Food 4 Thought--- Inter"racial" Relationshipz

For the 3 people who read this blog, you probably know that I am dating (pololeando/noviando/whatevs) a wonderful, superawesomemanofmydreams Chileno (LL) who is pretty much too good to be true. Fact. So in the 8 months we've been together, it's never really crossed my mind that we are supposedly in an "interracial" relationship. Hmm. Let's take a gander, skal vi?

The other day I was reading Cosmo (don't judge, any US magazine is a good one in this situation) and I came across an article (can't find the online version, damn) that highlighted the relationships of four interracial couples-- most of whom were pairs of a white person and a black person (PC?? i can never figure that out...). They're talking about how, to them, it doesn't matter that their partner is of a different skin tone and that they find it horribly out of date that people still frown upon them. These debbie-downer frowners most often are encountered in the form of old-fashioned g-pas and g-mas who haven't really moved past the whole two-separate-water-fountains ordeal. And another common DD frowner category noted by those in the relationships tend to be black people who think it's "whack" or "disrespectful" for a black woman to date a non-black man and vice versa. There was one couple, a black man and a Hispanic woman, who mentioned that they enjoyed being together because not only are they able to see two different view points, but they are able to share (and or commiserate) various race-related issues and experiences. Nothing ground-breaking or new, but a marginally-interesting read (it was Cosmo, people, get real).

Obvio that it occurred to me: "Wait! Am I in an interracial relationship?!??" Amigos- the thought has literally never crossed my mind. Sounds dumbo but I'm not lying!! I think my brain has conceived the notion of an interracial couple as a pair of people who have noticeable physical differences (most obvously skin colors, god that is so lame... are we really still looking at people through that horribly shallow lens??). Cemented semantics, I suppose. Well, as it appears, I do, in fact, find myself in an "interracial" relationship. I think... Well, I don't know... Not convinced at all, actually... Are we really difference races?? The word seems so drastic, makes it appear as if one is a zebra and the other is a giraffe.

According to the American Association of Physical Anthropologists (legit bitches), "the term race or racial group usually refers to the categorization of humans into populations or ancestral groups on the basis of various sets of heritable characteristics." Yes, I suppose LL and I come from different ancestral groups... but really at the end of the day- mine are from Norway (jeg elsker deg!!), Ireland, and France, and his are from Italy and España. If I'm not mistaken, all of those countries are in Europe. Hmm, and the plot thickens. And as far as "heritable characteristics" go... well, our eyes are different colors?? He tans better than I do?? I had braces, he didn't????? I'm sorry but for me, these kinds of facets just don't constitute a difference in race. Punto.

How I would classify us, on the other hand, is as bilingual, inter"national" or inter"cultural" because, at the end of the day, those are really the only factors that separate us (or- better yet, bring us together). Interesting to think about. Really, the challenges that we most frequently affront stem from cultural idiosyncrasies, differences that have nothing to do with one's "race" but all to do with the location in which one was raised, nurtured, and learned to be oneself. How one views society, how we face obstacles, how one perceives the world around them are the differences that comprise our inter"cultural" relationship. I must add though, that where one is born and subsequently lives their life is more often than not linked to physical characteristics-- but that's a whole other pond I'm not gonna wade into at this moment.

Interesting. Verrrrrrrry interesting.... You'd think the whole interracial notion would have popped into my brain by now... but gosh... I think I've just been too busy falling in love to notice...