Can people still have racial issue even when they date outside their race?

[Nakiflo]

I'm in a interracial relationship for a year now. I'm not born in the US. Quite often, my boyfriend would say something to me because I'm from the foreign country, and I would not understand the real culture here. Or he says something to me because I'm a foreigner, he sounds that he has doubts in me that whether I have the ability to become like a local.

 

In the past year, there were a few big stereotype statements that he made about my culture, and they become arguments. Fortunately, we talked it through.

 

So here's one thing I do not understand, how can someone be so in love with you, but in their mind they still have a problem with people other than their culture? Which I also mean how can someone date someone that is outside of their race, but they have a stereotype (racial) issue in their mind?

[princessa]

We all have stereotypes about other cultures. Both positive and negative. Like saying "black people are violent, but good at sports". That's a stereotype. In my opinion these some truth to the stereotypes, in the sense that you might meet a lot of people of that culture who fit the stereotype. I believe that each culture does have general traits that are shared among most of the individuals. We're all aware of stereotypes, but it only becomes problematic when you're mentally attributing those characteristics to the person before you get to know him/her, and when most of your actions are affected by your stereotyping of other people. In other words, we all stereotype other cultures, but the difference is whether you act on it on when faced with people on an individual basis or not.

[norajane]

I was born elsewhere, although raised in the US. My parents always had stereotypes about Americans that they talked about even though they embraced this country as their own. I have stereotypes about both cultures in my head - good and bad.

 

It's easy to notice differences in other cultures. Differences are only a problem if you never seek to understand what lies underneath and are not open to revising a stereotypical belief.