Dating websites expose racial preference

The_Minister

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1963768,00.html

This Valentine's Day, more of us than ever will be looking for love online. And if recent studies are any guide, relatively few women on mainstream dating sites will bother to respond to overtures from men of Asian descent. Likewise, black women will be disproportionately snubbed by men of all races. Yes, even though America has been flirting intensely with a postracial label for some time, color blindness is not upheld as an ideal in the realm of online romance. On some sites, it's not even an option. (See the 25 most important films on race.)

Chemistry.com requires users to identify their ethnicity; like eHarmony, it considers members' racial preferences when suggesting matches. Match.com lets users filter their searches by race. The site's profiles include space to indicate interest (or lack thereof) in various racial and ethnic groups. But after Jennifer House, a black woman in Los Angeles, perused one too many profiles only to find the guys had checked off every box except African American, she changed her strategy. "Now I look at that section first so as not to get my hopes up," she says.

Racial preferences — or, as some call them, biases — are easier to observe on these sites than in offline settings. Behind computer screens and cutely coded user names, people clearly communicate things about race that few would ever say aloud in a bar. (Comment on this story.)

For example, a study published last year in Social Science Research examined 1,558 profiles that white daters living in or near big U.S. cities placed on Yahoo! Personals, which, much like Match, lists 10 racial and ethnic groups users can select as preferred dates. Among the women, 73% stated a preference. Of these, 64% selected whites only, while fewer than 10% included East Indians, Middle Easterners, Asians or blacks. (See a nerdy Valentine's Day guide on Techland.com.)

The story is a little different for the men, 59% of whom stated a racial preference. Of these, nearly half selected Asians, but fewer than 7% did for black women. Why? One theory offered by the study's lead author, Cynthia Feliciano, a sociologist at the University of California at Irvine, is that men's choices are influenced by the media's portrayal of Asian women as being hypersexual and black women as being bossy.

The people running OkCupid.com have a less nuanced explanation. In October, the free dating site, 80% of whose members choose to input their race, studied the messaging patterns of more than a million users and concluded on its official blog that "racism is alive and well." (See the 50 best websites of 2009.)

After attempting to control for attractiveness (using something OkCupid calls a picture-rating utility) and compatibility (on the basis of answers to questions covering everything from spirituality to dental hygiene), the study found that black women garnered the fewest responses of any female group. White women responded at much higher rates to white men than to men of color. Asian women's and Latinas' response rates showed even stronger preferences for white men. (The site's latest eye-opening study determined which types of profile pictures elicit the most responses. To all the single ladies: the older you are, the more cleavage you should show.)

But do racial preferences amount to racism? Or is overlooking an entire ethnicity as innocuous as filtering out redheads or people under a certain height? "Just because you take race into consideration in your dating preferences and are aware of race doesn't make you racist," says Dr. Nicole Coleman, a psychology professor at the University of Houston. Minorities who prefer to date within their own race or ethnicity — and who look for potential mates on niche sites like BlackPeopleMeet.com and Amor.com — would probably agree with her.

Even for those who hate the idea of racial preferences, such stipulations can be a useful barometer for finding a person with shared values. Says Bostonian Karen Schoneman: "I tend to have a negative reaction toward a man who indicates race preferences, whether it excludes me as a white woman or not." When she sees evidence online of what she regards as narrow-mindedness, she skips right to the next profile. One click closer, maybe, to postracial eHarmony.

Read more: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1963768,00.html#ixzz0gDq0cjXP

An interesting read.
It seems that although people will not admit a preference in public, when they are selecting potential mates they are quick to screen against other races.

the_syco

Says Bostonian Karen Schoneman: "I tend to have a negative reaction toward a man who indicates race preferences, whether it excludes me as a white woman or not."

What a load of bullsh|t. Replace race with weight, and white with wide, and suddenly it goes from racial profiling, to taste. From the article, it seems whomever wrote it has an agenda, but fails to mention that people join X dating site to find someone they like. Black/white/horror/knitting/golf/nascar... each one is a choice.[/rant]

I wonder would she consider going out with a supporter of the Philadelphia 76ers?

bigeasyeah

Its interesting but there is really no accounting for taste.

Pygmalion

But do racial preferences amount to racism? Or is overlooking an entire ethnicity as innocuous as filtering out redheads or people under a certain height?

This, I've never (or at least very rarely) been attracted to black women and in general find caucasians more attractive than any other race, but it's not a choice I've made and I don't consider it discrimination any more than a man who prefers blondes is discriminating, or a gay man is expressing his sexism.

KaiserMc

It is totally natural for people of the same colour/race to find the female /male of their race the most attractive to them, these stupid nonsensical liberal studies are trying to find problems where there are none. What they have discovered here is Natural not Racism.

Bodhisopha

While racism is far too strong a word in this context it is naive to think that racial prejudice doesn't play a part in a lot of peoples preferences.

Earthhorse

Pygmalion wrote: »

This, I've never (or at least very rarely) been attracted to black women and in general find caucasians more attractive than any other race, but it's not a choice I've made and I don't consider it discrimination any more than a man who prefers blondes is discriminating, or a gay man is expressing his sexism.

You've rarely been attracted to black women, or, to put it another way, you have been attracted to some black women.

So, if there was a box in front of you which would indicate you weren't intereseted in dating any black women, would you tick it?

Pygmalion

Earthhorse wrote: »

You've rarely been attracted to black women, or, to put it another way, you have been attracted to some black women.

So, if there was a box in front of you which would indicate you weren't intereseted in dating any black women, would you tick it?

Very much depends on the context, like I wouldn't necessarily want to rule out the possibility entirely, but if it was on a site which said something along the lines of "We'll give you a huge list of women that seem compatible" it might make sense to exclude them rather than get 100 more suggestions of which I find 2 or 3 attractive.

I'm not entirely sure if that's how these sites work but you get the point.

--amadeus--

It's probably somewhere between the two. Some men like redheads, some don't. It doesn't mean that if a drop dead sexy redhead walked in they wouldn't be attracted to them. So it seems fair to tick an exclusion box since - as said above - you are just working the odds in your favour. And having a preference for one skin colour over another from a cosmetic or attractivness POV is not racisim.

It does though beg a follow up question about cultural portrayal of asian / black women. Think of all the famous Hollywood actresses and how many of them are non-white? While there are a few high profile black supermodels they are a distinct minority. Your perception of beauty is shaped by your cultural surroundings (insert obligatory reference to Samoa and how they like obese women). So do men not find black women attractive because they don't see attractive black women?

From a natural selection POV we should be attracted to people of different races as we would have very different genetic makeups, right? So something must be over-riding that.

legatti

world gone completly mad.

im white, i have mixed race kids and im attracted to white and black etc i just dont see colour, i see cultural differences but thats it.. but if i decide to date only a white man, or only a black man im not being racist.

its all bull anyway.. racisum is something used to divide the human race
we are one race... human
and who we are attracted to is down to personal prefference and has got dam all to do with any one..


actually.. turn racisum on its head..
we are one race the human race.. so in fact to be racist
would we not have to be messing with sheep or something>? a la animal farm? lol

nice1franko

Equality has always been a threat to liberty, since you can never have both. One person's "equality" is another person's lack of choice. The state which enforces "equality" will trample on liberty. The nation which embraces "liberty" will always be an unequal one, since free individuals will make different and thereby unequal choices. - Mary Kenny, Independent

That's from an article she wrote describing a situation where a mother wanted a female au pair to mind her children. Should the woman be at liberty to be sexist or should be bound by equality?

If you can't decide for yourself the race of the people you would like to have sex with without being called a racist then it's all gone a bit ridiculous.

Gillo

Definetly PC gone that little bit too far, from personnal erxperience I wouldn't date "large" women. Maybe that sounds shallow, but I'm pretty active and look after myself & would prefer to go out with someone who is active and looks after themselves too, I certainly don't think it makes me shallow.
So, by the same logic, having a preference to a particular race isn't going to make you racist, it makes you an individual who has make a personnal choice.

Richard Noggin

Everyone has their own personal taste,its nothing to do with racism. I would think its normal to prefer one race over the other, in terms of looks.

profitius

Lets get real folks, we all know the differences between races are more then just looks.

The_Minister

profitius wrote: »

Lets get real folks, we all know the differences between races are more then just looks.

Such as?

sbsquarepants

profitius wrote: »

Lets get real folks, we all know the differences between races are more then just looks.

I'm with profitius here, of course the differences are more than just looks, we are all largely programmed by our upbringing, and race is one of the biggest influences on how we are raised. Different cultures produce different people, with different values, outlooks, priorities etc. That's not racism, that's stating the bloody obvious.

recedite

The_Minister wrote: »

Such as?

When was the last time a white man won the 100 metre sprint in the olympics? Has an asian man ever even featured in the line up?
Unfortunately asian men and black women lose out in the sexual stakes as expressed in that survey, Call it taste or call it racism

bigeasyeah

Beyonce is fine though.

humbert

People are different. People from different races look different. Looks are quite important on dating sites. Animals in general are more attracted to similar looking animals(take ginger haired people for example).

People should learn and use a greater variety of words so that context would not be such an important factor. Racism for example means an unfair prejudice based on race. Not liking a particular race because you don't find the way they look attractive isn't racist.

Frei

First of all this study was done in the United States, a country that has very complex issues with race. If this had been done in the U.K, I think the results would probably be very different. There are a lot of other sociological factors to consider, in such studies as these. I think it also depends on the person, someone who is brought up in a very multicultural environment as opposed to a person brought up in a more homogeneous one, with not much contact with other cultures is going to have different attitudes and preferences. This is a very significant factor, especially for Americans. I am mixed race myself so the idea that you are more attracted to your own race doesn't quite apply to me. What I would be more concerned about is a person's religious/political attitudes and lifestyle. I would not be interested in someone who is very religious, narrow minded etc. I can tell if someone is attractive or not regardless of what race they are, an attractive person, is an attractive person.

Nulty

I do think its interesting that women exclude Asians and men exclude Blacks. I have heard somewhere that the hardest thing to be in this world is a black woman. I guess I know why now (half joking:D)

bigeasyeah

Nulty wrote: »

I do think its interesting that women exclude Asians and men exclude Blacks. I have heard somewhere that the hardest thing to be in this world is a black woman. I guess I know why now (half joking:D)

Yeah poor Oprah and Beyonce.

Beyonce is so hot though.

Frei

I do think its interesting that women exclude Asians and men exclude Blacks. I have heard somewhere that the hardest thing to be in this world is a black woman. I guess I know why now (half joking)

It is all to do with economics. A lot of Asian women choose white men because they think they will have better prospects, more money etc. Money and prospects are very important in some Asian cultures when deciding a husband. Heaven forbid love would ever come in to the equation. Hence why you will see a lot of good looking young Asian women with fat, ugly/old white blokes in the US and even here. It's all about the money (in some cases).

And then there is good oul' racism. You have no idea how racist America still is. Not everyone of course, but some. It can be unspoken. My parents (black and white) were actually refused renting a property when the landlord found out that they were a "mixed" couple. This was about 16 years ago and it was not in the Deep South or anything like that.

Beyonce is so hot though.

Beyonce is not the only hot black woman in the world. I went off her when I found out she wears wigs most of the time.

IrishManSaipan

Frei wrote: »

First of all this study was done in the United States, a country that has very complex issues with race. If this had been done in the U.K, I think the results would probably be very different. There are a lot of other sociological factors to consider, in such studies as these. I think it also depends on the person, someone who is brought up in a very multicultural environment as opposed to a person brought up in a more homogeneous one, with not much contact with other cultures is going to have different attitudes and preferences. This is a very significant factor, especially for Americans. I am mixed race myself so the idea that you are more attracted to your own race doesn't quite apply to me. What I would be more concerned about is a person's religious/political attitudes and lifestyle. I would not be interested in someone who is very religious, narrow minded etc. I can tell if someone is attractive or not regardless of what race they are, an attractive person, is an attractive person.

Per capita, more Americans are in mixed race relationships than their UK counterparts. So that blows your theory out of the water.

Frei

IrishManSaipan wrote: »

Per capita, more Americans are in mixed race relationships than their UK counterparts. So that blows your theory out of the water.

No it does not really. And you should show where you get your stats.

As of 2001, 2% of all marriages in the United Kingdom are inter-ethnic. Despite the UK's having a much lower proportion of non-white population (9%) than the United States, the frequency of mixed marriages is as common.[98] New Studies are being conducted by London South Bank University called Parenting 'Mixed' Children: Negotiating Difference and Belonging.[99][100]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interracial_marriage


I did not say that mixed relationships do not occur in America.
Until 1967 mixed marriages were illegal in the US, that was never the case in Britain.

America is very very different to Britain , it still has very complex issues with race.

Even today stuff like this happens--

Keith Bardwell is happy to marry couples of the same race

A white US justice of the peace has been criticised for refusing to issue marriage licences to mixed-race couples.

Keith Bardwell, of Tangipahoa Parish in Louisiana, denied racism but said mixed-race children were not readily accepted by their parents' communities.

A couple he refused to marry are considering filing a complaint about him to the US Justice Department.
He said he had discussed the issue with both black and white people before making his decision.

"There is a problem with both groups accepting a child from such a marriage," he said "I think those children suffer and I won't help put them through it."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8310509.stm

the watchman

reading the article that the MOd posted. Until I saw posts from Syco, Bigeasy, Pygmalion, Kaiserme and the like.
I'm so sick of these eduacated literereieres (i don't care if I spelt it wrong, I'm not one ) always looking for that chance to stir up this bloody racial thing at any poss opportinity.
I'm white, I fancy white women pure and simple. it's nature, its what you fancy, like the women near me who's ex and current boyfriend look like identical twins if you like. It's what you fancy pure and simple.

Here's more food for thought for ya. I lived in a street for many years and over those many years Tennants came and went and In the end I was almost the only white person left. I never had any bother with any of them at all.
BUT!. You know what, I felt uncomfortable. I left.
Just because I might feel 'uncomfortable' does that make me a racist,..I think not.
Hey, Obamas my hero, so I can't be a racist.:DHad to have the bit o humour there otherise I might burst a blood vessel.

strobe

Frei wrote: »

Beyonce is not the only hot black woman in the world.

She is also mixed race, rather than "black" per say. As is Rihanna, as is Halle Berry, Alicia Keys, Tyra banks. Most of the famous black women that would be put forward as being especially hot tend to be mixed race. Just something I noticed before.

recedite

humbert wrote: »

People should learn and use a greater variety of words so that context would not be such an important factor. Racism for example means an unfair prejudice based on race. Not liking a particular race because you don't find the way they look attractive isn't racist.

Correct, and it might be helpful to transfer the argument to a less explosive issue, such as ageism.
Say for example, a middle aged male managing director decides that his middle aged female secretary is less attractive than the younger mini skirted secretary employed by the company across the road.
That is not ageism in itself. But then he decides to fire the secretary and hire a younger one, even though the original one could do the job as well or better. That is ageist prejudice, as opposed to taste or attractiveness. The same would apply to race, religion etc..

amacachi

strobe wrote: »

She is also mixed race, rather than "black" per say. As is Rihanna, as is Halle Berry, Alicia Keys, Tyra banks. Most of the famous black women that would be put forward as being especially hot tend to be mixed race. Just something I noticed before.

Aye, it's ridiculous how few black celebrities are black black.

Scanlas The 2nd

KaiserMc wrote: »

It is totally natural for people of the same colour/race to find the female /male of their race the most attractive to them, these stupid nonsensical liberal studies are trying to find problems where there are none. What they have discovered here is Natural not Racism.

Of course it's natural, and so is racism.

Scanlas The 2nd

Scanlas The 2nd wrote: »

Of course it's natural, and so is racism.

In what way is racism natural?