Navigating Interracial Relationships
As time marches forward, the stigmas around interracial couples have begun to erode and people and finding that love truly is more than skin deep. Previously referred to by the derogatory term miscegenation, interracial couples are now extremely common, and heads no longer turn when people of different races are seen together. In fact, some people explicitly seek out mixed-race relationships, and there’s dozens if not hundreds of sites that cater to this demand. Interracial dating – Black and white dating site | Afroromance is just one of many of these services that have sprung out to service the growing number of people who want to date beyond their own race.
That’s to say that mixed race relationships are now seen less as something different, but just as relationships. But all relationships have their own special circumstances that require tact and politeness to properly integrate. Because two different cultures with different histories are now coming together, there is the opportunity for some culture shock to occur.
Respecting Religious Roots
Even between races that practice the same religion, how they choose to practice said religion can vary wildly. Since religion can shape home life, understanding how both families see the family unit with respect to the roles of men and women can’t be understated. For example, Islam has very conservative values and a non-Muslim woman may be shocked at what is expected of her by a devout Muslim man. Even within the same religion similar home life conflicts can arise. Traditional Christians may subscribe more to women being homemakers who deal with household duties while the man focuses on being the breadwinner. When compared to Christians who have relaxed their views on how household tasks are distributed, conflicts can arise when two people from different denominations get together.
Because of these differences in opinions, it’s extremely important to discuss how each person views the topics of home life that are frequently influenced by religious background. How these differences will affect the relationship should be established very on in the relationship and respected throughout. Things like expectations to convert, which religion any potential children will follow, and if it will have any effect on etiquette around family gatherings should be set in stone before the relationship becomes too serious.
Meeting Each Other’s Families or Friends
While as a whole society is much more tolerant to the idea of mixed-race relationships, individuals can be apprehensive about their children or close friend dating someone of a different race or creed. Stereotypes and racial misunderstandings may have had years or even decades to solidify in people’s minds and it may not be easy to keep things respectful and civil.
The biggest thing to remember here is that these preconceptions have had a lot of time to stew inside the minds of the people who think they are only looking out for your best interests, so it will also take some time for them to break down these preexisting ideas of how certain races behave once they realize your partner is just another human being and on top of that, a human being that makes you happy.
Go for It
These issues are still hardly worth swearing off interracial relationships altogether. Limiting yourself to finding your soulmate within a narrow pool of people based on race will only lower the amount of unique and amazing experiences you might not even have known you wanted. In the end, there’s nothing to be ashamed of and society is increasingly becoming more supportive to mixed race couples.
