Marriage And Social Disapproval
...marriage was illegal in the U.S. until 1967), interracial and intercultural couples still run into social disapproval today. It tends to be more subtle, but obvious to those who are experiencing it. Race/culture can be fundamental reason people experience disapproval from others You only have to look at the Turks and the Greeks, whose people have conquered each other, raped each other's women, and intermarried to a fare-thee-well these past two millenniums to see how difficult inter-racial prejudice and marriage can be. Despite very similar DNA, the two ethnic groups still can't get along.
As stated in a USA Today article, acceptance of interracial marriages and dating has not been universal. Interviews with interracial couples from around the country reveal varied challenges, and opposition has lingered in some quarters. The stresses on interracial couples can take a toll. The National Center for Health Statistics says their chances of a breakup within 10 years are 41%, compared to 31% for a couple of the same race.
Bob Jones University in South Carolina only dropped its ban on interracial dating in 2000; a year later 40% of the voters objected when Alabama became the last state to remove a no-longer-enforceable ban on interracial marriages from its constitution.
Taunts and threats, including cross burnings, still occur sporadically. In Cleveland, two white men were sentenced to prison earlier this year for harassment of an interracial couple that included spreading liquid mercury around their house.
Interracial marriage is growing steadily. From the 1960 to the 1990 Census, white - East Asian married couples increased almost tenfold, while black - white couples quadrupled. The reasons are obvious: greater integration and the decline of white racism. More subtly, interracial marriages are increasingly recognized as epitomizing what our society values...
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