Interracial Marriage Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Interracial Marriage - Essay Example Over time, interracial marriage has evoked a number of sentiments. There have been differences on how this issue has been viewed traditionally as well as contemporarily. Conventionally, men of color who marry women outside their race are seen as individuals who want to break free from their own identities. For instance, David Mura’s Reflections of My Daughter convey the emotion of self-hate in a man of color who chose to marry a white woman (O’Hearn). On the other hand, popular culture belief asserts that interracial marriage represents genuine acceptance and love. The following discussions look into the contrast of traditional and popular culture belief regarding men of color who choose to wed outside their race (Option A). In a traditional sense, men who opt to marry women from another race deny their innermost identities. This recourse is somehow seen as cowardly since it could be a way of escaping the prejudices and other disadvantages caused by one’s color. Most elderlies frown at this occurrence since it negates patriotism. One way of showing respect and love to your culture and nation is by marrying someone from where you are. They may also assert that one way of strengthening a race is by making it pure. For instance, Mura expounded on how he has experienced racism as a man of color. By marrying a white woman, he can somehow elevate his social status in the eyes of many. Since marrying someone from another race involves giving up some ideals and certain cultural practices, this action is viewed as rebuffing ones heritage. One may need to compromise one’s culture and identity especially when meeting in-laws. Mura also had some misgivings as well as guilt about his daughter’s future. Being a mixed-raced child, there can be certain social challenges regarding â€Å"fitting-in†. Mura had thoughts on merely educating his daughter regarding one racial background to diminish identity confusion. However, this may not se em right. Furthermore, it may not also be denied that many speculate that individuals marry outside their race in order to escape their impoverished situations. For instance, a local may perceive that marrying a â€Å"white† man or woman is a ticket out of a ghetto neighborhood or it can provide an opportunity for some to enjoy greener pastures in certain first world countries. Conventionally, marriage between two kinds of cultures often presents various complications. The dissimilarities transcend to moral, socio-psychological, and other facets of living. Some of the conflicts are on communication styles, household supervision, and religious practices. Language is an extremely valuable component of any race. Aside from the vocabularies, gestures and enunciations constitute self-expression. When there is a struggle in these aspects, misunderstandings are quite likely to happen. Moreover, household supervision is most of the time influenced by the couples’ respective fa mily values. The differences in each other’s principles may lead to disagreements. Also, raising children with two or even three or more kinds of cultures proves to be complicated and confusing. The challenge is not only for the parents but for the children as well. In addition, one’s beliefs and religious views are usually affected by the already-set practices in one’s childhood. Hence, an interracial marriage may face problems when it comes to the differences in convictions. On the contrary, current views assert that one engages in interracial marriage because of altruism and other noble reasons. Nowadays, the number of people engaging in interracial marriage have been increasing. The present acceptance of this practice is quite in contrast with traditional social guidelines. Though some are still ambivalent or unsupportive