Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 Fluke 8/7/84; site fluke.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!seismo!hao!hplabs!tektronix!uw-beaver!microsoft!fluke!tron From: tron@fluke.UUCP (Peter Barbee) Newsgroups: net.singles Subject: Re: Re: Interracial Dating Message-ID: <754@vax1.fluke.UUCP> Date: Wed, 10-Oct-84 10:26:08 EDT Article-I.D.: vax1.754 Posted: Wed Oct 10 10:26:08 1984 Date-Received: Sat, 13-Oct-84 04:29:20 EDT References: <3860@decwrl.UUCP> Organization: John Fluke Mfg. Co., Everett, WA Lines: 41 I just thought I'd get my 3 cents in on this kids from interacial couples discussion. A very good friend of mine's true parents are both black, when she was quite young her parents divorced and within a short time had both remarried. Both of these step-parents are white (actually they are both Scandinavian immigrants, but I digress). Considering that Jane (not her real name, which isn't Ruth either) has a very dark complexion while her real mother (whom she mostly lived with) has a light complexion it was blatantly obvious to anyone meeting the family that Jane's heritage is unique. Did this cause problem's in Jane's life? No, it caused her to view herself as a person, the potential equal of anyone else, rather than as a woman or as a black woman. This attitude is different from the attitudes most of us hold. (I'm refering now to the stereotypical socialization process that most of us experianced, where men are men and women belong in the kitchen) I find that she is more of a liberated woman than anyone else I know. Obviously this is not all do to her atypical upbringing, but it does show that having parents of different races is not an automatic disadvantage. In fact having interacial parents may be an advantage because they are verifiably non-racist and willing to "buck the system". Jane attempted to write a story about interacial couples expecting to find complaints about discrimination but was unable to do the story for three reasons 1) the couples she talked to didn't really notice much discrimanation 2) the couples didn't see their story as newsworthy 3) the couples felt their problems had nothing to do with their different races (different backgrounds perhaps, but not skin color). Admittedly this doesn't say a great deal about these people but it certainly doesn't disqualify them as parents. These are my opinions, but probably mine alone. Peter Barbee decvax-+-uw-beaver-+ ihnp4--+ allegra-+ ucbvax----lbl-csam-+--fluke!tron sun-+ ssc-vax-+