Racial Preference: Our backgrounds, and where we grew up and who we surround ourselves with and the media, all play a part in our perceived racial preference. Therefore, you are attracted to a particular person based on factors such as; race, culture, religion, environment and background. However without the elimination of other ethnic groups.
Racial Fetishism: Only acknowledging and fixating on someone’s race, making it the only part of their identity you consider. Furthermore, you do not take their personality or opinions into account and your perception of them is based on harmful stereotypes.
Why Does Racial Preference Turn Into A Problem?
Once you being to eliminate different ethnic groups because of their race your preference begins to turn into a problem. When you eliminate people based on their ethnicity without knowing their personality and solely do it based on stereotypes that are attached to their race it immediately becomes racist. Believing that everyone in a race fits a stereotype that has been constructed by society is incredibly dehumanizing and it puts them into a box which ends up marginalizing them.
What If Your Preference is Your Own Race?
Firstly, it is important to remember that it is not a double standard when racial minorities make the decision to date within their race. Racism is power plus prejudice and minority groups certainly do not hold nearly as much power as their white counterparts when using toxic stereotypes against ethnic minorities. Secondly, it is common for minorities are attracted to and looking for people with the same cultural backgrounds and experiences to them.
What Racial Fetishising Sounds Like
- ” I’ve never been attracted to a black girl before, but…”
- ” You’re so exotic!”
- Being described as a color or food.
When these kinds of statements are made, they are clearly not preferences and for a long time now such remarks have been masked as preferences when they are truly a fetish. These types of statements are clearly dehumanizing and they shouldn’t be taken as compliments because it makes the person feel like an object and makes them feels as though they don’t have any feelings.
Unfortunately, the fetishization of certain people dates very far back and it is a normality that may take time to abolish. Fetishisation has also been normalized and has made into a habit through modern media and culture, it is commonly communicated in mainstream music and all over social media.
As expressed, you may feel that being fetishized is a compliment, however, it is vital that we remember that it is not. It may feel like it is because how society often doesn’t see your race as desirable. Remember that you are unique and worthy and you shouldn’t let someone who is fixated on your race walk all over you.
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Previously published on “Equality Includes You”, a Medium publication.
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