I came across an interesting topic recently. It seems that some people consider personal preferences when it comes to attraction as being racist.
Racism involves discrimination, prejudice, or bias against individuals or groups of people based on their race or ethnicity. Racism includes treating people unfairly, denying them opportunities, or devaluing them solely because of their racial or ethnic background.
Now, when it comes to racial preferences in dating or romantic relationships, some argue that having a strong racial preference in dating could be considered problematic because it might perpetuate harmful racial stereotypes and contribute to the marginalization of certain racial groups.
Others argue that individuals have the right to their personal preferences when it comes to romantic attraction and that these preferences are not inherently racist.
Some others still would agree but only so long as those preferences don’t lead to discrimination or devaluation of people based solely on their race. Such as excluding others from dating or relationships based solely on their race. But this I’d posit is effectively the same as the first.
So to address what these potential harms are, as I understand it, the potential harm that can arise from strong racial preferences in dating is primarily related to how it may contribute to broader societal issues. When certain racial groups are consistently and widely rejected in dating based solely on their race, it can reinforce harmful stereotypes and perpetuate biases about those groups. This can contribute to a climate where individuals from those racial groups might experience discrimination and face challenges in various aspects of life, not just in dating. While it’s important to recognize that individual dating preferences may not directly harm someone, they can be seen as part of a larger societal context where racism exists.
Now before I give my own opinion let me supply a definition.
bigotry (noun): stubborn and complete intolerance of any creed, belief, or opinion that differs from one’s own.
It’s a commonly held belief that being gay isn’t a choice but something intrinsic people are just born with. And that is attraction.
And judging and discriminating against people based on factors outside their control that are not choices that they were born with is inherently the underlying principle behind why things like racism are considered bad to begin with. It is in essence bigotry.
So could it not then be construed as the case that those that refuse to accept people’s intrinsic sexual preferences because it differs from their own, and intolerance for said preferences, is effectively the textbook definition of bigotry?
And if that is the case then in such a debate should that entire viewpoint not be thrown out as it goes against the very spirit being against racism to use it as a platform for bigotry?
Now to address another point, some treat sexual preference and attraction separately because “sexual orientation is an integral part of a person’s identity, whereas dating preferences can be influenced by various factors and may change over time.”
But I have to question if personal preferences as they pertain to physical characteristics can genuinely change over time, or if it’s merely the case of personal discovery? For instance most gay individuals first pursue hetero relations before realizing they’re gay and though this could be considered changing one’s preference it’s established as being innate. So I wonder how then other preferences of attraction are any different. Not to mention that many such preferences are life long and never change.
Some people may discover new aspects of themselves or find that their preferences change as they gain more life experience. This is a natural part of human development. However, it’s also true that some preferences remain consistent throughout a person’s life.
It’s my understanding that the debate around dating preferences often centers on whether societal biases, stereotypes, and prejudices play a role in shaping those preferences.
As for someone consistently and widely rejected in dating based solely on how they look… well, that’s going to happen regardless of race. Ugly people, for instance. How they look is also something they’re born with and can’t change. But as open minded and inclusive as society would like to believe itself to be, I don’t think the vast majority of people would be so virtuous as to ignore it. People are going to be attracted to attractive people and not attracted to not attractive people within their own preferences for probably as long as humanity exists. It really comes down to some people not accepting certain preferences of attraction as valid. Which do be bigotry.
It’s ultimately all a little silly for me because I’d be hard pressed to believe people call someone discriminatory and prejudiced if they only liked girls with big butts or big boobs, or only dudes with big dicks. Or even specifically being into blondes, or redheads, etc. But as soon as skin color is added? What a joke. It’s obvious to me it’s all just looked at under a broader societal lens and piled in with any other kinds of discrimination or bias without genuinely thinking about it logically and considering literally every single other thing attributed to attraction and how it then only applies to those alone. Because if there’s any kind of logic to be found there I can’t see it.
TiffLife 