a racist, dumbshit view.

While you and the rest of the bigots are at it, could you provide us with your little eugenic plan for people of mixed race heritage? Do people who are 1/4 White, 1/4 Native American, and 1/2 Hispanic need to find people of identical heritage to marry, or are all mixed race humans already so inferior that they can just intermarry at will? Are people of different European country origins different "races" in your view (ie- can Polish people only marry Polish people), or does having pale skin proved enough superiority that it's OK?

Basically, I'm calling you ignorant. You've got the master's degree. Prove me wrong.

Kylopod said...

You know who also violated God's Law? Moses.

"Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite [Ethiopian] woman whom he had married, for he had married a Cushite woman." (Numbers 12:1) God then punishes Miriam by making her "leprous like snow."

Anonymous said...

Is there a poll that gets Mississippi Democrats opinions on the same questions?

Feels like an attack on Republicans on an issue that always insights strong emotion.

And I don't have any problems with interracial marriage, despite living in the deep south and leaning to the conservative side.

Anonymous said...

i believe that religion and politics should never ever be the source of how you live your life.you will never find happiness trying to impress others.so basically everyone is saying that love has a color and religion...thats the most stupidest thing ever..im 23 old female living in miami,florida.everyone here is mixed..so im suppose to find a white female..ohh wait being gay is illegal too ahahaha you guys are stupid

Anonymous said...

to Californian:

Then I suggest you give it back before you tarnish it.

Anonymous said...

One can be ignorant and hold a masters degree at the same time - they're not mutually exclusive...

Anonymous said...

Everybody has a right to marry from any race. I say kudo to this bold person that expressed his/her own opinion. There many (pro-choice)hypocrites in this blog who married from their own race but are quick to attack this person's opinion. The same people attacking his/her opinion advocates for conservation of "races" of plants and animals.

Let people choose who they like to marry - for our marraiage choices are for different reasons. To attack another person for his/her reason is wrong.

I am a black man and chose to marry from my own race because of cultural and linguistic reasons. Perhaps I am a racist too!

In 2008 presidential election, ~95% of African Americans voted for Obama. Were they racists? It was a matter of choice then and now. Period.

themann1086 said...

Anonymous @ 1057: They polled the whole state and asked it of everyone, but have so far only released the republican results. Full results should be available in the next week or so. This was asked in the other comment thread.

Anonymous said...

Is it even surprising that Mississippi Republicans are racists? You know it struck a nerve with the cons when the fringe right-wing blogs start attacking the poll instead of looking at themselves in the mirror for what they've accomplished.

Argo Journal said...

When will you be releasing the results of the question asked of Mississippians whether they believe the right side won the Civil War?

Now that you have ascertained the disturbing fact that only 40% of Mississippi Republicans think interracial marriage should be legal, it behooves you to gauge precisely where and the extent to which racism still permeates American society in 2011.

In a future MS poll, can you please ask respondents:

Do you think people of different races should have separate bathrooms and water fountains?

To put these results in perspective, it would also be beneficial to ask these same questions in several states across the country.

Unknown said...

"God must have created colors for a reason"?

I love people who have a direct pipeling to god's thoughts, reasons and logic. It must be nice to be an insider to a supernatural world and its CEO.

God? If there is or was a creator called "GOD"...what a cruel jokster god must be. Humanity is being played more by the western religion god than all of the gods who played the characters in Homer's Oddessy.

piker62 said...

That's a weird distinction. Should people with tans only marry other tanned people? What about freckles vs non-freckle?

And god made men and women different - is this a sign that God doesn't approve of heterosexual marriage?

piker62 said...

BTW to be fair to the Republicans, I bet the Democratic results show plenty of racism too. It's a regional thing.

Anonymous said...

Remember what it says in the Good Book! "And Jesus said unto the interracial couple, 'Keep yer dirty black hands off that lovely lily white skin and get thee to the backdoor of the store!'" Boulcrep 6:9

Anonymous said...

Blah Blah Blah. Ppl are gonna ppl. If GOD made every single one of us with different fingerprints, then I'm sure that we all have minds of our own too. Ppl need to realize that whatever a person wants to do.... they can do. Grown ups don't need permission from anyone. I know I don't need permission!

Anonymous said...

For anyone reading this that wants to explain why they believe one should not marry outside their race:

Please explain why you feel the government should be in the business of 1) ascertaining everyone in the state's race 2) regulating who can and who can not form a civil union, regardless of their religious faith.

Because when you say something should be "illegal" that is different than saying "I personally don't believe...".

Also, please explain whether you support the rights of mixed race people to marry.

Oh, and try not to sound like a blithering idiot in the process of answering both these questions.

Californian said...

"Ig·no·rant  [ig-ner-uhnt]lacking in knowledge or training; unlearned: an ignorant man. 2. lacking knowledge or information as to a particular subject or fact: ignorant of quantum physics. 3. uninformed; unaware. 4. due to or showing lack of knowledge or training: an ignorant statement."

So, what am I ignorant of that I question inter-racial marriage?

It's my assertion that the term 'ignorant' is simply a way to avoid debate, by implying those who question the conventional wisdom are unlettered and unwashed.

We're not, however.

So if you're going to assert I'm ignorant than its incumbent upon you to tell me what I'm ignorant of?

What specific piece of knowledge are you asserting I lack? I am aware of crime stats, are you?

I am aware of different levels of performance on standardized tests of all kinds, are you?

I read Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird. I sat through class after class after class extolling the virtues of multiculturalism and the evils of my own race.

Sorry. You can assert I'm wrong. You can tell me I'm a bad, bad man. But you can't dodge the argument by saying I'm ignorant. I'm not, and I've got a master's degree to prove it.

Anonymous said...

I don't believe this poll.
There is no indication who was polled or exactly how the questions were phrased.
What if they asked for example "If you saw that one race was worse then yours in some are you against interracial marriage in that case?"

Or what if they asked "Considering that any inter-race children you might have form such a marriage will you still be willing to marry someone from another race since you know your children will be subject to ridicule and hatred from BOTH sides?"

Then they could have said something like "do you want child abuse to be made illegal"?
Then they could put the two answers together, "they know their interracial children will be subject to more hatred and since we the pollsters have decided that that would be 'child abuse' therefore we conclude that these Republicans want interracial marriage to be illegal (since we decided it's child abuse).

You can phrase the wording in a poll to get whatever response you want.
Only by knowing the exact wording of all the questions in the poll with response numbers to EACH question, can you know what the poll is REALLY telling you outside of the propaganda of those making, or funding the poll.

Dustin Ingalls said...

"So if you're going to assert I'm ignorant than its incumbent upon you to tell me what I'm ignorant of? "

Grammar, evidently.

Anonymous said...

@Dustin: so what, it's a typo. You're ignorant of web design, apparently. You actually host your business on blogger? What the 2#$!?

Anonymous said...

Dear Californian:

You are ignorant because (a) I don't think anyone HAS any stats that link crime rates to, say, the rate of Caucasians marrying Asians, or American Indians marrying Hispanics, and (b) you can't make the distinction between stating a preference ("I prefer not to marry outside my race") and a public policy ("interracial marriage should be illegal").

In the first case, you appear to be making a totally unwarranted assumption that this only refers to interracial marriages involving people of African descent (and don't try to deny that, it's pretty obvious from your insinuation), and in the second, you lack an understanding of the English language despite holding a masters degree.

I have met plenty of people with more formal education than you who are just as ignorant.

Tild said...

Anonymous said...

"Blah Blah Blah. Ppl are gonna ppl. If GOD made every single one of us with different fingerprints, then I'm sure that we all have minds of our own too. Ppl need to realize that whatever a person wants to do.... they can do. Grown ups don't need permission from anyone. I know I don't need permission!"

Anonymous: as a woman/mother/grownup who supports women's autonomy in reproductive decisions as in everything else, I'm absolutely 100% in agreement with you here. Thank you for stating it so well!

Anonymous said...

Dude, having a master's doesn't preclude you from being ignorant. I have a master's too, and I am plenty ignorant about some things. Haven't you seen The Wizard of Oz?

Anonymous said...

I don't believe in interracial marriage and it should have stayed against the law. isn't it bad enough that our race was stolen and brought here, beaten, raped? our identy stolen from us now you want to breed us out completely. I say we shouldn't fall for the trap. to most people we are still seen as second class citzens. police still beat and kill us and get away with it. people still believe the lies that the media feed them about us. we can never be the same until. I've had friends outside my race and sooner or later they always show their true face.

buddyglass said...

When are we getting the Dem. numbers for that poll?

Anonymous said...

I missed it, where in this brief post was it mentioned that the responder was a republican?

Dustin Ingalls said...

"You're ignorant of web design, apparently. You actually host your business on blogger"

Yet another area of ignorance. We have a website, publicpolicypolling.com.

Argo Journal said...

With Ron Paul having formed a presidential exploratory committee, and announcing his participation in the May 5 primary debate in South Carolina, I hope you're not wasting the bonus Republican in your national poll on his son, Rand, who has said "the only decision I’ve made is that I won't run against my dad.

Hint, Hint: Ron Paul to join presidential debate

Rand Paul suspects his dad will run in 2012

A Place For Us said...

Californian said...
"Ig·no·rant  [ig-ner-uhnt]lacking in knowledge or training; unlearned: an ignorant man. 2. lacking knowledge or information as to a particular subject or fact: ignorant of quantum physics. 3. uninformed; unaware. 4. due to or showing lack of knowledge or training: an ignorant statement."

So, what am I ignorant of that I question inter-racial marriage? "

Ok, based on #2 through #4 in YOUR definition of ingnorance I question your inteligence on this matter. Do you have knowledge, information or training in interracial marriage? Have you been married interracially?
I am and I am happy to report and educate you on this matter: it is great and quite normal.
We live a peaceful life full of joy. We both have successful careers work in ministry, active in our church, raised a beautiful smart daughter who is married with 2 children. We take a vacation twice a year. . .
If you have anything you would like to ask feel free to do so.

The number of interracial marriages in the U.S. has risen 20 percent since 2000 to about 4.5 million, according to the latest census figures.

And you know what - you don't have to marry interracially just be colorblind just like people for who they are not what they look like.

buddyglass said...

Or, in lieu of releasing the Dem. numbers, at least an explanation for why they weren't released concurrently with the Republican results?

Anonymous said...

What if her preference is that she wants her kids and grand kids to look like her? She's not going to marry a black guy and she probably wants others to act in the same way she does. Soooo she wants to use the law as a tool to get her way.

Sort of like how people that use certain eco light bulbs, drive Prius cars or don't smoke cigarettes want to ban certain activities that they don't believe in.

Anonymous said...

As an interracially married woman, this begs the question.....what was it that made PPP ask this particular question on their poll?Was it "pulled out of a hat", so to speak, or is this an everyday hot topic of debate in Mississippi these days? I'm quite aware of Mississippi's dismal history, but I had not heard lately that there was a lot of racial debate going on there at present.....I thought they were just swimming along with their "I miss Jim Crow" status quo.

Anonymous said...

how can alot of you people be so ignorant? i personally think that anybody from any race should have the right to marry whoever he/she wants in this world wether its the same race or not. god made us how we are black, white, chinese, hispanics,and cocasians and it doesnt mattr becuz da only thing that mattrs is that we are a alive in a certain place and in a certain race at a certain period of time for a purpose that only he knows. the only reason there is racism is becuz there are alot of people that are just ignorant and people that are afraid because africa is where people came from and the world doesnt know what to do anymore so they do things that dont make any sence

Anonymous said...

You omitted to mention that the lady in question was black. I can't imagine why ...

Anonymous said...

Caucasians, African Americans, Asians, etc., are endangered species. If intermarrying continues at the current rate, eventually we will all be some shade of brown. I guess that would make the racist issue a moot point, but I prefer variety.

 
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