For the sake of argument, let’s assume that the cost savings is real and undisputed.
We can tack on more creative scenarios. The government joins the couple’s sperm & egg in dish and requires them to be responsible for it for 18 years regardless of whether the couple remains together or divorces (although the government could devise tax incentives for interracial couples who are not attracted to each other to stay together.)
Correct me if I’m wrong, but I read your argument as a specific instance of the general case:
Is Totalitarianism okay if it provides clear benefits to all?
My answer is, No, absolutely not.
It has long been my experience that midwest girls are far prettier than east coast girls, west coast girls, or southern girls. I’ve always attributed that fact to my upbringing, and the fact that standards of beauty are somewhat of an acquired taste.
I’ll happily give your ‘racists’ a pass on the same grounds. Maybe some portion of the biases you describe arise from overt racism, but by no means is there any indication that they all do.
But why?
Why does your personal preference outweigh the preferences of the state (the goal of a resilient society?)
What’s your reasoning?
But don’t you wish they could be all California girls?
I suppose I would explain it by a belief in God given, or divinely inspired, inalienable rights.
Exceptions could be made and perhaps would have to be made, in times of extreme crisis. Maybe your scenario is one of those times.
What if, as with China’s one child policy, the government merely offered much better treatment and material compensation to those who complied with the mating diversity policy?
My answer would still be for the government to butt out of the dating market. Based on the aforementioned rights, and a deep distrust in capacity of the government to manage anything so personal better than individuals can manage it themselves.
You’re simply racist in favor German, Scandinavian, Dutch, and Polish girls, and racist against Scots Irish, Italian, and English girls. Bigot!
I’ve known a few American women of Scandinavian ancestry who would categorically not date Italian- American men. The way they put it was, “I just don’t like them!” or words to that effect.
I’ve also known a number of women of Afro Caribbean ancestry who categorically refused to date black American men. As far as most white folks are concerned, they were of the same “race” as the men they refused to date. Obviously, “race” was not the whole story.
I’ve known at least one Chinese American girl who would only date white guys. The way she put it was, “Most Chinese guys are off-the-boat jerks.” If a white chick said this, she’d be called out as racist, I imagine.
This whole thing is way too freakin complicated to be amenable to legislation. That alone is reason enough to eschew government regulation.
I’m not sure this is so clear cut.
If it was a situation where you could see pictures of potential dates, then fine. If you don’t find someone attractive after seeing them, that isn’t racism.
I am bothered by the idea that without even seeing a picture, so many people are writing off everyone who identifies as “race x”.
I am bothered because, while there are certainly some women out there who just can’t stand Asian men, no matter how good looking, I don’t think the number comes anywhere near the numbers the article cites. Therefore most of the women writing off Asian men entirely are probably doing so based on racist stereotypes, and would actually be attracted to many Asian men if they met them.
Also problematic is that the system allows racism to bear fruit. The more racist stereotypes one can support about other races, the better the chance to have that race eliminated from the dating pool.
I don’t think the government should get involved, but it does seem that the system is racist.
Is it sexist that i will only date women?
In the US, given its history, legislated “mating diversity” would be seen by many as a weapon aimed at the destruction of the African-American community.
But of course. It’s also age discrimination that you avoid dating 80-year old senior citizens. Male sperm can still be viable at that advanced age.
*Unless we’re talking about the big fake ones, but that’s a whole nother fetish.
The numbers themselves refute the claim that this is similar to “I prefer dating females” or “I don’t date senior citizens.”
I’m sure there are heterosexual women out there who are hard-wired to consider dating any man who identifies as Asian to be tantamount to dating a 90 year old woman, but there is no way the numbers are close to the ones cited in the article.
Therefore, due to the numbers, we can conclude that most of the women who are writing off all Asian men without seeing their picture or knowing anything else about them, are doing so based on racist stereotypes.
They’ve probably met Asian men before.
(Although I do think a lot of women are kind of unfair about Asian men! I’m dating one for the first time and everyone has something smart to say about it. Apparently it’s hilarious to go from black men to an Asian man.)
Not if they’re filtering their own race out.
It would be a problem if everyone refused to date a particular race, but that’s not the case. Everyone has preferences (racial or otherwise) but not everyone has the same preferences.
In my neighborhood, the younger black guys are often with light-skinned women. And I’ve known several white guys my age & older who married black women. Maybe skin color is just another feature? And ethnicity a matter of finding someone you get along with better?
Yesterday I remarked on something I noticed during the day. A guy at work had his buck’s party at Rosehill races. This has become a very popular tradition in Australia and at the races there were probably 20 or 30 groups (mostly women) out celebrating someone’s impending wedding. Of all the groups I spotted (and they do catch the eye, all these women dressed up to look good) only one had any Asians in it.
However if you went to the nearby shopping mall and walked around a huge percentage of the shoppers and staff would be Asian. Where the future groom and I work nearby a large percentage of the staff are Asian. I have no close friends that are Asian but just assumed that was coincidence as I have Koori friends. My observation of the 95%+ caucasian wedding parties makes me wonder though. I had contemplated starting a thread to ask whether social groups are really as diverse as displayed in the media or are they more monotone.
I see no reason to suppose that your claims have any basis in fact.
I suspect that the numbers for people excluding others based on age are significantly higher than the numbers provided in the OP for perceived race.
I think its pretty obvious there are stereotypes involved. I also think its likely that some of that stereotyping is based on racism, but not all.
I would think the first step would be simply finding out what these choices are actually based on before even considering ‘solutions’ or whether to care or not.
Otara
I can guarantee you that if you took a poll of white women and asked them the following two questions.
You would get far more yes answers to 1 then you would get to 2. Women on dating sites tend to be looking for life long mates and someone of their own race just makes things easier. In my opinion the person that makes that has the racial preference is basing it on racist ideology.
Really? I think both answers would be the same. What they would say, not what they would do.
What these women would actually do in the situation is more like what you’ve stated. Many of them, even most of them these days, would sweat up the bedsheets, but most of them would not take the pledge.
Admitting this, especially in a public venue, is pretty much saying, “Yee haw! I’m a giant slut!” So while I doubt they would fess up to it, I’m sure they’d get the hookup on the downlow.