5 Stupid Responses to Interracial Love

Interracial couples bear the worst of the grunt standing in the middle of the mud-slinging between races. For those who are dating someone from a different ethnic group, strange looks in public and offensive comments are a daily struggle. This can be really dilapidating to say the least, especially in our so called ”rainbow nation”. Here are five of the most stupid questions and common responses to interracial couples.

Do you have jungle fever?

Being attracted to someone cannot be equated with some swine flu one contracts from being at an exotic destination. This phrase dates back to days of colonialism and slavery referring to attracttion between a white person and non-white person as if they were some kind of exotic creature from the jungle. It has since grown to represent attraction to different races but it is still racist. There are no jungles and certainly no fever so this question is just ignorant.

What language will your kids speak?

It is more common to speak more than one language than it is to speak just one in South Africa. Many children across the world speak different languages from one’s they learn at school or speak at home whether they have parents who speak the same language or not. Kids have the ability to be multilingual at a very early age making it easier for them to study or get jobs in different countries and environments, it is no issue at all.

Is the sex different?

A lot of people find it very convenient to exoticise and eroticise certain racial groups as if the act of making love to someone of a different race is so vastly different. Every racial group has sex. Human beings have the same colour heart firstly, secondly male and female organs tend to look and function the same across all races so the answer is no.

Have you always been into (insert race)?

The best response to a question like this is: have you always been this ignorant or is it something you picked up along the way”? Most people who ask such questions like these are usually so out of the loop that it requires a tractor to pull the rock they’ve been living under. The best way to deal with it is to refer them to a local library or bookstore to find a guide for dummies or perhaps even a DVD store to find a movie that can better educate them.

Aren’t you afraid you will taint your own race?

Being in an interracial group is not some genetic stain that needs washing powder to be removed. Unless you are Hitler (look how that worked out for him), then this question is as ignorant as it gets when it comes to interracial couples dating and starting a life together. Let’s get something straight, love across the ethnic, language, gender or racial divide is nothing new to the human race, it has existed since the beginning of time and has threatened absolutely nothing and if anyone believes that, its exceptionally problematic and dangerous.

This Cheerios ad got alot of people angry about an interracial family featured in the ad:

Here’s how these kids responded to the backlash:

Check out how these ads tackling interracial relationships and love across the colour lines.