This is going to be really long.Personally, I think we won't be able to tell in another 100 years what anyone's ethnicity is just by looking at them. I certainly see more ethnic and racial blending in my neighborhood and city. Cultural differences can clash and become a barrier to marriage, but don't we all look for partners who share our own values, can accept our family traditions and have similar goals? This comfort level is important to people. So while they may fully approve of interethnic realtionships, they may not want that for themselves! I think it is still prevelant to assume that you will find the most likely candidates for marriage within your own "circle", however you may choose to define that. At the same time, cultural assimilation is widening that circle of possibilities as people of all ethnicities cross economic, religious and educational barriers. What I can gather from the sources I consulted (see links below)is that interracial and interethnic marriage in the US is on the rise. One source states that among Caucasians, fully 75% married outside their ethnicity - either across faiths or across ancestral lines (Irish backgroud marrying Russian background, French background marrying Spanish background, etc.) Asian-American men and African-American women are apparently least likely of all American ethnicities to marry someone of a different race or ethnicity, which is attributed largely in these studies to expectations of gender roles. The biggest barrier to ethnic intermarriage is apparently education. Immigrants to the US who have an education or obtain one are more likely to "assimilate" through marriage to a "native" American. (This seems kind of odd to me, as an American who is disgusted with our system of public education and access to higher education, and I choose to interpret this as, "do they speak English"!) Marriages between "non-Hispanic Whites" and "Hispanic Whites" are very commonplace in the US and on the rise, according to 2000 Census Bureau records. Marriages between Caucasians and Blacks are less common but also on the rise. See www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/phc-t19.html And from www.keepmedia.com/pubs/Daedalus/2005/01/01/1309984?ba=a&bi=0&bp=25 "Asian-Americans: Asian-American families are becoming increasingly acculturated, with 38 percent marrying exogamously, primarily with whites. The incidence of interracial marriage among the Chinese has increased dramatically in recent years and more recent research suggests that the rate is increasing among Korean American women as well." "In April of 2004, the quarterly newsletter Migration News summarized the most recent data on race and ethnicity from the U.S. Census Bureau: "In 2000, the racial/ethnic makeup of US residents was: White, 69 percent; Hispanic and Black, 13 percent each; and Asian and other, six percent. By 2050, these percentages are projected to be: 50, 24, 15, and 13." For anyone who has been studying racial trends in America these figures weren't surprising. (1) But the newsletter's conclusion certainly was: "It is possible that, by 2050, today's racial and ethnic categories will no longer be in use." (http://www.keepmedia.com/pubs/Daedalus/2005/01/01/1309984?ba=a&bi=0&bp=25) These studies suggest that interracial and interethnic marriage is becoming more accepted in the US. Here is a great first-person article from a college newspaper, written in Feb. 2006, expressing the writer's experience with a White/African-American friendship she developed in college. http://www.southend.wayne.edu/modules/news/article.php?storyid=1012 There is a lot of info out there on the web about trends and attitudes toward interethnic marriage, but I found it conflicting and each group posting its data seems to have its own agenda, so I'm not confident of the objectivity of the studies. It is much easier to quantify the actual shifts in numbers of people in an interethnic marriage than it is to determine how people feel about it.

I personally don't feel ethnic background should have anything to do with ones decision for marriage. It should be the relationship. And who cares what anyone else thinks as long as the couple is happy.

I married a man from Sri Lanka and i am white. I personally love being married to someone from a different background because our lives are so full of diversity. One day we can be with my family cooking burgers and dogs and the next day we can be with his family eating curry and rice. Our two beautiful daughters get to experience so much from two different sides of the world. There are some down sides though. We have run into many instances of prejudice over our 16 years together even to the point of someone threatening to drag him behind a car. You learn to move on after dealing with those ignorant people.

it personally doesnt matter to me, if you love them, it shouldnt matter what ethnicity they are.

it's quite alright. aslong as you have a physical and emotional attraction to the other person. and also because its the 21st century!

I can see my NEIGHBORS . She is from Ukraine , he is a black guy from Africa - both Canadians now. They sooo happy! I'm happy too for them! Its works, they love each other.

My dad is a white American and my mom is Mexican so I feel that interracial relationships are very positive. They love each other very much and that is all that matters. I go to family reunions both here in the U.S. and in Mexico!

I can only speak for myself. My husband was an American, and I am Japanese. Our daughter is bi-racial.

that wouldnt bother nne

Not much.

Who cares what other people think?