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Difference in Generational Perceptions of Interracial Dating

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Difference in Generational Perceptions of Interracial Dating
Generational Perceptions: Interracial Dating Views between the Baby Boomers and Millennial’s
Generational Perceptions: Interracial Dating Views between the Baby Boomers and Millennial’s
2013
Catherine Mueller
COMM 489 Senior Thesis
1/24/2013
2013
Catherine Mueller
COMM 489 Senior Thesis
1/24/2013

Generational Perceptions: Interracial Dating Views between the Baby Boomers and the Millennials

Abstract:

Introduction: Interracial relationships or Miscegenation is a mixture of races; especially in marriage, cohabitation, or sexual relations between a white person and someone of another race (Webster-Merriam). For people of the Millennial generation (those born between 1977 and 2000) interracial dating is not something that is looked down upon nor it is something that is a major concern. But that was not always the case for the Baby Boomer generation (those born between 1946 and 1964). Baby Boomers grew up in an era where interracial relationships were still illegal. It wasn’t until 1967 that the U.S Supreme court ruled laws against miscegenation unconstitutional (Schripper). For someone born in the 1980’s like myself, I find it very difficult to image the possibility of going to jail simply for dating someone with different colored skin. The idea of interracial dating being that taboo and illegal is hard to imagine for someone like such as myself living in such a diverse city like Los Angeles. But is interracial dating still taboo to some? Or has the notion of interracial dating evolved like our societies and culture have over time? The purpose of this study is to uncover the different perceptions of interracial dating between the Baby Boomer Generation and the Millennial Generation. It is also the purpose to study how people of mixed races (Black, Asian, Hispanic/Latino) view interracial relationships based on their own personal culture and family influences. With the United States being one of the most diverse nations in the world, the



Bibliography: Ford-Robertson, Joanne and Richard Lewis Jr. "Occurence of Interracial Marriage in the United States Through Differential Assimilation." Journal of Black Studies (2010): 405-420. Document. Gretchen B. Rossman, Sharon F. Rallis. Learning in the Field: An Introduction to Qualitative Research. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications Inc. , 2003. Maanen, John Van. Tales of the Field: On Writing Ethnography. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1988. University of California Irvine. Center for Ethnography. 2011. Web Page. 24 January 2013. Webster-Merriam. Defintion- Miscegention . New York City: Merriam-Webster Dictionary, 2012. Dictionary.

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