Interracial America :: Racial Relations, People of Color, Asians

Lakshmi Chaundhry is a senior editor of AlterNet, an independent, alternative online news magazine. He thinks that people of different races falling in love, is a â€Å"luxury we can’t afford.†(158) Meanwhile, Andrew Sullivan a contributing writer for New York Times Magazine and senior editor of the New Republic thinks that interracial marriages break barriers and make people happier which in turn makes them more successful. Sullivan thinks, â€Å"If the rate of inter-racial marriages increases, the next generation may well not identify as ‘black’ or ‘white’ at all.†(158) â€Å"To avoid frustration, self-loathing, and anger, people of color should be discouraged from entering interracial romantic relationships,† claims Chaundry.(158) Chaundry suggests that people should stay away from interracial relationships. One of his main reasons is because not everyone will have someone. He feels that everyone picks and chooses. Chaundry states that it’s a â€Å"racial hierarchy.† â€Å"Anglos squarely are at the top.†(159) The Anglos determine who is hot and who is not. One of his arguments is about Asians. â€Å"Asians just don’t cut the list,† states Chaundry. (159) There will be no women for the Asian guy. â€Å"’We’re at the bottom of the pile, right along with black women.’†(159) Even Hollywood shows this. â€Å"In ‘Shanghai Knights,’ actress Fann Wong is matched with Owen Wilson instead of Jackie Chan, who is conveniently cast as her brother.†(159) Hollywood is send ing the message that Asian men are not wanted. â€Å"No women for the Asian guy.†(159) This affects the life of people. Henry says, â€Å"’It means a lot of loneliness, a lot of Friday nights without a date.’†(159) Being lonely leads these men to have â€Å"’an obsession with pornography.’† (160) Not having anyone for them affects the lives of these Asian men. On the contrary, â€Å"Asian women have a better shot at getting some white booty.†(160) This is called a â€Å"cultural leverage.†(160). A cultural leverage is when one sex isn’t really accepted culturally but the other sex can get anyone they desire. The Asian woman has more sexual options. The Asian man is limited to very few choices. â€Å"The men in my community want the right to do the same.†(160) This is a problem that the Asian man faces according to Chaudhry and her resources. â€Å"I spent my teen years falling in and out of love with a number of seriously cute Indian boys.†(161) She grew up in Indian where she refers to it as â€Å"[having] harsher realities of race.†(161) When she moved back to America she was judged by a white person for her marriage.