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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxj!houxm!vax135!cornell!uw-beaver!ssc-vax!adolph
From: adolph@ssc-vax.UUCP (Mark Adolph)
Newsgroups: net.singles
Subject: Interracial couples
Message-ID: <132@ssc-vax.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 3-Oct-84 21:29:51 EDT
Article-I.D.: ssc-vax.132
Posted: Wed Oct  3 21:29:51 1984
Date-Received: Fri, 5-Oct-84 05:48:17 EDT
Distribution: net
Organization: Boeing Aerospace Co., Seattle, WA
Lines: 32

"To hate all but the right folks is American as apple pie..."

I suppose that I have something to add to this forum, being the veteran of two
rather different grey relationships.  The first occured in the SF Bay Area,
and I have to say that only rarely were we given a second look.  When we were,
however, it was mostly from Blacks who would look at me as if to say, "What's
WRONG with you?  Can't you see she's WHITE!"  Yes, there is such thing as an
expressive look.  That relationship ran a natural course and died a peaceful
death.

The other relationship, however, was quite a bit different.  This one involved
a woman from New England.  Things were fine until her parents got a look at
my picture.  Their reaction: "Get rid of him *NOW*."  This was racism to the
point that, while I was later driving across the US, her parents asked where I
was.  When told that I was probably > 2000 miles away, they replied "Good."  
The interesting thing is that the woman hesitated to label this as racism
since, after all, her parents weren't racist.  That relationship was murdered 
in cold blood.

All this is to say that I think that what part of the country one is in matters
an incredible amount, and that IN GENERAL (with, I'm sure, many exceptions), the
older parts of the country tend to be more racist.  There is NO WAY that I 
could be paid enough to walk through Boston or some parts of Harlem (where I 
was raised!) with either of these women.

The bottom line: if you decide to become part of a grey couple (who ever sits
down and decides these things rationally?), know your environment, ignore
passive bigots and beware the very few violent ones.  Most likely, you have
very little to worry about.

					-- Mark
					...uw-beaver!ssc-vax!adolph