How do you feel American society views it today? Do you feel society today is less tolerant, more tolerant, or unchanged than in the past?

More tolerant, but still far from color blind.

How do you feel your parents and grandparents feel/felt?

Much less tolerant. I have a cousin in a mixed marriage, and my mother (his aunt) still makes remarks about it - not so much that it's a bad thing, but that it's unusual.

Are you comfortable in sharing your personal views on it?

I've got no problem with it, although complete honesty forces me to admit that I take notice when I see a mixed couple.

Originally Posted by pm01

How do you feel American society views it today? Do you feel society today is less tolerant, more tolerant, or unchanged than in the past?

How do you feel your parents and grandparent feel/felt? Are you comfortable in sharing your personal views on it?

--pm

I think America is more tolerant, but it's not a situation that goes unnoticed. I think certain sectors will always view it poorly, but they'll get smaller and smaller. My grandparents (RIP) and my mother are/were pretty intolerant about it. My Dad seems like he'd be ok with it.

As a whole, American society is way more tolerant as it seems to be much more prevalent. However, that's not to say that it doesn't raise eyebrows or that those that appear to accept it in public are not outraged by it in private.

It's definitely more accepted than dating a vampire.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I hope more will.

To answer my own questions...

I think American society is more tolerant than in past generations. However, not all mixed relationships are viewed equally, so I think the degree in which it really is accepted depends upon the racial make-up of the couple.

One set of my grandparents would be very cordial but privately intolerant. I think this would be a true statement for the majority of their children. The other set of grandparents, I'm thinking, wouldn't have an issue whatsoever. Let me add something, the intolerant set comes from a background of higher education and professional success while the tolerant set is very poor with little education. I've always thought that was interesting.

My personal view, while probably no surprise, is that it makes no difference to me at all. My life with my wife, despite the racial and cultural differences has been a more rewarding and growing experience than I could ever have imagined it would be. I think most times she would strenuously disagree with me over the "rewarding" part, however.

Originally Posted by arm-spin

I personally think interracial dating is 100% acceptable. However, my experience (actually, mostly the experiences of friends of mine) is that once an interracial relationship becomes serious, there are often deep-seated conflicts to work out. Differing cultures often have differing ideas about marriage, family, gender roles and so on.

Yes, but that's just as true for couples of the same race, but different religions or socioeconomic backgrounds. Any couple contemplating marriage or a long term relationship will have differences that should be worked out beforehand.

Originally Posted by pm01

My life with my wife, despite the racial and cultural differences has been the most rewarding and growing experience than I could ever have imagined.

Maybe in part because of your differences rather than in spite of them. You are both very fortunate.