# A question foer the opponents of interracial marriage **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [May 27, 2009, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-foer-the-opponents-of-interracial-marriage/497789 "2009-05-27T14:10:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2009, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-foer-the-opponents-of-interracial-marriage/497789/41 "2009-05-27T17:03:53Z")
> [@straggler](#): > > Marriage is traditionally used as a celebration of the love between two members of the same race? > > :smack: Yes, that argument was made, back in the day. “If you allow blacks and whites to intermarry, it will devalue the special bond of my own marriage” ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2009, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-foer-the-opponents-of-interracial-marriage/497789/42 "2009-05-27T17:07:22Z")
I believe race is mostly an American way of talking about class, which we are a lot less at ease with. For that reason, I am less concerned with interracial couples than cross-class couples. Especially problematic is the possibility that the male partner may have unexamined attitudes of traditional workingclass misogyny, which may combine with class resentment and rise to the surface in the form of emotional or even physical abuse. I don’t suppose dedicated racists are sophisticated enough to recognize the race/class relationship, or even willing to acknowledge it if they did. I merely think it’s a likely subtext for this discussion that a lot of people aren’t aware of, but might cast some healthy light on a well-worn topic. BTW, I just searched this thread for the word _class_. Not surprisingly, “Phrase not found.” Make of that what you will. ---
**Author:** ![straggler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3d9bf3/32.png) [@straggler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/straggler)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2009, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-foer-the-opponents-of-interracial-marriage/497789/43 "2009-05-27T17:40:46Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > Yes, that argument was made, back in the day. “If you allow blacks and whites to intermarry, it will devalue the special bond of my own marriage” The Old Testament, as well as other historical records, document inter-racial marriages “back in the day”. Whether there were people who opposed it “back in the day” is irrelevant. What’s relevant is, has marriage, for thousands of years, been traditionally used to celebrate a same-race union? The answer is no. ---
**Author:** ![begbert2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/begbert2/32/3357_2.png) [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2009, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-foer-the-opponents-of-interracial-marriage/497789/44 "2009-05-27T17:47:11Z")
> [@straggler](#): > > The Old Testament, as well as other historical records, document inter-racial marriages “back in the day”. Whether there were people who opposed it “back in the day” is irrelevant. > > What’s relevant is, has marriage, for thousands of years, been traditionally used to celebrate a same-race union? > > The answer is no. Of course it has. Same-race unions only. No, really, it has. Don’t you bring those facts in here! They clash with the furniture! Oh, and by the way I’ll just mention that marriage has, for thousands of years, been traditionally used to celebrate a same-race union. Facts? I don’t know what you’re talking about. There are no facts here. Never were. You’re imagining things. Oh, yeah, also: marriage has, for thousands of years, been traditionally used to celebrate a same-race union. You believe it too, you know - deep down. You’re just denying it because you don’t want to accept that this fact, which is true and which we both agree upon, destroys your argument. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2009, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-foer-the-opponents-of-interracial-marriage/497789/45 "2009-05-27T17:52:50Z")
> [@begbert2](#): > > Of course it has. Same-race unions only. Which is why different cultures were so adamant about not marrying off the sons and daughters of their chieftans and monarchs to secure closer ties between themselves and other peoples… ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2009, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-foer-the-opponents-of-interracial-marriage/497789/46 "2009-05-27T18:31:29Z")
> [@Valteron](#): > > What, specifically, would be the negative consequences of allowing members of different races to marry? Having to listen to a lot of very loud Spanish over Christmas. 😛 to my wife when she reads this. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2009, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-foer-the-opponents-of-interracial-marriage/497789/47 "2009-05-27T21:45:56Z")
**Valteron** , you have been admirably coherent in the thread that prompted you to post this one and the other silly one. (I hope I have not missed more and that you do not have more than two silly threads cluttering up the board.) Stick to behaving in an intelligent and coherent fashion in the original thread and stop reverting to this sort of nonsense. Thread closed. [/Modding] [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-foer-the-opponents-of-interracial-marriage/497789.md?page=2)