I live in a very diverse neighborhood — everyone gets along pretty well. I daresay it’s because we’re diverse racially, but not socially or economically. I would say that 99% of us graduated from college, and at least 75% have advanced degrees, and work as professionals or business owners. In my experience, it hasn’t been race that divides people, but their backgrounds.

My experience agrees quite well with this statement. I’ve lived in the same apartment in a fairly diverse area for the past 11+ years. My apartment building (6 units) has seen quite a lot of ethnic diversity over the years (black, white, hispanic, armenian, italian, asian, straight, gay, to name a few.). The only neighbor problems that have occurred in the building are inconsiderate behavior problems (excessive noise mostly), and they have not been correlated with any group.

Though some people hold preconceived notions about other groups, I have also frequently seen members of a group create/perpetuate negative stereotypes about their own group. On quite a few occasions I have observed that when confronted about their rude behavior some people choose to believe that they are being targeted for complaints because they are of one particular group. I’ve personally witnessed many individuals try to justify their rude behavior by saying “but it’s my culture”. Besides being a load of crap, this is unfortunate, because it tends to reinforce negative stereotypes about whatever group of which they happen to be a member.

I think it’s really tough in this ultra PC world we live in because we have such amazingly blatant double standards that define how we are supposed to regard groups. In some cases, judging someone by grouping is considered oh so wrong, and doing so is considered horrendously racist. In other situations it’s perfectly acceptable to judge people based on their grouping, and to not do so is considered horrendously racist.

Brett

My mother is very racist and hates white folks. She still does today. She talks as if there is a some big “white conspiracy”. So, we rarely had white people at our house.

Its funny, her children have mates of other races. I’m married to an Asian woman and one of my brothers is in a long term relationship with an Asian woman. Another one is with a White woman.

I welcome diversity. I love it and am all for it. I love to find about and learn of other people’s experiences and perspectives.

Thats the thing that alot of people hate about Christianity. Christ says EVERYone is welcome, no matter what. Anyone can believe and follow Him and be with Him for eternity. And He said he is the ONLY way. Wow…

Like my pastor, who is white, says: If you are not in your Bible everyday, and praying and asking God for direction daily…you see things as a Black man in a White mans world, or a White man seeing other races “taking your country, or denying your opportunity”. Realize that this world and its ways are passing away and tell more people about this Christ.

I work in SC state government and take a few minutes each day to catch up on news. Lashawn being one of my favorite stops. In any event – thought you might find it of interest that when I clicked on the link for Steve Sailer’s “Great White Defendant” this is what popped up:

You cannot access the following Web address:
http://www.vdare.com/sailer/060430_unequal_justice.htm

This site is blocked under the following categories: Extreme

Cheers everyone!

First off, I live in a pretty diverse neighborhood (mostly white with pretty much every other ethnicity too) and people are mostly quiet and “keep to themselves” but always friendly. The town I live in is a Pennsylvanian steel town and since the late 18- early 1900′s (during the height of European immigration) and has always been diverse, back then it was mostly Europeans but now is everyone. Anyone you see in the street will mostly likely smile and make friendly small talk. However, nearby us in the “town” part of town (we’re a small suburb) there is a lot more division along racial lines, and it’s not so friendly there–a definite feeling of not belonging if you go somewhere where everyone else is “not like you”. I don’t know if it’s a city thing or what but people just seem friendlier toward each other where I live. We’re a working class neighborhood so we’re not rich or anything but it’s definitely a different attitude from the city part of town.

Oh, my ideal mate–I’d love to meet a Christian (preferably Catholic, or willing to convert–if I ever have children they will be raised Catholic)who loves me as I am and doesn’t try to change me or “put a lid on me” in some way. I’ve had several relationships fail because my s.o. had to try and make a project out of me, and I couldn’t take it. I want someone who can be honest with me and with whom I can be honest without fear of every real discussion turning into an argument. I want someone who can argue with me without it turning into a vicious, personal attack. I want someone who has female friends and doesn’t have jealousy issues with my male friends, because he is mature enough to know that just because a male and female are friends, doesn’t automatically mean they want to have sex with each other. I want someone who is close to his family because he needs to understand how important my family is to me. I want someone who wants to take care of his parents when they get old instead of shipping them off to a nursing home so he doesn’t have to be “burdened”, so he’ll understand if and when, at some point, I’ll have to take care of mine. I just realized that this is essentially a list of things that I didn’t like about the men in my past relationships, so maybe that’s why they’ve all failed; I’ve never made a list of things I really wanted in a relationship and stuck to it. I don’t know if my “ideal mate” exists, but if he does, he’ll have these qualities.

P.S. Thanks to Tyrian Purple for the sage advice!!!

I’m sure you noticed that those who insist on “wives submit to your husbands” never want to read that in context. If my understanding is correct than men are expected to love their wives even as Christ loved the church. I do not recall him barking orders. I believe he taught truth and invited us to obey. He gave his life for our sake.

As I have been led to understand, men are given their role in the home by the Lord. Not so we can compel others, but so we can be held accountable for the decisions we make. I might add that my wife is easily as intelligent as I. There are things that I know, understand, or do better than my wife. There are things that my wife knows, understands, and does better than I. There is also the great majority of things that neither of knows who is right, leading to the joy of finding out together.

Hes got to be strong enough to tell me when he thinks I’m wrong even if its about my own sons, who are 15,16,21. I’m pretty much done raising them, and I think I’ve done pretty good with the Lord by my side, but if he sees something that he thinks is wrong he should tell me.

Hes got to be financially stable. I’m going on 40 and I don’t believe in loaning out my car(he should make enough to rent one when necessary), helping him pay his mortgage or utilities(he ought to have a savings), or helping him to pay his child support(my ex-husband got a second job to pay his and you gotta do what you gotta do).

But if the relationship is underway and going well then any of these things are conceivable. But shhh, dont tell him. Oh yeah, I don’t have one yet. Oh well I’m patient.

As one gets older, that ideal mate does not have to look so perfect. My socializing has always been in church circles. Good Bible teaching taught me not to be unequally yoked e.g. Christian willingly marries an unbeliever. I have to admit that I have had challenges in the past with that teaching. I never wanted to be married to a man who took the Biblical “wives submit to your husbands” commands to the extremes. From observation over the years of married couples in my church circles, I have witnessed a few husbands barking orders at their wives as if they were their super strict fathers. I do get questioned about now being a contented single. Some have reminded me from my former church of a woman about 22 years ago marrying for the first time at 56 (I was at that wedding). So I am told to keep hope alive, and nothing is impossible with God.

Diversity? Multiculturalism? I tend to think of them as code words. I can count on one hand the number of instances of outright bigotry or prejudice that I have encountered in my lifetime. Oddly, the instances I have encountered the “bigotry of condescension” by individuals that profess to be “open-minded and progressive” are innumerable.
As for an ideal mate, I am with her now. Sadly it took a divorce and long period of looking to find her. It was my daughter, then sixteen, that laid down the parameters for my search. She broached that topic with an inquiry if I was ever going to re-marry. I said I doubted it. She then launched into what kind of woman she thought I needed. Here were her thoughts:

1. Intelligent – She said that she observed that no matter how attractive a woman was, if they weren’t very intelligent I lost interest in about 20 seconds. She proceeded to mimic my body language that I exhibited in those instances and I was startled by its accuracy.

2. Ambitious – She said the right person would be willing to try and learn new things. She told me she thought I was the smartest person she knew because I was curious about everything and never stopped learning.

3. Athletic – “You’re the youngest old guy I know Dad. She is going to have to be in good shape to keep up with you.”

4. Cute – She used that word to describe someone that was not gorgeous but had what I referred to as “quiet beauty.” Attractiveness starts from within and works it way outward.

I did meet and marry that woman. I thank God that she married me. And I always give credit to my very smart daughter; she was right about who I needed in my life.

Israel

Growing up I recall my mom bringing people together in our apartment complex, so that on any given day there would be whites, Jews, other blacks, or Pakistani people walking through our door. That was nice. When very young, my best friends were Korean and black, and later, largely Jewish.

In most cases I think the race problems can kind of fade to background, but the “behavior problems” (often confused as racial traits or culture) are what move people apart.

As for finding love and finding someone special, I have a certain ideal in my head. Someone young enough to have kids (I am 37), someone with some college and interest in the world at large, and who loves music. She must understand the importance of forgiveness and how it relates to love, and she must be optimistic. I’ve probably seen enough Christians to know that being a Christian only means that you are saved, and not necessarily better behaved than the average secular person, so I am not so keen to say she must be a Christian, although that certainly matters.

But I’ve been alone so long, and seen so much disappoint. My taste in women has always been beyond my ability to attain them, and I don’t want just any woman. I want what I want, and so often the path is long and winding and quite windswept, my father forsaking me in this matter.

Bizimama
http://www.bizimama.com
http://www.lordsart.com