True Life of Interracial Relationships: What Are People Saying

It has now been 44 years since the Loving vs. Virginia landmark case that removed all race based legal restrictions on marriages and finally gave people the opportunity to marry outside of their race. Now that it is legally sanctioned to permit interracial marriages, everyone accepts and respects interracial relationships, right? Not necessarily. And since we’re living in a time long after this case was relevant, it is not an issue of society today, right? Completely false. Many people still view interracial couples as immoral. In fact, hate crimes towards miscegenation proves to be an active and blatant form of racism. Though I do agree that times have certainly changed over the years and that not everyone will ratify with interracial relationships, it is still important to consider the different attitudes surrounding it when talking about race.

MTV’s “True Life: I’m in an Interracial Relationship” documentary aired in 2004 and showed us the point of view of three different interracial couples who all shared similar experiences. One couple in particular involves a black woman, Candace, and a white man, Josh, who considers himself culturally black. Candace and Josh are commonly stereotyped, questioned, and racially discriminated against by the public. Candace is frequently questioned why is she with a white man instead of a black one, and Josh is a target for racial slurs and jealous attitudes. Fortunate for them, their families openly accept their relationship and realize that race isn’t the issue. Josh proposes to Candace in front of her entire family and she accepts his hand in marriage despite the daily racist encounters they've dealt with. 

This episode of True Life aired on MTV 7 years ago from today and 20 years after the Loving v. Virginia Case. I’d gladly say that strong, hateful attitudes against interracial relationships aren’t the same today and that we are going in a forward direction to a more accepting and diverse society. However, the topic of interracial relationship remains controversial as some people are opposed and have negative views of it and not enough people consider this issue as a problem for resolution. Being aware of the issues of interracial relationships, such as those described in the life of Candace and Josh, is helpful in changing the traditional and binary views of society and creating greater social acceptance of all races. Think about 2011. What are people negatively saying about interracial couples today and what do they mean?

“White girls are easy”- referring to why black men date white women

“She’s a white man’s whore”- referring to black women who date white men

“It must because of his money”-economic justification for dating outside one’s race. 

“Don’t cheat yourself. Treat yourself”-Cheating yourself would be dating someone of a different race. Treating your self would be staying within the boundaries of your own race.

“I’d never day a ____ girl/boy”-for various reasons

“Traitor”-being disloyal to your race

What do you think?

-Brianna Allen