In the Game of Attraction Race Matters - Even if You Are #Colorblind
Often, partners in interracial relationships will say things such as "race doesn't matter" or "Love is love". The sentiment that race shouldn't matter is held, not only by interracial partners but perhaps more broadly, most people in the United States. Often those in interracial relationships will use such statements to emphasize the genuineness of their love for each other, to dismiss the notion that race has a positive or negative impact on their experiences in their relationships, or to combat negativity they experience as a couple. Others use such statements to suggest that they are not and do not tolerate racists or racism or to encourage a post-racial society where other things are much more paramount. Whatever the motive and whoever espouses it, the message is that there should be no race talk and the implicit assumption is that we can know ourselves. But does this remove the influence of race in regards to with whom we enter into relationships? To whom we are attracted?
Researchers investigated what effect color-blind racial ideology and multicultural ideology had on reports of romantic attraction among Black and White college men[1]. They argued that to "not see race" also means to not acknowledge the impact of race on people's lived experiences (i.e., blatant racism, White privilege, and institutionalized racism). After reading the dating profiles of 8 different women, the participants in the study indicated their romantic attraction (not just physical attractiveness, but also things such as liking and a willingness to learn more about the woman) to each profile.
Men reported greater attraction to women of the same race compared to women of another race. Men who more highly endorsed multiculturalism reported greater romantic attraction to women of a different race than those who reported less agreement with statements such as 'We should do more to learn about the customs and heritage of different ethnic and cultural groups in this country'. White men who reported more agreement with statements such as 'Talking about racial issues causes unnecessary tension' tended to report less attraction toward women of a different race than those White men who were less likely to agree with such statements. However, among Black men, the same color-blind racial ideology was not related to interracial attraction, but was related to less attraction to women of the same race. How interesting that one ideology, color-blind racial ideology, if endorsed by members of two separate groups can have different outcomes - in this case interracial attraction.
The authors argue that there is an ideological asymmetry that occurs when a school of thought reinforces group-based hierarchy (e.g., one race is better than another) and members occupy different groups in the hierarchy. This sort of asymmetry is especially perplexing when color-blind racial ideology, as most people use it, is thought of as being fair or post-racial, perhaps an even ideal way of thought.
[1] Brooks, J. E., & Neville, H. A. (2017). Interracial attraction among college men: The influence of ideologies, familiarity, and similarity. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 34(2), 166-183. doi:http://dx.doi.org.proxyiub.uits.iu.edu/10.1177/0265407515627508
