Issue date: 4/17/03 Section: Aggie Life

Every day in Aggieland, couples hold hands as they walk around campus. Their displays of affection are often met with "oohs" and "awws." However, many couples at Texas A&M stray from the conventional idea of what couples look like. They are the interracial couples, and their unions spark a variety of reactions.

Since the Civil Rights movement, an increasing number of people have established biracial relationships. Once a social taboo, this practice is gradually becoming more common in society.  

Sociology professor Fenian Chen said the increasing occurrences of mixed ethnicity marriages are due to a change in attitudes toward what people value in a relationship.

"Marriage is a reflection of love and intimacy," she said. "When people find that in a relationship outside of their race, they are willing to overcome the social barriers that come along with it. Positive attitudes toward immigrants have also contributed to mixed race relationships."

The degree of diversity in American society has increased as some minority groups have high fertility rates and others immigrate in large numbers, Chen said.

Chen said the shift in social stratification factors can also be credited to the changing attitudes toward biracial couples.

"Race is increasingly losing its significance because it is being replaced by other factors such as education and social class," she said. "There is also a trend for people to find spouses who have the same social and economic background as themselves, regardless of their ethnic background. The criterion of a good mate has shifted from race to somebody that is economically sound." 

Friends and acquaintances tell Michael Quintana and Liz Savage that they are a cute couple. Quintana, a senior computer information systems major, is part Spanish and part black, while Savage, an aerospace engineering major, is part English and part French. Many people would agree that the couple is the best of all worlds, and Quintana said they have never faced adversity to their relationship.

"We both came from diverse backgrounds and even our social circle is made up of a variety of people," Quintana said. "We have never had to deal with any negativity as a couple. I think this is because people who are more educated have a better reaction to interracial dating than others."

Although Quintanta's relationship has not faced problems, he said his interracial parents have.

"My father would visit some clients of his, and sometimes they would say negative things about African Americans because it never occurred to them that he was married to an African American lady," he said. "When my dad told them that his wife was black, they apologized since they had put their foots in their mouths." 

Savage said the only minor barrier she had to face was her mother's apprehensions.

"My mother warned me that she had to make a lot of compromises in her relationship with my father due to cultural differences," she said. "She told me to be careful not to let our differences get in the way of our relationship."

Savage said the only cultural differences that the couple has faced are minor arguments about whether British music is better than American.

"I don't think those arguments hurt our relationship," Savage said with a laugh. 

Although some Americans promote diversity, there are others who may have an inner demon to battle with. Once inside their lives and homes, their rules for racial tolerance may take on a whole new meaning.

One student who wanted to be known as Kathy said she is a member of an organization that promotes diversity and has friends from many different racial backgrounds. But, she said she is not open to the idea of dating outside of her own race.

"I'm not racist by any means," Kathy said. "There are a lot of issues people have to consider before they attempt to date somebody. Aside from facing scrutiny from society and family, people have to deal with cultural differences. All of these adjustments can easily take their toll on the relationship." 

Since Kathy grew up in a predominantly white city, she said she always faced clearly defined racial boundaries As a result, Kathy said she realizes that associating in a friendly manner with different people and being involved with them romantically are two completely different things.

"I think the way that I was brought up has a lot to do with my preference," she said. "Society sometimes tears people up if they are in a relationship with somebody of a different race. If I have children someday, I don't want to put them through unnecessary grief. They shouldn't have to chose between which ethnicity they like better either." 

Kathy said another deterrent is the fact that she has seen firsthand the negativity that bi-racial couples experience.

"Back home, a friend of mine was in a bi-racial relationship for a while," she said. "Since our city wasn't very diverse to begin with, it would shock people when they saw them together. Their parents weren't too crazy about the idea either. Despite all of the controversy, they still tried to make it work, but they finally gave up. In the end, they were both just miserable." 

Evan Brietzke, a white College Station resident, agrees that bi-racial couples are an easy target for people who think the idea of unity and diversity should have some limits. Brietzke's girlfriend, Shailey Gupta, a junior political science major, is from India. Brietzke said that although their pairing results in dirty or odd looks from people at times, a close friend was the only person that ever made a real issue out of it .

"He seemed more fascinated that I was dating an Indian girl than anything," Brietzke said. "He was very insensitive to both of our feelings. I can actually remember that first, and subsequently only, time we went out together, he followed up his introduction of me with, 'He's dating an Indian girl.' I was more shocked that he saw it worthwhile to mention than anything. To me my relationship is my own, no matter who it is with." 

Brietzke said despite society's progress, there is still much to be done in terms of intermingling races.

"Issues like this should be for magazines and periodicals, not real people," Brietzke said. "Even in our more enlightened time where we are taught that color is another word, not a label, I unfortunately still see that ethno- phobias are more of a truth than an idea." 

Quintana said that ultimately, dating someone from another culture saves the relationship from boredom.

"Having differences between two people in a relationship is what makes the relationship interesting," he said. "If we were both identical, then everything in life would be boring and predictable. We shouldn't shy away from diversity. We should recognize other peoples' differences as an asset, not as something negative."

 

 

Page 1 of 1

Article Tools