Would You Date Outside Your Race?

[Grokker]

Hi there,

 

I actually wanted to start a poll on this (because it's more anonymous and easier to tabulate results, and people are more likely to be honest if they don't think they will be judged on their answers). But apparently I'm not authorized to start a poll of my own. I hope the mods/admins will think that having such a poll is a good idea, and put one in for me.

 

Please answer the question as honestly as possible. Everyone's entitled to their choice... I just wanted to see what the numbers were for each choice. I certainly won't judge you and I trust no one else will, either.

 

Please pick the option that describes you best:

 

A) I almost completely disregard ethnic background/ race/ national origin as a deciding factor. I've dated people of many different races, and it has almost no bearing on how attracted I am to a person.

 

B) I am usually attracted to people of certain ethnic backgrounds/ races/ national origins, more so than others. However, it's by no means a deal-breaker, and it's not rare for me to make exceptions.

 

C) I almost always find myself dating people of one specific ethnic background/ race/ national origin. I might make a rare exception in case I was extremely attracted to a specific individual for some reason... but it would be very unusual for me.

 

D) I wouldn't date outside my ethnic background/ race/ national origin at all.

 

I'd very much appreciate any reasoning or explanation you have in support of your choice. Not to judge you qualitatively at all... just to find out what people generally think about this stuff.

 

Again, I'd request my fellow ENotAloners also to refrain from passing judgement on the choices people express. Not that I think anybody here would

 

Thanks,

Grokker

[quietgrl]

Men aren't interested in dating me but i'll answer the question. .I'm A

[CarnelianButterfly]

A, I don't see race as a factor.

[Newo Ikkin]

A. After all, my fiance is of part-Sikh/Indian background.

[Daddy Bear]

no ethnic preference whatsoever.

[TheRedQueen]

If I had to choose, I guess I would say option B best describes me though in reality I have no preference but rather more of a tendency for falling for certain men, i.e. I've historically fallen for both Italian and Jewish guys.

[Grokker]

Thanks Red Queen.... yeah, I should have made that more clear. When I said "preference" in option B, that would include a tendency to be attracted to certain races or ethnicities more than others... not necessarily anything to do with prejudice or conscious decision.

[Haven]

I'm not sure if you've ever studied anything about polling or psychology, but you should be aware that the wording of the questions will strongly influence the way people respond. The way you've worded your options, most people are probably going to pick A, even if B or C more accurately describes them.

 

And also -- you say that "preference" in option B doesn't necessarily have to do with conscious decision. If it's not a conscious decision, then how are people going to consciously pick option B?

 

Anyway, I'm just going to say A, I'm open to dating anyone.. but also B, I am more attracted to certain ethnicities in general. It really depends on the person.

[Grokker]

Yup. Point taken... I will remove all the intro business, that has probably influenced the way people are responding.

 

And no, I have never studied polling in any capacity... so I'm going to have to refine the options with feedback from folks like you-- thanks.

 

I do stand by what I describe as a conscious decision though. Whether or not their decision to favor certain races over others was conscious or premeditated... if they realize the fact that they tend to do so, they can certainly make the conscious decision to say that "B" best describes them.

[Kevin T]

I'm open to dating anyone of a different ethnicity (why do we use the word "race" when we're all of the HUMAN race?), but only if I'm attracted to that girl. There are PLENTY of white girls I've seen and would run the other way from, so ethnicity means nothing to me.

 

I do find I'm more attracted to white girls as a rule, but I have no problem seeing myself with someone who was from a different background.

[doyathink]

I guess I would say B...I'm white but I tend to go for the olive skin...very sexy to me! I've also went out with white guys but I'm not against dating others.

[MissDashwood]

B - I have a type but I am currently interested in a guy who is physically and somewhat personality-wise completely unlike my type, and also is Japanese even though I'm of Irish/Scottish/Welsh descent. So that's different, but it doesn't bother me.

 

It depends on the guy, but I don't think I'd ever be interested in someone who doesn't speak my language well. That is the dealbreaker, actually.

[AntiLove_SuperStar]

C, cultural factors and social class cause major problems if they are very different.

[CluelessGuy321]

B.

 

Race usually isn't the beginning or end for me. Intelligence and class(not social status, but attitude) are the clinchers.

[New_Horizons]

B. I am physically attracted to women *not* of my race. This has caused me plenty of problems, since the 'other races' don't want to date me, and I am not that sexually/physically attracted to those of my own. Still it's not a deal breaker.

[langford]

I am of multiple "races" so it is impossible for me to date my own race,but I will say having an anglo saxon white father seems to have made me more pre disposed to date anglo saxon/white guys as apparently you date people like your father et al.

[bigredvick]

B ive dated a mexican gir before, then an african girl, now im with a mix of the two so i guess that those are my two prefferences. im also attractide to asians though.

[Batya33]

I will not date someone of a different religion because of cultural, religious and ethnic values (and because since I only date with the goal of marriage, and I wouldn't marry someone of a different religion, I wouldn't date them). I would date someone of a different race if he was of the same religion as me. I never have because I have never met a man who is my religion, a different race, and we were interested in dating each other.

[Caterina]

Of course I'd date outside my race...I'm not an ethnocentric racist.

[SW]

I 'll be honest i am only attracted to white girls, and that is girls of northern or western European background. I would say the chances of me dating outside of that are about 1%. ... That's just what attracts me.

[HurleyBabe6917]

Between B and C

[MrKadash]

I'm between A & B....

[Caterina]

Its pretty amusing that people say that they only like people from certain regions...its really hard sometimes to tell what someone's race is. First of all, there is not such thing as race...there are merely general cultural/ethnic distinctions, but even those are often blurred. Like me- people often have trouble figuring out my ethnic background. I'm about as white as you get, Irish, but people have thought that I was Hispanic or Jewish or Persian because of my very thick dark hair and facial features.

 

I don't even know why this is up for debate...anyone who says that they have an ethnic preference, to me, when boiled down will show themselves as being racist. This is pretty sad since racism has caused so many tragedies...so many genocides have taken place because people thought the need to "ethnically purify" a location should happen. You aren't that far from that when you claim to prefer one race/ethnic group over another unless it has to do with religion or language/culture. People condition themselves to have certain preferences.

[Batya33]

My religion forbids interfaith marriage and I only date for the purpose of seeing if there is potential for marriage. That is why I won't date anyone of a different religion, not because I am racist or bigoted. when it comes to who I choose to be friends with race, religion and ehtnicity have no relevance to my choice.

[charley]

OK. I don't care at all about race. However I do find it very much a turn on when a women has olive, light brown, or medium brown skin with brown or black hair. Dark eyes are also appreciated.

 

That said, I'm a light person of 7/8 Scandinavian decent. My hair is dark strawberry blonde to auburn brown depending on lighting. My eyebrows and rather hairy arms are golden strawberry blonde that actually glows gold in the light.

 

thereforeeee, the women I'm attracted to are often not of my race. However, many women of Southern European background are dark enough to get me going.

 

I don't care about race at all. I just know what looks good to me and that's not pale natural blondes. i.e. - not anyone who looks like me or my sister or cousins. I've seen to much light skin and blonde hair in my life and not enough darker women. i.e. - opposites attract for me. Well not extreme opposites necesarily, but I do need a substantial difference. A woman's coloring is a prime factor in how physically attracted I am to her. I don't want her to light. This is not a conscious choice, it's what turns me on.

 

Most often women of Southern European, Hispanic, and Asian backgrounds look best to me. Sometimes lighter African American women look really good to me (Halley Berry for example).

 

I'm not attracted to white girls, unless they are suntanned. i.e. - I'm not attracted to "white" girls. However, the only literally white girls in the USA live in the North. I think every woman in California and South of the Mason-Dixon line has enough of a tan to look good to me. So I guess I really like every kind of woman except Northern white women (who are pale).

 

I hope I haven't offended anyone. There's my honest answer and why.