'Asians' prefer own kind

Stumbled upon this survey from Britain which shows that 'Asians' are the most averse to interracial relationships. I put Asian in quotes because that means something different on the other side of the pond then in the USA; here Asian is a catchall group with East Asians as the most representative perception and South Asians as outliers. In the UK Asian is almost totally synonymous with South Asian, and Chinese have their own classification. The survey results are not particularly surprising, British Asians are the most reluctant to admit the possibility of interracial relationships. Additionally, the accuracy of the survey gains credibility insofar as the aversion to blacks is stronger than to whites. There is a strong skin color prejudice within the South Asian community and the beauty norms tend to result in people of African origin as being perceived as ugly while the ideal type is close to southern European in appearance. Frankly, I am surprised as to the relatively small gap between toleration of interracial relationships between whites and blacks knowing what I do of the prejudice and racism among South Asians toward the one major racial grouping with darker skin color. In any case, there are two major issues that I wonder about in relation to this survey:

1) Whites are generally much more sensitive and politically correct than non-whites because they have to be (i.e., the perception that non-whites can't be racist results in a lot of complacency and a surfeit of frankness on occasion). I wouldn't be surprised if some of the gap is simply due to the fact that South Asians feel no need to mask their racialist sentiments because they've never been asked by society to engage in this.

2) The attitudes toward homosexuality were broken down by religion in the survey, and it shows that Muslims are far more condemnatory than Hindus, Sikhs or Christians. That suggests to me that religion, and Islam specifically, is the issue that dare not speak its name. Much of the aversion to interracial marriage may simply be a proxy for an aversion to interreligious marriage, since about half of South Asians are Muslim and the overwhelming majority of Muslims are South Asian in the UK.

Related: 2001 Census analysis of interethnic marriage patterns. No surprises, they track the results above.

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I don't know about the whites (myself being one). There was a survey in the US recently that showed amazing tolerance for cross-race relationships. Far higher than I would have believed. I actually think that as time goes on and more people have a personal knowledge of a "multi-racial" ( I do not like using these terms, but what others are there? The reason I don't is the "stickiness" of the black or Afro-American race label.) couples they have less of an issue with them.

The survey, I think, was the one where people thought atheists were the worst ... so it wasn't totally feel good. I can't find it though...

Well I do notice most of the asian girlfriends I've had were "white washed" or from a smaller minority like Korean or Japanese where there is less self reinforcing community. Still the insular people will be less conservative than their parents so I think there is change, only at a slower rate.

Kids also tend to liberalize their parents attitudes. I remember my parents saying I should only marry a nice Jewish girl when I was 14 or so, and over 10 years that completely faded and they aren't religious at all anymore.

Sigh, confirms a suspicion that struck me in college. A rude awakening, really, that Brown girls had zero interest in me. A southern Euro-looking Keralan girl and I had a mutual crush on each other in high school, so I thought the "zone of girls interested in me" might extend further than Iran and into South Asia -- not at all.

It's not like with East Asians, where the women find White guys more masculine and exciting than their co-racials; Brown guys appeal to Brown girls. Where they live (outside of exceptional cases like Mormon Oregon ;) ), there are lots of co-racials they can date. And if they can, they will.

If we were talking about Latin girls, I'd say just restrict immigration so that they wouldn't have many opportunities to date co-racials, but immigration from South Asia is already very restricted. Ah well, Persian girls are just as nice (and tend to look like the lighter S.Asians).

amerika is far different.

Hmmm, maybe I just asked out Brown girls who were too hot... I don't think so though. Some were, but most were not blazing hot.

I think it's that mindset that Brown girls have that Persians or Lebanese or Greeks don't -- that merely being interested in them raises suspicion that you're some Brown-fetishist weirdo. God, you could never tell them anything beautiful about them, like "doe eyes" -- definitely a serial killer with a Brown fetish, they'd think. Writing posts called "hot, smart Brown girls" -- that'd get you hanged!

There was a cartoon at Sepia Mutiny w/in the past few months that touched on a real phenomenon: White guys who like Brown girls have to conspicuously slander other White guys who like Brown girls as fetishists, thus proving that the speaker is totally color-blind, that he finds nothing mysterious or exotic about a totally different part of the world. Honkey please.

yeah, the fetish thing is annoying, though it seems like it would concentrate in blue-state pinko elite school liberal arts majors types. but east asians have the same issues and that ain't a barrier to bamboo jungle fever.

but east asians have the same issues and that ain't a barrier to bamboo jungle fever.

I don't think so -- it's almost all males who complain about White guys with rice fetishes (envy). The girls are largely indifferent or enthusiastic about White guys with an interest in E.Asian ladies.

With Brown girls it's the opposite -- I never hear the guys complaining about White guys who like their womenfolk, but the women themselves are almost paranoid about it.

With Brown girls it's the opposite -- I never hear the guys complaining about White guys who like their womenfolk, but the women themselves are almost paranoid about it.

some pussies do complain i'm sure, but look at the sex ratio numbers above. there's no grounds to complain.

A marriage between a Hindu-Briton and a Pakistani-Briton isn't consiedered an interracial marriage? What about a marriage between a Punjabi and a Bangladehi. That sounds inter-racial to me.

Freakin' Brits.

Some of you people don't live on the East Coast or are not familiar with desis over here. Brown chicks love white dudes, black dudes, and especially spanish dudes. Growing up in the East, there were brown chicks that wouldnt even consider brown dudes. A lot of brown dudes reacting to this if they had looks or game, would date spanish or white chicks (a step up from brown girls in their opinion, mine too)and if they couldnt ...well a lifetime of masturbation awaited them. Theres a lot of interethnic dating within the brown community as well and that in itself is problematic. Indian Hindu girls routinely tell me that their parents would flip if they brought home types of men :blacks or Muslims. And of course it gows without saying that Muslims dont want their daughter bringing back a Hindu if they dont convert.

By Bang Gully (not verified) on 08 Aug 2007 #permalink