Race, Ethnicity, and Family

Race, Ethnicity, and Family

by Benee Fincher -
Number of replies: 13

Chapter 10 is focusing on immigrant families and the shifting of the color line in the United States. And the chapter pretty much starts off with sharing that families who migrate to the United States expands the outlook on race and says that the “system of inequality, race shapes immigrant identities, family structures and living arrangements…where families reside and children go to school, levels of educational attainment, marital and non-marital fertility, the kind of jobs people do and how much they earn, exposure to crime, access to healthcare, and how long people live” (194).  

My first question to you is, how do you think immigrant families are affecting race?   I think there are too many perspectives on that and would like to know what you thought about it. 

  Within the introduction of this chapter Pyke stated that “the immigrant-inspired racial transition currently underway as the US population shifts to a majority of racial minorities, complicating the black/white racial paradigm that has dominated the American consciousness for centuries” (195). I think that this phrase is pretty much pushing the fact that there is already racial tension within America and having immigrant families coming in is adding more tension, I could be wrong, what do you think? And following that the United States receives way more immigrants than any other country and is known to be the way of a new life for those families. Do you think that the mindset ‘going to America is going to be a good and new life’ affects racial tension?

The ‘hook up’ culture is introduced within the chapter, and my question on that is; Do you think the ‘hook up’ culture is opening the gateway of interracial marriage more? Do you think the ‘hook up’ culture opening horizon on dating? Or is it that people are breaking out of the barriers of their own race to be with another? And is it more men going out of their race or is it women going outside of their race, why do you think that is?

Chapter ten also touches on the children such as: being multiracial, biracial or even being adopted. This is also a frame of the color line being shifted, don't you think?



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In reply to Benee Fincher

Re: Race, Ethnicity, and Family

by Hannah Daoust -
Immigrant families can be seen as affecting race through the greater increases of multiracial marriages and children, creating a larger sway away from singular race families and children. The book discussed censuses today now shifting to allow multiracial individuals to select more than one race that they identify with, rather than singularizing them to pick just one race to identify with. Not only does this shift in increasing rates of immigrant families in the US increase the potential for multiracial families to emerge, but it also alters the percentages of racial majorities and minorities that are seen in the US. Additionally, with the increasing number of immigrants in the US today, the mindset of "going to American means a new and better life" does have the ability to affect racial tension, however the tension can arise both from a singular race or multiple races. With the increasing population in the US, including both native-born and immigrants, tensions are continuously increasing due to the greater competitiveness for jobs and a need to support ones self and family. Lastly, the "hookup" culture that is continuously increasing in our society today does have a large potential to affect interracial marriage. In the past religious and cultural factors were seen as the main influence on both premarital sex and marriage, however, society today is seeing less structure and reserve from individuals and a greater freedom in ones ability to choose, especially in partners of choice, so the gateway for interracial marriage can now be seen as widely more open. The idea that men are seen as dating more outside of their race rather than more women can possibly seen through the still relevant construct of "men seen as more educationally and financially superior to women", displaying men as having a greater ability to stray from cultural and societal norms rather than women who still can be seen as having the role of a caregiver and can potentially be seen as "having more to loose" if they divert from their cultural norms.

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In reply to Hannah Daoust

Re: Race, Ethnicity, and Family

by Angelina Piccini -
Immigrant families are affecting race in the way that more interracial couples are having children. Historically, interracial marriage was not a popular practice and this resulted in very few mixed children. However, given that the United States is referred to as the “melting pot,” there are many more mixed children today than in recent history. In reference to the “black/white racial paradigm” quote, I think that you could be right that having immigrant families is adding more tension. However, another possibility is that having more immigrant families is pushing stereotypes out of our minds, and, instead, is creating more of an acceptance of other races’ cultures. I think that the mindset “going to America is going to be a good and new life” could affect racial tensions, but I do not think that it is a major influencer. I think that the hookup culture is definitely leading to a gateway to more interracial marriages. With the knowledge that hookup culture is a no-strings attached policy (in most cases), I think that this allows young adults to be able to freely “experiment”, for lack of a better word, without having to worry about what other people think. I think judgment on interracial hookups and marriages has significantly decreased over the past 20-30 years, and hookup culture further reinforces this nonjudgment. I do not think hookup culture is opening the horizon on dating. I think it is further suppressing the need/want for a relationship and is promoting a lack of dating. I think that men are going outside of their race more so than their female counterparts. I’m not sure why, but I would speculate it is because of the influence of hookup culture. I also feel that men nowadays are more after the thrill of the chase and are losing the racial preference of who they want to hookup with. It is a more care-free environment now-so than in past generations, which, in my opinion, is heavily influencing the interracial marriages that have surged in recent years.

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In reply to Benee Fincher

Re: Race, Ethnicity, and Family

by Deleted user -
Just like every social phenomenon, there are pros AND cons. I think hook up culture is opening the gateway for all interracial relationships. To an extent, hook up culture gives people power over their own bodies. Thus, all genders are having sex with who THEY want, marrying who THEY want, not what their parents want. Taking back this power is absolutely increasing interracial relationships, as people have always had liking for a race other than their own, but culture is far more accepting of it now. However, people crossing races to marry is not solely due to hook-up culture, I think hook-up culture and increasing interracial relationships come from the same things: more social acceptance and decline of the patriarchy. As people move away from traditional religious values, women gain more and more rights, and the patriarchy weakens, interracial relations increase. I believe immigration also plays a role in the increasing number of interracial relations. Many scientists predict that in a number of years, there will be one race as people begin to mix more and more. So, with that point, I guess one could say a pre-requisite to this one-race prediction would have to be immigration as it starts from the mixing of people across the globe.

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In reply to Benee Fincher

Re: Race, Ethnicity, and Family

by Regan Skedgell -
I do think the 'hookup culture' is opening the gateway of interracial marriage because it's just a hookup it does not necessarily mean you are going to marry that person. I think nowadays people are more open to trying new things and like you said, "breaking out of the barriers of their own race" because it is not a permanent thing, they can try and explore other things. In my opinion, I do not think gender has anything to do with it. I think both men and women are becoming more open to exploring the racial barriers.

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In reply to Benee Fincher

Re: Race, Ethnicity, and Family

by Krislyn Dapprich -
In an article written by MIC "Interracial Dating Is Fundamentally Changing America," they said that interracial relationships are on a steady rise. 15% of new marriages in 2010 were between different races or ethnicities. This brings the share of all interracial or interethnic marriages to a historic high of 8.4%. Compare that with 1980, when less than 7% of new marriages took place between interracial couples. Growing numbers have come with growing acceptance. In 1987, they found that only 13% of Americans agreed that interracial dating was acceptable, which grew to 56% in 2009. Young people are becoming even more open-minded. 9 in 10 millennials said they'd be okay with a family member marrying someone of another race or ethnicity. I think that the rise of acceptance of interracial couples does have a lot to do with the rise hookup culture. I think hookup culture gives people the opportunity to be with people outside of their race and even of the opposite sex, and experience new things that isn't the "historic norm." I think people are finally "breaking out" because it is more socially acceptable to be with who you want.

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In reply to Benee Fincher

Re: Race, Ethnicity, and Family

by Deleted user -
I think that the 'hook-up' culture significantly affects the increase of interracial marriage and dating. I feel this because college students have the freedom to do whatever they want without their parents knowing what they are doing. Some parents frown on interracial dating. The rise in this culture is challenging this norm, helping people get away from their traditional values, and giving them the freedom to date and marry who they want. With the increase of immigration, this culture has become more prominent since there are more opportunities and options to explore. It also will cause a mix of traditions, causing a giant melting pot of culture since the different backgrounds do to immigration. Overall, the ' hook-up culture plays a prominent role in interracial dating. I do not think more men or women are challenging the norm; I feel it is a pretty even amount.

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In reply to Benee Fincher

Re: Race, Ethnicity, and Family

by Sarah Van Hoose -
I think immigrant families are affecting race in many ways. Immigrants’ incorporation into a new society has the ability to cause dramatic change in the racial- ethnic configuration of that society. Chapter 10 in Wiley discussed how sociologist have devoted more attention to how influx of diverse immigrants to the United States will affect the racial features of immigration and second-generation American families. I agree with your assumption that Pyke is discussing how racial tension in America is already high and adding immigration is only adding more tension. I think an increase in interracial relationships is less due to hookup culture than it is to the fact that our generation is more open minded that generation before us. While hook up culture definitely plays a role in it I think it’s a generational shift to being open minded and not ignorant like generations in the past.

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In reply to Benee Fincher

Re: Race, Ethnicity, and Family

by Deleted user -
Race definitely shapes immigrant identities in the United States. For example, in America Asian-Americans are seen as the "model minority", as society views them as dominating STEM fields in our education system. Asian-American men are stereotyped as submissive, docile, and hard working while Asian-American women are stereotyped as submissive, loyal, and are arguably more sexualized than any other race amongst women. This "model minority" status is harmful for many reasons. The first being the "model-minority" stereotype of Asian-Americans creates of a sale narrative off "see, minority Asian-Americas are starting at the bottom and working their way to the top, you have no excuses". We know this is not true, as other minorities in the United States face far more barriers to moving up on the latter of social mobility and extensive, un-dealt with oppressive histories. Race also greatly effects living arrangements. With racism towards minorities (de-jure and de-facto) in the United States, minority groups feel safer in communities which they have most in common.

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In reply to Benee Fincher

Re: Race, Ethnicity, and Family

by Deleted user -
In response to the "Hookup" culture question, I do not believe that it is the cause for a rise in interracial relationships. It may make it easier to explore outside of the norm especially being in college which gives you multiple opportunities to try new things in a fairly judgement free area. I believe that people are becoming more adapted or used to the fact that many different cultures and racial structures are coming together and its the recent generations that are fully diving into the experience. For the gender part of the question I would say its about even when it comes to people dating/hooking up outside their own race. Hookup culture has made it easier for people to become more open when looking for partners but it still comes down to the fact of overall interest and I believe that the overall interest of our generation is definitely shifting to becoming "all inclusive" for lack of a better word.

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In reply to Benee Fincher

Re: Race, Ethnicity, and Family

by Colin Glover -
Immigrant families can affect the way race is described. The reason I say this is because when you start to look at the different types of people immigrating to America, they are all coming from different cultures which means they come from different ethnic groups. So, immigration affects race directly because it causes you to rethink race and how its described to meet the fulfillment of all cultures. Immigrants coming to America does add more tension to the black/white racial paradigm because as mentioned the minorities are inching closer to becoming the majority in America and this fact alone caused by immigration is adding the tension. I think this tension is happening to because we are starting to see push back within the white community because they are now seeing their culture slowly not become the majority. The mindset mentioned above about " going to America and living a good life" affects the racial tension because it creates buzz around America as the place to migrate to which causes immigrants to want to come. Them coming then adds to the minority count within American society thus causing the white community to start to decline in being the majority race. The hookup cultures can be a gateway to interracial marriage just because many people who indulge in this culture are more likely to be open to dating outside their race, which could lead to marriage down the line. Hookup culture also allows people to become open to new things due to the changing dynamics associated with hookup culture. Personally, I feel like both men and women go out of their way to date interracially, but as it pertains to my personal experience I've seen more women date interracially than men.

289 words

In reply to Benee Fincher

Re: Race, Ethnicity, and Family

by Sarah Kaye Carpenter -
I agree that there is already racial tensions in the United States. I think racial tensions have been within this country for quite some time and it won’t go away for a while. When the majority race continues to feel “threatened by the rising or shared power with minorities” and the minorities continue to feel 
belittled and wronged by society. As more minorities are entering the United States there is even more tension arising than just the black/white paradigm.

79 words

In reply to Benee Fincher

Re: Race, Ethnicity, and Family

by Kevin Roberts -
I definitely think that hook up culture is opening horizons on dating. For most people, hook up culture excludes their parents from knowing about who they are seeing, where as more traditional dating involves the parents in a much bigger way. For some, this dynamic can open up different options that some may not have even considered depending on how strictly interfacial dating norms are regarded in their home/ culture.

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In reply to Benee Fincher

Re: Race, Ethnicity, and Family

by Sarah Kaye Carpenter -
I think hookup culture is an opening gateway for interracial relation ships. Families tensions on interracial relationships or community thoughts I think are a big reason why people have pushed away from thoughts of interracial relationships growing up. Hookup culture is presented as more of a secretive relationship with someone. This people to push out of their racial relationship norms without the judgement from families or communities. I think hooking up with people of different races than you indeed can lead to dating different racial groups as well. Once you’ve began this relationship and got rid of all the thoughts parents or communities have pushed on you, it is easier to enter the relationships. I don’t think hookup culture is always a direct lead into relationships, but relationships can form from these relationships. I think hookup culture is at least a good opening for interracial relationships for some people.

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