What about the Children?

In chapter four Childs addresses several thing including children. Childs writes, “while the white and the black community respondents identified the potential offspring of interracial couples as an issue, they could not or would not elaborate on why these children are a concern. Some white respondents stated “it’s just not fair to the children’ and discussed their belief that offspring from interracial unions have “problems”, such as confusion over their identity and lack of acceptance among whites and blacks" (Childs 130), this topic goes back to The Color of Trouble because Kari struggled with the idea of loving a mixed child. She also knew that her parents would have never accepted the child. Childs shows the reader that people are inferring that the mixed child would never make it in society. To be clear ever one no matter what race they are struggles to find who he or she is; it’s not just and “interracial problem”. Childs talks to four couples about how their parents felt about the matter. Kayla says,
“They told me they didn’t think it was a good idea because all the things I would have to go through raising an interracial baby in Maine… that other people would be too cruel and that I had to think of the child and that it is not fair to bring into this world, interracial, knowing what was going to happen. They told me if I had the baby I was selfish" (Childs 130).
I might understand how they could think that it would be hard for the child but how could her parents say that Kayla is selfish, how is that possible. And other comments they said “into this world”, do they know that times have changed and people are more kind towards each other. Aisha talks about her parents, she says, “My mom said, “what do you think kids will be like…it is wrong to bring kids into a situation like this. Kids will be confused. I Don’t Want Polka Dot Grandkids!' (Childs 130)I think that the last sentence went to far because Aisha’s mother talks about how others will treat the grandchildren and yet she is already alienating her future blood. Again it is not up to anyone to tell the children how they are suppose act or live. I do understand that grandparents are from different times and it a little harder for them to adapt to different things. It’s a lot of pressure on interracial couples to make the right choices for themselves and their children. Why does it have to be this way? Why can't we all just be looked at as equal?

The term Selling Out

It means "to engage in an intimate relationship with a white person means that one is selling out to white society and in the process has sold out the black community"(Childs 87). This is one of the problems interracial couples have to face because they want to expresses themselves from the norm they are viewed as a sell out. “ Among the black community respondents interviewed, statements that only blacks “who are removed from their race” or those who are “weak” engage in interracial relationships were common. Black college students groups also emphasized the importance of “keeping it real,”(Childs 90) I find this statement to be incorrect. Just because a person happens to see something in other races that does not mean that they are dishonest to their race. Also for “keeping it real” that is ridicules because the college students would think this way. The idea of being open-minded should not be taboo anymore because this is the 21st century. Sometimes I can’t believe people still think this way. Five of the black couples talked about the image of “selling out”, here Andre says,
“I don’t think that [I’m a sellout]. I kind of think I’m better than those people, you know? Like, I’m on a higher intellectual plane than them…if you’re just going to alienate me [as a sellout] because who I date or what music I listen to, or because of my views, then I got time for you, really. If you know your history, then you know you’ve been biased and prejudiced against, so why are you going to be prejudiced against someone else. Again, that’s defining me by my skin color and my hair texture to what I’m supposed to do, like I’m not preprogrammed because of, and no one is preprogrammed because of, their race to live a certain way, to think certain things, to date certain people (Childs 91)
Chris gives his view on the meaning of selling out.
“Sellout, that’s what blacks like to say when they don’t like the way you are living, whether it be with a white person, or your job, or your neighborhood. I feel secure in my identity, so when people say things like that’s why you got a white wife, or you think you’re white I just try to educate them. One of the biggest obstacles to black succeeding is this mentality, you know, that you got to be one way to be black. I’m black, and don’t challenge my authenticity because I am educated and I’m with her. Judge me on where I stand and what I do. I am involved in the NAACP. Are you? I give to the United Negro College Fund. Do you? But I also am not going to let my life be dictated, like, “Oh, you can’t vote that way. You’re black,” or, “You can’t like them because you’re black”…that’s ludicrous. To me, selling out is when you do something that contributes to the negative images of blacks” (Childs 93).
I picked these two quotes because is shows how optimistic the couples are. Despite, everything they face in their lives the couples never gave up on what they believe in. I found that the couples use the negative talk as a way to stay positive. Why do others feel threaten by interracial couples? This is the question I hope to answer.

Media

Why does it seem like the media is the source of interracial problems? On TV the perfect couple is represented in the traditional way, they look happy and complete. Again we see the color-blind world people live in. Interracial couples do not have a model to look up to. So it’s not a surprise that mixed coupled have a hard time staying together. Aisha talks about how hard it is for to go any were with Michael,
“Being married to a black man would be easier…I go to dance clubs [predominantly black] without him because it would be uncomfortable…or when he came to the West Indian Day Parade, it was a problem, everyone was like, “Who’s this? How dare you bring a white guy to this”(Childs 34),
I think it is ridicules that she should feel this way. I was shocked about how they treated him at the parade; I thought it was wrong to even talked to him like that. This is the 21st century, why do people still act this towards each other. The media never portrays “ mixed relationships” in a good light, so no wonder people outside the loop question the idea. Kayla gives the reader an example,
“ I was in a supermarket with my two girls, and Hank was down another aisle, and this [white] woman came up to me smiling and said, “ I just had to say hi, because my husband and I are thinking of adopting also,” and before she could continue, I said, “these are mine,” and she saw [Hank] coming walking down the aisle and she had this look of disgust on her face and walked away. I couldn’t believe it. She looked at me like I had two heads”(Childs 40).
I thought that Kayla handled her self-well because she did not flip out on the woman. As I get older I would like to see media change because it would help people overcome racial issues. It’s important to remember that we are all humans with feelings. I noticed that I have become a more understanding person because my family is not opened minded. It’s not their fault their generation was not very accepting t these issues. In the future years I think the label “interracial” well no longer be a factor.

Hope in the World

What is the Bible’s view on interracial couples? I ask this question because the Bible is an essential tool in christens life. Is there anything in the bible that states “mixed relationships” are wrong? Is there? I would have found it hared to believe that the bible would say other wise. However some say that the Old Testament did refer to races coming together as wrong. God did not want his priest it intermarry, in Lev. 21:14, “ A widow or a divorced woman of a defiled woman or a harlot these he shall not marry; but he shall take a virgin of his own people as wife.” This is basically saying that a man of God can only come together with a pure woman of his own race. Why does is feel like people will never change, back then there was a problem and in the present society is still fighting with interracial couples. I feel that people today are hypocrites because of the old saying “don’t judge a book by its cover” and yet we continue judge one another. This connects with my book the author Childs tackles a lot of obstacles to voice her options and the couples in the text lived everyday with out giving in to the temptation of the world, they stuck together and make sure people understood why they were together because love empowers everything else for example, Sara, Caucasian, said “ I thought it… I knew presenting myself and my relationship with André was going to be…I knew it was going to be a challenge with my family…well, I remember saying this when I was little well you can’t stop me if I come home with someone who’s black…but I knew that I never wanted to be like [my father, who uses racial slurs] and I wanted to understand why he was like that (Childs 27), here Sara shows her defiance towards her father. She never settled for anything less. She even questions as to why her father acted that why and maybe because he never took the time to see inside them and prejudged African Americans. Sara took it upon herself to change no one forced her she knew it was going to make a difference. Society is stuck on unrealistic views of society meaning that is stuck in the past. I remember readings that t there was a law against two races coming together and I thought about the Constitution how all men are created equal. How is that? In Gwen’s, (African American), case she took it hard when others treated her with no respect, “I did remember that [in this first relationship] being in the mall, places like that, with him and going up escalators one day and there were these black girls behind us and they were insulting to me and I got angry. I think they also toughen me up a little bit and decides that I could do what I wanted to do and didn’t feel I had to conform to anyone…”(Childs 29) Here she gives the reader a little story of he life and how it prepared her for the future now she is in a relationship with Bill (Caucasian), she could have easily gave in to the insults instead she used it to empower her. Childs uses her inputs al well the interviews to get an understanding the world. It makes me think about the world as I get older well it say in the past or is there hope.