Stereotypes in Interracial Relationship

People develop stereotypes due to the environments in which they are brought up. They are basically made to conform to the prevailing social norms. For instance, historical denigration of non-whites in the United States always made it difficult for people to willingly get into interracial relationships. It was historical known that non-whites were supposed to be slaves to whites, not equal partners in marital relationships. Thus, by accepting a relationship with a non-white, whites would be elevating non-whites to a higher social status against the desire of the general society. It would certainly cause them to be seen as trying to upset the established social setup. According to literature, most people do not like to be in conflict with the general public, In this regard, they will avoid any actions that could fix a wedge between them and the general public. It is probably due to this consideration that whites appear a bit intolerant on matters regarding interracial relationships. Indeed, it has been found that people find it easy to discuss interracial marriages or even express the desire to get into interracial relationships. ¹However, these never really happen due to the historical considerations. As a matter of fact, the society would consider it an act of desperation for one to get into interracial relationships. It would be interpreted to imply settling for less than one should have. Indeed, it will only be comparable to a member of the royal family marrying from a peasant family. While the parties concerned may have no real problem, the society would not easily accept such an arrangement. Thus, the best thing would be to avoid interracial relationships. Essentially, the historical aspect of the social setup significantly hinders interracial relationships. However, it is quite certain that the perception has since changed considerably culminating in several interracial marriages.

Another thing that cannot be underestimated is individual likes and dislikes. As a matter of fact, it could be in a person’s genes to dislike interracial relationships. In such a case, the person will always display negative opinion in any argument that borders on interracial relationships. This may cause people to throw blame at him or her, with accusations of holding a prejudiced opinion about other races. In some instances, people may begin to hate him or her for being who she is, which is grossly wrong! It should be noted that, on a lighter note, there are Blacks who naturally hold a negative opinion about Whites. This happens regardless of past negative experience with a white. It is basically a genetic misfit that manifests in racial prejudice. This clearly shows that any form of racial prejudice should not be interpreted to mean denigrating another people of a different race because it can be the expression of what some people are. According to history, Malcolm X can be said to have had a similar genetic composition. Although it can be partially attributed to his past experiences in slave family and how whites treated his parents, he was not the only person who had that experience at the moment. This certainly implies that besides the nasty experiences, he had some genetic imbalance that caused him to hate whites. The same can be said of whites who naturally feel that they should not get into a relationship with persons of a different race. Basically, it turns out that it is something they cannot be blamed for. The only sinister thing about it is the fact that it may not be easy to change their negative opinions because it’s genetic! However, it does not help much blaming them for what they naturally are.

The fact that children of mixed races are not fully accepted in either of the races also discourages people from interracial relationships. It goes without saying that everyone wishes a happy life for their children and would not like to have them viewed as outsiders. This would certainly be the case for children of mixed races. For instance, if the mother is white and the dad is black, whites would undoubtedly declare black because they say that one is either black or white. On the other hand, blacks will certainly consider him not black enough to be called black. This will make the child less accepted in the world and this could be the source of their emotional disturbance. In most cases, lack of social acceptance can significantly affect people’s performance in school. Basically, it is some of these unfortunate things that make people to avoid interracial relationships. They just don’t imagine of their children undergoing the emotional torture of being without a race. This makes it clear that people have reasons for being racially prejudiced. In this case, the individuals may not personally have a problem with interracial relationship, but simply care too much for their kids. Essentially, it goes back to historical as well as environmental prejudices.

The environment in which someone lives could also affect his or her opinion about life. For instance, a black man growing in the streets would certainly hate whites due to the street perception that whites are the cause of their problems. Such a person would never consider marrying a white due to the emotional baggage that they carry. On the other hand, a white who lives a low income area would develop a negative attitude towards blacks. ²This would arise from the feeling that blacks are the cause of insecurity in their homes and should be blamed for their uncomfortable lives. In such a case, it will almost be impossible to convince individuals from either of the social groups to marry from the other one. It is basically some unwarranted emotional baggage that keeps holding them from freely intermingling. However, the sooner they realize that some of these things are not engraved on the race and that it is an individual matter for one to become a robber, the easier they find it to interact. This explains why people should not be judged blindly for being against interracial relationships. However, attempt should be made to understand them for what they are.

In conclusion, people generally develop stereotypes due to the environment in which they are brought up. They are basically made to conform to the prevailing social norms. Another thing that cannot be underestimated is individual likes and dislikes because it could be in a person’s genes to dislike interracial relationships. In such a case, the person will always display negative opinion in any argument that borders on interracial relationships and be accused of holding a prejudiced opinion about other races. The fact that children of mixed races are not fully accepted in either of the races also discourages people from interracial relationships. Ideally, everyone hopes for a happy life for their children and would not like to have them viewed as outsiders. In most cases, lack of social acceptance can significantly affect people’s performance in school. This is something that no one would love to happen to their children and would certainly avoid it as much as possible. It goes without saying that the environment in which someone lives could also affect his or her opinion about life. For instance, a black man growing in the streets would certainly hate whites due to the street perception that whites are the cause of their problems. Eventually, this will significantly hinder interracial relationships.