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Is racial preference racism? I want everybody to have equal rights, equal good opportunities and I think every human being are equal valuable. But when it comes to who I'm attracted too, I prefer general some looks or races more than other. There are nice people many places, but some of them has a more attractive appearance than other. (I'm more sexual attracted to some people than other.)

PS! If you're very sensitive, I wouldn't recommend you to read this, because here I describe which one I prefer most
I personally think the caucasoid race is the most attractive one when it comes to appearance. Caucasoid race that example including European, The middle east (ex. Saudi Arabia, Iran), North Africa (Ex. Egypt) and South Asia (Ex. India) is in my opinion the most attractive one generally. I like both dark and light people, even the tan/olive skinned is more preferred. But the European facial features is something that is most attractive like narrow noses, the head shape, eyes etc. I think the Western Asian are cute and can be pretty, but they aren't my most preferred one. Southern-African and Western-African is something I don't prefer, because facial features, not skin color.

I just find some human races more attractive than others. So I wondered if you think it's racism with racial preference.

(I don't want to offend anybody)

I think there is a lot that goes on mentally when thinking about attraction . I wouldn't call it racism unless you rally have issues with race.

The rule of thumb I always heard (though it may just be an old wives tale) is that people are generally attracted to the average of the people they went to junior high with (11-14) of the sex they are attracted to. If you went to a racially homogeneous school then you'd probably be attracted to people of the same race.

Quote from: AnamethatstartswithE on February 08, 2016, 11:23:52 AM
The rule of thumb I always heard (though it may just be an old wives tale) is that people are generally attracted to the average of the people they went to junior high with (11-14) of the sex they are attracted to. If you went to a racially homogeneous school then you'd probably be attracted to people of the same race.

That's really interesting, old wives tale or not, I had never heard that before.

I answered no in the poll, because I was exposed to a large degree of racial diversity for all of my life, I've fallen in love with people of many different races but certain skin tones are more attractive to me (though it isn't monotonic -- I love pale redheads as much as ebony-black native africans).  What's funny to me is that my skin tone preferences change with gender -- pale redheaded women? Yes.  Pale redheaded men?  Meh... I've seen enough of that in the mirror over the years. ;)

However... sometimes a racial preference is racist.  I've heard complaints by women of Chinese, Korean and Japanese descent about dudes with fetishes for asian women; similar with black women.  From what I've heard, those dudes are awful with the stereotyping, demand for subservience, etc... and yeah, that kind of racial preference is probably racism.

On the other hand... I've got a white male friend who was mostly raised by and around black women, and he says that he "imprinted" on them at an early age.  He doesn't display any of the racist behavior... he just isn't attracted to white women.

Quote from: AnamethatstartswithE on February 08, 2016, 11:23:52 AM
The rule of thumb [...] is that people are generally attracted to the average of the people they went to junior high with (11-14) of the sex they are attracted to. If you went to a racially homogeneous school then you'd probably be attracted to people of the same race.

I'd say in my experience this wouldn't be true - in my class of 30 there are 3 people of colour and 5 from countries outside of the UK, and if I were to name preferences, I would list white / caucasian last

Hi Sebby,

In my heart I believe that, with regards to racism, intention is everything.  We really cannot help who we are attracted to.  I mean, if I'm attracted to blue-eyed blonde women and green-eyed redheaded women, tall, slender and athletic, would I specifically seek out a dark haired, dark eyed, chubby couch potato simply to prove to myself that I'm not racist?  We are all attracted to whomever it is that we're attracted to; that's just the way of the heart.

Maybe it's a thing that is ingrained in us at an early age.  I was born of a Mexican mother and an African/Native American father, but I was raised in an all white neighborhood and went to all white schools (except for me and my siblings.)  What can I say?  I have never had a relationship with a person of color.  Mostly I've been with blue-eyed blondes, and my wife is that green-eyed redhead that makes me weak in the knees.  I have certainly been accused of being a self-hating person of color, but only by other people of color.  I'm attracted to whom I'm attracted to, and I make no apologies for that.

Am I for equal opportunities and equal rights for all people regardless of race or nationalism?  Hell yes I am.  Do I believe that my ancestors (Native North Americans) deserved to be wiped out by European settlers?  Or that my other ancestors (Africans) deserved to be sold and slaughtered in slavery?  Hell no and hell no.  I find both disturbing to think about and difficult to read about.  And still, I'm attracted to whom I'm attracted to.  That was then and this is now.

And it's all about intention.  In my heart I know racism to be a condition where by one intends to keep those of a particular race "in their place".  Racism may be defined (at its most simplistic) as the intention to elevate one race over others for the unequal distribution of all that's good in this world, reserving the best of everything for the "better" race, while denying the same to the "lower" races.

As far as whom we each consider chick magnets and dude magnets?  Yep, you gotta let your heart be your compass; it will not steer you wrong.

Love!
Miharu

While I feel the aesthetics of looks to be somewhat important, I don't have any particular racial preference

I am more interested in who the person is on the inside rather than their exterior appearance

Hugs

Having a racial preference in social partners is not racism.  It may be provincial, but it is not racist.
Racism is when you believe, and act on that belief, that one race in particular, usually your own, is superior to the others in every standard of measure, and therefore for the good of the world the inferior races should be eliminated, or at least reduced to slavery.

Regardless of your own race, this is a pretty widespread sentiment.  As a European, I have lived in places where the whites consider themselves to be justly dominant over the others.  But I have also lived in places where I was very much the racial minority, and I knew full well, and was told so, that I was the untermensch.

I cannot think of a race that does not think well of itself and think the others are inferior.  That is racism, not the racial preference of the person you are looking to hook up with at the bar.

Quote from: XKimX on February 09, 2016, 12:53:43 AM
Having a racial preference in social partners is not racism.  It may be provincial, but it is not racist.
Racism is when you believe, and act on that belief, that one race in particular, usually your own, is superior to the others in every standard of measure, and therefore for the good of the world the inferior races should be eliminated, or at least reduced to slavery.

Not necessary. Racism isnt always cristal clear, it isnt always concient. And thats way this topic is waaaay to complicated.

Have preferences is not always racism. But it can be. What you have to ask is: WHY do you think a specific race is more atractive? We live in a world were we are bombed with a very clear beauty padron: White, thin people. I think the world has made progress in this term, but it is still a reality. Fat and or black people are put aside. You learn, even in a subconcious level, that white thin people are beaultiful. Maybe you dont think that white people are better than black people, but that is still there, inside you, even though you dont realize.

I'm using black vs white people here because is the most expressive exemple of what we are saying. But thats goes to all races. Just to make an exemple, I'll let this link (is a 9gag link, but is not a joke. Coincidently I saw this before reading this topic):

http://9gag.com/gag/aeGDeZW

Just watch this and think about it: Do you honest think that all of that people are active, self-aware racists? Do you belive they ALL lift the white power flag? Or maybe, racism is so inside us that we cant even see when we are being racist?

*sorry for the bad english!

Racism is, of course, a very complicated topic.  You may think that skinny white people are attractive, I find them quite unattractive.  I have very few friends of my own race.  But that is personal and the way I think about people, not racism or conscious anti-racism.

I find much of what passes as racism today in the white world is really culture and class-based.  We tend to like those people who are like us in age, education, life-style and financial resources.  Many people live in places where that group is mostly all of one race, or others live in more cosmopolitan areas where there are mot more people of different races who fit into the group you find attractive and interesting.

My views are perhaps formed by where I am living now.  I am in a very cosmopolitan large city where my own race is in the minority.  As I look around at my neighbors, I see mostly mixed-race couples.  They are all wonderful people, and I enjoy having them as neighbors.  Yet most of them also say that their parents no longer talk to them for marrying outside their race.  Europe, I think, is a generation behind the Americas in putting racism behind them.

I know racism is still a word but after studying anthropology for five years I´m not sure about that term. What about ethnicity?

I guess it kind of depends on how you interpret "preference". If you´re more heterosexual than gay, then not liking people of the same sex does not mean that you discriminate against them. If you´re more attracted to people of a certain ethnicity, that does not mean that you discriminate against them. There´s plenty of people who are categorized "caucasian" and have a preference for "non caucasian".

My experience in Southern and Northern Europe is that it´s fine for people from different ethnic backgrounds to be togheter, and that people in general are o.k with it (including parents). But it really depends on the culture and on the mindset of the family themselves. I wouldn´t say that Europe is behind the US in this, I think it really differs from region to region.

I get what you mean though. There can be a generalized inclination to "prefer" people of a certain ethnicity because there is a mindset in the culture about the "other ethnicities" not being o.k or still not being comfortable with common cultural past.

Quote from: November Fox on February 11, 2016, 12:57:40 PM
There´s plenty of people who are categorized "caucasian" and have a preference for "non caucasian".

Like me.  I'm as Caucasian as one can possibly be and my strong preference is East Asian


Sapere Aude

If you mean like a preference in attraction - attraction to something can't be controlled so how can it be consciously racist?

I also don't think personal preference equals everything that isn't in that category is inferior. I like my pizza without mushrooms on it, but that don't mean my friend who likes mushrooms on his is inferior, nor that his pizza is inferior. I can't control that I don't much like mushrooms, but I don't look down on anyone who does.

Bad analogy probably but I'm trying to illustrate how we don't really "choose" what we like. We just do.

Then there's that you will tend to be attracted to somebody who is actually in your vicinity. If your vicinity is most homogenous in race, chances are you'll end up with a person of that race.

Studies show that people do tend to have a preference for their own race but I figure it's probably down to culture and geography. Friends of mine might have ended up with Caucasian spouses if they stayed in the neighborhood I met them and didn't emigrate to East Asia where they now have East Asian spouses. 

I don't think racial preference and racism are the same thing.

It just kinda makes me feel disheartened when I read about how "unattractive" black people are to the entire world because everyone seems to have been conditioned to fall in love with the Euro Standards of Beauty, which is why little black girls are taught at some point in their life that having natural hair (or "nappy" hair, if you wanna be derogatory about it) is not attractive and that they must use harsh chemicals to unnaturally straighten it out like a white person's because their Standards of Beauty is law and that's that. That is why you will never see a black Barbie doll with an afro, dread locks, twists or jerry curls. Damn shame is what that is.....

Quote from: King Phoenix on February 12, 2016, 06:50:26 AM
I don't think racial preference and racism are the same thing.

It just kinda makes me feel disheartened when I read about how "unattractive" black people are to the entire world because everyone seems to have been conditioned to fall in love with the Euro Standards of Beauty, which is why little black girls are taught at some point in their life that having natural hair (or "nappy" hair, if you wanna be derogatory about it) is not attractive and that they must use harsh chemicals to unnaturally straighten it out like a white person's because their Standards of Beauty is law and that's that. That is why you will never see a black Barbie doll with an afro, dread locks, twists or jerry curls. Damn shame is what that is.....

Yeah, I don't think it is either. The definition of racism is believing one race is superior or inferior to another. To apply it to natural attraction would be like saying "I'm attracted to Jane more than Janet, or John more than Joseph, and that therefore means Janet and Joseph are inferior human beings". I mean, who even thinks like that? I've never thought anyone I wasn't attracted to was "inferior"... I just wasn't into them. Not my fault and not their fault.

But I have met people who allow their own internal racism to convince them someone of a race they didn't like was default ugly. That's different, and their opinions aren't exactly coming from an honest place if they've been fed some kinda racist drivel. There's no proof whatsoever that any race is in any way altogether superior or inferior to another. No proof one race can do anything flat out better in every case than another and is therefore deserving of some pedestal. It's all B.S.

I think this is a very complicated question for several reasons.  First, we throw the words "racism" and "racist" around quite liberally.  One definition is an ideology that seeks to justify or impose an unequal distribution of rights based upon racial or ethnic characteristics.  This requires an existing power structure such that racism only works in one direction.  An ethnic group that is being persecuted is not racist in seeking to rectify an existing inequity.  In selection of romantic partners, we are typically not in an imbalanced power dynamic, although I suppose there are exceptions to this.  As such, it's hard in my mind to associate one's selection (or not) with an intent to impose some unequal distribution of rights. 

The second thing that makes this question complicated in my mind is the use of very simple definitions of race, which I think are much less useful in a biological sense than more specific genetic and cultural descriptors in more common use today.  There is tremendous genetic diversity within what we used to commonly group in three major racial divisions.  Despite this diversity, we tend to default to larger groupings, suggesting that our loose definitions of race are actually cultural description more than genetic ones.  For example, children of mixed race couplings who retain some typical characteristics of blacks are often viewed in America as black, while those who don't exhibit the same characteristics may be viewed as white.  The idea that a person viewed as white may be some day "revealed" to be black because of their heritage suggests that there was something bad or wrong about their blackness, which to me is a symptom of a systematic oppression, or what we call "racism." 

So, I suppose having a physical attraction to people of particular genetic phenotypes or having particular physical characteristics is not in itself a necessarily racist action.  (By the way, I like to think of racist as descriptive of actions, not people.  Everyone, at one time or another probably commits an action that could be viewed as racist.  That doesn't make someone racist, or "a" racist.)  Now, if the discovery that one's intended romantic partner is from a particular racial or ethnic group different than one's original perception changes the way one feels, that may be an indication of a racist view.  For example, let's say that you dated someone you thought was white, and in meeting their parents discovered that one or both were black, and that changed your intentions regarding your partner.  In my mind, that would suggest something different than a preference for particular physical types.  Fear of reprisal in a community with strong racial barriers may not be racist, while a judgement that the person now has some latent negative characteristic (laziness, or some such idea) is more likely an indication of a racist view. 

Now we can always try to justify those choices, and there may be more or less appropriate justifications.  That's why I think this is a far more complicated question than it seems on the surface.  When I look at my own history, I have dated several women of African American descent, one Asian woman, several women of varied European backgrounds, a Brazilian (one might have described her as "creole," perhaps); I have married/divorced a hispanic woman and have now finally hit the jackpot with a wonderful Jewish woman of northern European heritage, so most people would probably not describe me as racist.  I find beauty and attraction in all kinds and sorts of women (and men :))  However, I do find myself with occasional thoughts or impressions that I catch in my mind or action as racially-based.  So I believe that vilifying the idea of racism buries much of the discussion for fear of that dreaded label being applied.  I try my best, and expect that others should do as well. 

Damn, Dayta. That's what's up. You need to write an essay or a book on this that's guaranteed to be a Best Seller! :D

Quote from: T.K.G.W. on February 12, 2016, 07:24:04 AM
Yeah, I don't think it is either. The definition of racism is believing one race is superior or inferior to another. To apply it to natural attraction would be like saying "I'm attracted to Jane more than Janet, or John more than Joseph, and that therefore means Janet and Joseph are inferior human beings". I mean, who even thinks like that? I've never thought anyone I wasn't attracted to was "inferior"... I just wasn't into them. Not my fault and not their fault.

But I have met people who allow their own internal racism to convince them someone of a race they didn't like was default ugly. That's different, and their opinions aren't exactly coming from an honest place if they've been fed some kinda racist drivel. There's no proof whatsoever that any race is in any way altogether superior or inferior to another. No proof one race can do anything flat out better in every case than another and is therefore deserving of some pedestal. It's all B.S.

Yeah. That's totally how I feel.

Though I have to be honest. I actually do have a bit of internal racism (self-hatred). I'm not blaming anyone in particular for it, but its definitely there. It shows itself in many ways; when I cross the street to avoid walking past a black man/boy, when I stare suspiciously at a lone black male in a grocery store, when I become rather upset at being under the care of a black male (or even a black female) medical practitioner. These are just some examples of my very own internal racism.

But, in any case, five out of five stars, T.K.G.W. on stating the facts here: no one race is superior nor inferior to another. We're all equal.^^

I guess there could be reasons for that, though.

Case in point, someone I knew had their house broken into by a black dude in a mostly white neighborhood when I was a kid. This person apparently had never been broken into before and after that experience - because they encountered the thief just as they were leaving - left them feeling total distrust toward black people after that. I myself lived in a fairly rough neighborhood, we were broken into an average of about 2-3 times a year but usually by white kids because unfortunately we lived right next to a remand home filled with mostly young white men. Only once did a black guy try to break into my room through the window - so I don't feel the same way as that other person because my experience was like, one attempted (and failed) burglary by a black dude versus about 25 successful clearings out of my stuff by white dudes. I distrusted young white men way more than black guys in all of my time in that neighborhood due to that experience. People's distrust usually comes from somewhere and we're not born with it.

I mean if someone was brutally attacked by a group of people or had a bad experience with a particular group of people of a difference race, I think because of the way the human brain is wired for learning through association, they would tend to be cautious around another group of people similar because of that memory. Not racism per se, because it doesn't come from the belief of inferiority or superiority, but from positive or negative experiences.

If you've had negative experiences with a particular race of people, I suppose it's only natural that you will be cautious of them again because that is how humans operated before the invention of statistics. People can say you are statistically more likely to encounter this or experience that, but if you've actually experienced it, it's a much more powerful motivator inside the mind, and it's probably cumulative. I'm not saying it's good to tar people with the same brush because of an experience, but good or bad, it's what we tend to do subconsciously.

Then again, you'll get some people who might have had 10 bad experiences with their own race, but still think another race is scarier because there's a sort of in-built tolerance for what seems similar to us, and it's very easy to dislike "outsiders" or what is "different".

Quote from: T.K.G.W. on February 14, 2016, 09:09:19 AM
I guess there could be reasons for that, though.

Case in point, someone I knew had their house broken into by a black dude in a mostly white neighborhood when I was a kid. This person apparently had never been broken into before and after that experience - because they encountered the thief just as they were leaving - left them feeling total distrust toward black people after that. I myself lived in a fairly rough neighborhood, we were broken into an average of about 2-3 times a year but usually by white kids because unfortunately we lived right next to a remand home filled with mostly young white men. Only once did a black guy try to break into my room through the window - so I don't feel the same way as that other person because my experience was like, one attempted (and failed) burglary by a black dude versus about 25 successful clearings out of my stuff by white dudes. I distrusted young white men way more than black guys in all of my time in that neighborhood due to that experience. People's distrust usually comes from somewhere and we're not born with it.

I mean if someone was brutally attacked by a group of people or had a bad experience with a particular group of people of a difference race, I think because of the way the human brain is wired for learning through association, they would tend to be cautious around another group of people similar because of that memory. Not racism per se, because it doesn't come from the belief of inferiority or superiority, but from positive or negative experiences.

If you've had negative experiences with a particular race of people, I suppose it's only natural that you will be cautious of them again because that is how humans operated before the invention of statistics. People can say you are statistically more likely to encounter this or experience that, but if you've actually experienced it, it's a much more powerful motivator inside the mind, and it's probably cumulative. I'm not saying it's good to tar people with the same brush because of an experience, but good or bad, it's what we tend to do subconsciously.

Then again, you'll get some people who might have had 10 bad experiences with their own race, but still think another race is scarier because there's a sort of in-built tolerance for what seems similar to us, and it's very easy to dislike "outsiders" or what is "different".

That's very interesting.

What you described here sounds alot like the psychology of transference; we transfer our past experiences onto our present and future experiences which could be a good and bad thing. Now that you mention it, I have a strong feeling that my "phobia" of black men came from my teenage years and inappropriate "things" that took place to my mom. It seems, at least in my experience, that black people have harmed me more than any other race. But when I say that, I feel guilty and unfair. Because we are all individual people, this I know. To blame an entire race on the actions of a few idiots is not just and insensible, but I swear, its like I can't help it.

And dude, I hope you got as far away from that neighborhood as you possibly can. It was scary to me to have the old house I stayed in broken into one time, but two or three times a year? You say that like it was to be expected. I hope those guys got reported. That's ridiculous. The way I see it, burglaries would be greatly reduced, if not diminished, if jobs were available to everyone and I mean everyone, including us trans folks, who sometimes have a hard time getting a foot in the door of employment. And no, this does not, in any way, justify burglary.



Phoenix

I think it depends, and how you word it matters here. If you are just more attracted to people of one racial appearance over another to the point where it would influence your choice, then there's really no problem. If you state "I only date _" or "I don't date _" then yes, you are being racist. Of course being attracted to others is a really big deal when dating them, but don't cut out an entire demographic before you even consider them as an option.

Quote from: Eevee on February 14, 2016, 02:08:25 PM
If you state "I only date _" or "I don't date _" then yes, you are being racist. Of course being attracted to others is a really big deal when dating them, but don't cut out an entire demographic before you even consider them as an option.

Not only is that racist, but pretty childish if you ask me. Though, I must admit, I have been guilty of being this way before. ::)

Yes, definitely racist, not complicated at all. When someone says something like they have a preference for blondes, they mean all things being equal, they'd prefer the blonde. Not that all that matters is that they're blonde, or that blondeness is the most attractive feature, and nothing else matters. Even Labrador Retrievers  rev them up. Having a preference for blondes is hardly going to be a deal breaker to the athletic, kind, intelligent dark haired individual that shares interests and core values with you.

To show a preference, like an orientation so that you know a priori that you will have no romantic interests in people of certain races, is pretty damn transparently racist.

Sociological surveys have also been taken, which showed there are strong correlations between "racial sexual preferences", and general racist attitudes.

If your preference for particular races is a huge deal, far more important than something like hair colour, and you see as being more analogous to exclusive sexual orientations, then I think that's one red ass flag you've got there. 

Quote from: Elsa Delyth on February 14, 2016, 03:15:37 PM
Yes, definitely racist, not complicated at all. When someone says something like they have a preference for blondes, they mean all things being equal, they'd prefer the blonde. Not that all that matters is that they're blonde, or that blondeness is the most attractive feature, and nothing else matters. Even Labrador Retrievers  rev them up. Having a preference for blondes is hardly going to be a deal breaker to the athletic, kind, intelligent dark haired individual that shares interests and core values with you.

To show a preference, like an orientation so that you know a priori that you will have no romantic interests in people of certain races, is pretty damn transparently racist.

Sociological surveys have also been taken, which showed there are strong correlations between "racial sexual preferences", and general racist attitudes.

If your preference for particular races is a huge deal, far more important than something like hair colour, and you see as being more analogous to exclusive sexual orientations, then I think that's one red ass flag you've got there.

This is how it works for me: if I could choose people by appearance who I would date and put in my bed, I would probably choose a person from the Caucasoid race as my first choose, because I prefer one with a European appearance. I want every people to have equal rights, opportunities and human rights. Everybody are equal valuable. A person can be good in a job and the color doesn't matter. But a persons appearance matter if it comes to dating and who are allowed to join the bed. People from all countries can be nice and cheerful people with good personality. There are attractive people from difference places. But if I had a choose, I would pick something as my first choose. I prefer some options more than other options. For me it's important a person is attractive if I'm going to date him. Dating a person I don't prefer or think is so attractive isn't the same... I just think some are more attractive than other. I can't really help it I prefer Caucasoid generally more than Eastern Asian and Southern African.

Quote from: King Phoenix on February 14, 2016, 12:51:00 PM
It seems, at least in my experience, that black people have harmed me more than any other race.

It is unfair to project that caution onto everyone but it's also not really surprising if the most harm you ever encountered was often or always from a specific group of people. It'd be almost instinctive to view them negatively with repeated bad encounters.

QuoteAnd dude, I hope you got as far away from that neighborhood as you possibly can. It was scary to me to have the old house I stayed in broken into one time, but two or three times a year? You say that like it was to be expected. I hope those guys got reported. That's ridiculous. The way I see it, burglaries would be greatly reduced, if not diminished, if jobs were available to everyone and I mean everyone, including us trans folks, who sometimes have a hard time getting a foot in the door of employment. And no, this does not, in any way, justify burglary.

Oh yea, I did. I won't be going back there. And it was to be expected I guess, since the area was thick with junkies and small time criminals on and off of parole. Funny thing was it didn't look like a bad neighborhood; but it was probably worse than the ones that did. And you're right, that city was famously screwed and full of poverty and crime precisely because it didn't have a lot of opportunities going in it at the time. It was a bit of a Northern hell hole for a while.

Over the long run, relationships are built on any number of more serious things, but a certain level of attraction really should be there.  Gravitating toward somebody who lights your fire is not unreasonable IMO.  When you say "preference" this is the level I believe we're talking about.   

Having said that, somebody who says, "I could never date an X!  What would the neighbors think?" probably is a racist.  We could have Jeff Foxworthy start "You might be a racist if..." games, but a simple preference isn't really racism in my experience.   

Of course not. We all have attraction. There are some that try to lay a guilt trip on for example white girls by some guys if they don't date them. I have heard it with my own ears. We have freedom of choice in our lives. Don't be a victim or pressured by someone else because of their attraction or conquest motives.
This referring to your dating preference.

I'm probably a bit biased, as I believe there is a "tribal" nature to humanity. We're basically not too far removed from packs of animals (flocks, in most cases, actually, but some of us are more K-selected.)
In all of recorded history, we're a drop in the bucket. Seems humanity as a whole isn't much better, if we go to "unrecorded" history.
Some of those programs on National Geographic or such, talking geological time scales?

That's the scope I mean. We haven't been around much, and haven't changed much, if at all.

How many here are "jocks"? "Rockers"? "Skaters," "Slackers," "Engineers," "IT," etc? And we go after those NOT in our group to a greater or lesser extent. E.G., as an IT guy I DESPISE the "Business" people who want to squeeze us until we bleed, while they pretend to work all day, playing with reports and meetings...  Talking the "Bottom line" without any regard for the stuff we have to work AROUND, mostly - because their great "money saving idea" only LOOKS good. E.G., outsource the tech support (all the infrastructure) to India. What used to take 15 minutes to get done, with ONE person in the US? Now takes three tickets, five people, and 3-5 WEEKS. But it's "cheaper"!! Except our throughput is now down by 75%. We're not effective.
DEV is bad enough - they throw their program over the wall, and we have to pick it apart and tell them what's wrong. They don't like us. But at least they respond....

Going to Macro scale? Male vs. Female. American vs. French vs. Russian (or, use the country names, same diff. for this).  Keynesian vs. Austrian economics. IBM vs. Dell vs Oracle (different fields, of course.)

"If you're not with us, you're with the Ter'rists!" might be over simplistic - but if we borrow from George Carlin...? "Think of the Average American (human, even!) Think how DUMB that person is! Now, realize - HALF the population is DUMBER than that!" And he didn't even include the mob mentality, which is - the Mob is about half as smart as the dumbest member. Herd mentality at its finest, if you will.

So...  there is LIKELY to be a racial preference built-in to humans, to ensure a cohesive tribe.

But that doesn't mean we're attracted to everyone equally, and attraction I don't think can be a racist thing. If I like blondes but not brunettes, am I a Hairist? :P
If my girlfriend suddenly dyed her hair brown, would I break up with her? Seriously, how shallow can you get? :P
(I'm also sure it's happened, see George Carlin again.) 

However, attractiveness can also come from being Exotic. Think a Western man in Poland or Ukraine; or a Russian woman in America. Or an Indian woman, for that matter. Something has to happen to make a woman stand out, to me. Whether I notice her breasts or eyes first is irrelevant...  ;)
That's the initial attraction. Physical rush.
But will there be anything there? Well, is she kind? Genteel? Feminine? These things aren't defined by her race. Met plenty of hot white girls I wouldn't (censored) with someone else's (censored), you know? Arrogant, brash, aggressive, entitled, nasty. I'd rather beat them with a stick. Been around plenty of other ethnicities, too, and found both types...  Good and bad, feminine and masculine.  It's not a Racial thing, nor is it racist, even if you exclusively like whites, blacks, Inuit...

Racist means you pre-judge someone based on their skin color. Somehow, people think it's a BAD thing to judge...
How many of you been through the 'hood? Felt the naked hatred in the stares you encounter? Sesame Street it ain't. But I'll drop that line of talk...

You can't choose your tribe or family by blood. You can choose who you associate with, though. If someone has excessively harsh pre-judgement, especially because "they heard...", you might want to look elsewhere for friends and companions. If you don't have that option, you might want to guard that their views don't infect you, as "memes" are like a virus. (Goebbels, "if you repeat a lie often enough, it becomes the truth...") You want to be honest and fair in your dealings, but also not a fool. That guy coming at you with a scowl, he might not mean you harm - but why take the chance? Cross the street, see if he follows, looking for trouble. The woman shooting daggers at you with her eyes? She's saying something, though a man might not get it... He'd better watch both his and his woman's backs, just in case. Etc.

Personally, I was raised to NOT be racist.
I learned the hard way to respect biodiversity. I still give people a chance, but I'm somewhat selective based on my environment. Greater or lesser chances, if you will. No different from a woman taking her friends to the ladies' room - she's safer among others, than alone, in the "old days." Same as you don't go down that dark alley at night, because it's a "bad area." You stay where there's light...

I don't think that's racist in the least - because anyone can be good, or bad, and race is small part of that.

-Dianna

We all have preferences.  Whether it be a racial preference for a partner or a color preference in our food choices.  To me it all comes to one word - MALICE.  I have a preference for carrots over lima beans but I bear no malice towards the poor little bean.  I just don't want them on my plate.  I was born and grew up in a totally Caucasian community yet by the time I was going to high school my best friends were predominantly everything but white.  Yet my dating preference was and still remains lighter shades of skin color (white and Asian).  In many ways political correctness and overstepped the bounds of reason and has made people way too sensitive.  Is it profiling if police are only stopping green martians with purple dots after a green martian with purple dots is seen breaking into a power plant?  Of course it is but in this case it is a "good" profiling.  We all use descriptive words and phrases to help identify things.   It helps us to understand each other.  Most times it is not racism to have preferences or to use descriptive terms as long as there is no intent to harm or to be derogatory.

I will now relinquish my soapbox for others to opine on the matter

be well
jenifer

At the core, it is racist. Yes, I'll say it. Racism comes from the gut according to the "norms" in which we were reared. It is a concept taught and too easily received. The very same reactions apply to religions and family nationalities. All of us have a teeny bit of racist tendencies in us at best. It's part of growing up in society. It's our responsibility, especially as part of a minority, to realize that these prejudices exist.

So... where does that leave us? I don't know. I suppose we should at least understand our biases and make sure they don't get passed on to the next generation by any fault of our own.

I have dated men from all around the world. I worked in the Bay Area and there was no shortage of men. It wasn't their race that was difficult for me to deal with but their native cultures. It wasn't that I couldn't appreciate those cultures. I just couldn't adopt them as my own.

Lately, I've decided that I'm a lesbian after all. So, I shall actively not look in the men pool. Is that discrimination? I don't know. As far as race goes, it is not a factor. I'm more interested in someone that shares my values and is closer to my age than anything. Oh... and clean. I like clean. Good looks is a bonus but not necessary.

I don't think it is racist at all, everyone has their preferences  :o