Dear Aphrodite
Column
Issue date: 1/23/06 Section: Entertainment
Everywhere you go you can't help but notice loving, doe-eyed couples everywhere. From holding hands at the mall to making out in the movie theatres, we are surrounded by people in love.
However, if you stop and take a closer look you can't help but notice the strong diversity among them. From their personalities to their appearances, many of today's couples are truly diverse.
It is strange to think that anti-miscegenation laws were only abolished in 1967. Before then, you probably would not see an interracial couple openly canoodling in public. Only a couple of decades have passed and already so much progress has been made in our society. Nevertheless, today's interracial couple still faces old stigmas prevalent in the United States. Although we have taken major leaps and bounds away from racial segregation, there are still many racial stereotypes and bigotry interracial couples face.
According to about.com, up until the year 2000, at Bob Jones University in Greenville, S.C., interracial dating and marriage was forbidden and any student caught breaking this rule was threatened with expulsion. This is just one of the many examples of how far our nation has come in terms of accepting interracial couples but it is also a prime example of how much further we need to go before there can be complete acceptance in oursociety.
Among the problems interracial couples face is social acceptance. According to romanceopedia.com, "Interracial couples have to get used to others staring at them and also being able to read lips which obviously disapprove of their presence in a restaurant or other public place. It is also entirely possible that the gaze of others might have something to do with curiousity [sic] and even envy."
Although we live in more accepting times, interracial couples need to understand that not everyone is as open minded or as ready to accept their relationship as others might be. Couples need to be there to support each other in the face of such prejudice and racism.
However, if you stop and take a closer look you can't help but notice the strong diversity among them. From their personalities to their appearances, many of today's couples are truly diverse.
It is strange to think that anti-miscegenation laws were only abolished in 1967. Before then, you probably would not see an interracial couple openly canoodling in public. Only a couple of decades have passed and already so much progress has been made in our society. Nevertheless, today's interracial couple still faces old stigmas prevalent in the United States. Although we have taken major leaps and bounds away from racial segregation, there are still many racial stereotypes and bigotry interracial couples face.
According to about.com, up until the year 2000, at Bob Jones University in Greenville, S.C., interracial dating and marriage was forbidden and any student caught breaking this rule was threatened with expulsion. This is just one of the many examples of how far our nation has come in terms of accepting interracial couples but it is also a prime example of how much further we need to go before there can be complete acceptance in oursociety.
Among the problems interracial couples face is social acceptance. According to romanceopedia.com, "Interracial couples have to get used to others staring at them and also being able to read lips which obviously disapprove of their presence in a restaurant or other public place. It is also entirely possible that the gaze of others might have something to do with curiousity [sic] and even envy."
Although we live in more accepting times, interracial couples need to understand that not everyone is as open minded or as ready to accept their relationship as others might be. Couples need to be there to support each other in the face of such prejudice and racism.