Jungle Fever: A Modern Look @ Interracial Relationships.

This entry analyzes "Tainted Love? Exploring the Contours of Interracial Romance and Resistance to Interracial Intimacy". An article by biracial author Melinda Mills. The reader is introduced to the article by a personal story of Mill's in which she is thought to be her father's lover because they are closer in skin color even though her mother is present and is clearly closer in age to her father. This instance causes the author to begin studying the interactions between the races and how it is rewarded or punished in our society. What she finds is that there are attempts to prevent mixing of races in our culture; and if that separation does not work there are clear punishments suffered by those in interracial relationships.One way interracial relationships are avoided is through segregation. Throughout America (more in some places then in others) neighborhoods are separated not only by class and social status (amongst a laundry list of things) but also by race. This separation therefore results in the lack of mixing of races. Sociological studies show that one important way we meet our romantic partners is through proximity. This is further confirmed by the fact that only 3 percent of Americans are involved in an interracial relationship (Mills).Well what about those that are able to overcome the separation of races and find love in someone of a different race? Well, they must be aware that they have not escaped the long arm of society for their socially deviant behavior. For anyone that had been involved in an interracial relationship I'm sure they can identify with the punishment of which I speak. It's everywhere the long stares, the nodding of heads and the blatant assertions of their perceivably ill behavior. Even though this behavior is visible to any keen observer, when asked in a survey how they felt about interracial relationships many Americans saw no issue. So where is the disconnection between our behavior and what we say concerning this topic? It appears that the disconnection lies in the stage of the relationship. According to Mills, many Americans had no opposition of an interracial relationship before the stage of matrimony. It is at that point that many Americans reported more disapproval of the relationship. I hypothesize that in the society in which we live that dating someone of a different poses no threat because it could easily pass (Hi, my name is America and I am a serial monogamous:) but when this is further finalized by marriage and the possibility of children is real, there pops the problem.I thought the article was well written and I appreciated the personal as well as educated perspective from which it came. I vote that we all love each other’s character and not each other's skin:)