A series of discussion over the past month on the theme of sexual attraction and race have long begged to be added to this blog. Here I will introduce the topic, as I've come to understand it.

Human sexuality and attraction is enormously affected by our own identities as well as our perceptions of others identities and sexuality. In short these are SOCIAL values. These values, like most others in an isolated urban modern capitalist state, are heavily influenced by mass media (in these discussions, we must always remember how different mass media is from other media ... it is mass produced with little marginal cost involved and also relatively uniform across individual units of production). This fact is often hard to reconcile, since more than any other preference or desire, matters of love are thought to come "from the heart" or even "from the soul."

In the midst of this context many friends and acquaintances have proudly expressed preference for a particular race or ethnicity, without exception bound up in the gender and sexuality associated with that group. Needless to say these expectations are based on perceptions in an isolated world and with mass media the authoritative and salient voice. Whenever I have brought this to the attention of my enthusiastically ignorant friends, they tend to resent my point of view. I am to be blamed in part for carelessly using the label "racist" which is of course a loaded term that should not be spoken lightly.

A striking article from the Washington Post lays the landscape for dating in the interracial context. Despite the high rate of premature death, incarceration, institutionalization, and general malaise among Black men, Black women are the least likely to date outside of their race. Even before taking to account incarceration, etc., there are 100 single black Women for every 70 single Black men. Yet Black men are the most likely male group to date outside of their race. Among Asian men and women, the EXACT OPPOSITE is true.

My conclusion: there is irrefutable evidence that sexual preferences are heavily informed by racial perception.

This is not a benign situation. I believe that the sexual preference given to men of a race which is "percieved to be more masculine" tends to produce misaligned relationship expectations for both the men and women in these relationships. I have only anecdotal evidence to this effect, with many of my Black male friends looking for a steady relationship and frustrated with women who see them as sexual objects without need for deeper consideration.

You may be thinking: "So am I supposed to ignored my desires and behave contrary to that which makes me passionate?" I do not advocate that anyone actively try to reorient themselves sexually (though a little less TV wouldn't hurt), I would just hope that everyone would be a little more humble and a little more considerate in expressing their race-oriented sexual preference.