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Is It Racist to Date Only People of Your Own Race?
Slate ^ | 04/23/2014 | Reihan Salam

Posted on 04/23/2014 7:21:34 PM PDT by SeekAndFind

A few weeks ago, OkCupid, the popular “freemium” dating service, started offering its paid subscribers a very cool new tool. Rather than just sort through potential dates by using familiar filters like age and height, you could use the answers OkCupid members gave to various questions, such as “Do you like to watch sports on television?” or, my personal favorite, “Do you find British comedies entertaining?”

Questions are an important part of what makes OkCupid work. The site nudges you to answer as many questions as you can stand, and it also nudges you to make your answers public, as you can only see the answers of potential dates if you disclose your own answers. Answering questions allows OkCupid’s fancy algorithms to identify people who might be a good fit for you. Though these algorithms can be cleverly gamed, the basic idea that answering questions honestly will allow you to find people who share your sensibilities, goals, and quirks makes intuitive sense.

For example, OKCupid asked, “Would you date someone shorter than you?” If, like me, you are a compact American, you could save an enormous amount of time by ruling out women who are uninterested in dating smaller men. All of the time you’d otherwise waste on messaging statuesque beauties could instead be spent indulging in more fruitful leisure time pursuits, like hang-gliding or backgammon.

In a somewhat similar vein, one of OkCupid’s questions reads as follows: “Would you strongly prefer to go out with someone of your own skin color/racial background?” I was struck by the not inconsiderable number of people who answered “yes”—including some people I know “in real life,” many of whom are hilariously self-righteous about their enlightened political views.

(Excerpt) Read more at slate.com ...


TOPICS: Society
KEYWORDS: dating; racism
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To: Viennacon

Besides, what about people who have a racial preference but it’s not their own race. There’s white guys who only like Asian girls, or black guys who only date white women. Plus what if you are open to more than one race, but have one or two you don’t like? So what?


21 posted on 04/23/2014 7:40:56 PM PDT by Still Thinking (Freedom is NOT a loophole!)
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To: SeekAndFind
This is one area where, damn it, I have done my best to celebrate diversity. All the way from a green eyed strawberry blond Irish princess to a latte skinned Malaysian girl. In the interest of fairness and equality I have at tried to leave no example of female beauty feeling slighted.
22 posted on 04/23/2014 7:40:57 PM PDT by CrazyIvan (Obama phones= Bread and circuits.)
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To: SeekAndFind

What a sick question to begin with.


23 posted on 04/23/2014 7:41:27 PM PDT by montag813
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To: SeekAndFind

Since there is no longer an actual definition of “racist” anything can now be racist, anything!


24 posted on 04/23/2014 7:47:42 PM PDT by big bad easter bunny (If it weren't for coffee I would still be living with my parents!)
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To: SeekAndFind

Strictly speaking, of course it is. So what?


25 posted on 04/23/2014 7:48:22 PM PDT by cdcdawg (Be seeing you...)
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To: SeekAndFind

Suppose it is.

So what?


26 posted on 04/23/2014 7:50:57 PM PDT by Jim Noble (When strong, avoid them. Attack their weaknesses. Emerge to their surprise.)
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To: School of Rational Thought
What does one call a homo who will only date homos?

Darwin award winners

27 posted on 04/23/2014 7:53:44 PM PDT by HangnJudge
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To: SeekAndFind

This reminds me of Walter Williams describing how much discrimination he practiced when choosing his wife. He excluded all women who were white, Asian, Hispanic, too fat for his tastes, too thin for his tastes, stupid, and ugly, among other things. Hilarious bit he did while filling in for Rush many years ago.


28 posted on 04/23/2014 7:54:32 PM PDT by cdcdawg (Be seeing you...)
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To: Harmless Teddy Bear

Is It Racist to Date Only People of Your Own Race?


Only if a white guy says yes.

Anyone else can can yes and its fine - even commendable.

Me, I don’t give a fig what a lady’s race is. If she is smart, likes to laugh, easy going, likes to read and has a great smile I just don’t care. Asian, white, black, blah, blah blah.

I do not care.


29 posted on 04/23/2014 8:02:53 PM PDT by warsaw44
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To: SeekAndFind

I knew a white guy who refused to date American, white women because many were so materialistic and narcissistic (and the good ones were taken) so he married a foreign woman. So, was he racist?


30 posted on 04/23/2014 8:09:26 PM PDT by MeneMeneTekelUpharsin (Freedom is the freedom to discipline yourself so others don't have to do it for you.)
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To: SeekAndFind

And I specist if I only date those of my own species?


31 posted on 04/23/2014 8:18:20 PM PDT by KosmicKitty (WARNING: Hormonally crazed woman ahead!!)
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To: SeekAndFind

Pigment envy.


32 posted on 04/23/2014 8:18:59 PM PDT by Albion Wilde ("The commenters are plenty but the thinkers are few." -- Walid Shoebat)
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To: Harmless Teddy Bear

“Next stupid question?”

What about dating outside your species?


33 posted on 04/23/2014 8:20:07 PM PDT by Rembrandt (Part of the 51% who pay Federal taxes)
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To: SeekAndFind

“Is It Racist to Date Only People of Your Own Race?”

What an insane question!

Of course it’s not. It’s the natural thing to do.


34 posted on 04/23/2014 8:21:03 PM PDT by Finalmente
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To: SeekAndFind

NO.

After an enriched foreign social life, as a U.S. military man stationed in SouthEast Asia, meeting all sorts, from all over the world, I’m quite happy, and have been since my return in 1974, to not bother with females of other than Caucasian backgrounds. There is enough diversity, with blondes, brunettes, and redheads, to choose from.


35 posted on 04/23/2014 8:22:10 PM PDT by Terry L Smith
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To: SeekAndFind

There are good reasons to question the moral appropriateness of strong same-race preferences and their close cousin, in-group favoritism.”

Thus Spake Zaraclueless....

and another thing” preferences have cousins .. do they??


36 posted on 04/23/2014 8:31:43 PM PDT by MeshugeMikey ( "Never, never, never give up". Winston Churchill)
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To: Terry L Smith

Recently I heard a talk by a German lady, now 88, who came to America as a “war bride” after WWII. She was upset when a form asked her race and she was told to put “Caucasian.” Her attitude was, “why Caucasian? If I have to be from Russia, put down St. Petersburg.”


37 posted on 04/23/2014 8:32:10 PM PDT by Verginius Rufus
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To: School of Rational Thought

Gay.


38 posted on 04/23/2014 8:37:55 PM PDT by fieldmarshaldj (Resist We Much)
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To: SeekAndFind

Years ago, Eddie Murphy announced that he only dated black women.


39 posted on 04/23/2014 8:44:25 PM PDT by crazycatlady
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To: crazycatlady
Years ago, Eddie Murphy announced that he only dated black women

Well.well.well!

40 posted on 04/23/2014 8:46:34 PM PDT by dfwgator
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