Beth Humphrey, 30, and her boyfriend, Terence McKay, 32
posted by Sam Richards
Some of you have no doubt heard this story pass through the media outlets. More surprising than the Justice of the Peace being unwilling to give these two a marriage license is that fact that he stands by his decision, as discussed in THIS ARTICLE.
Before you go off on how outrageous this is, I want to remind you that two weeks ago in class I discuss the number of you who would not adopt a child with ancestry other than your own or who would not use the sperm or egg of people with ancestry different from your own. And you might recall that everyone who stated that they were uncomfortable being the head of a mixed ancestry family all said it was because of the children. “The children would have a difficult go of it down the road,” was the sentiment.
So how is this judge any different? Along with “mixed race marriages often end in divorce,” this is what this guy has said (although that particular statment is not in this article). Sounds like we might have to get back to some serious thinking about what constitutes racism and bigotry. If people in SOC 119 can say it, why not the judge? Okay, so you’re actions of not starting mixed ancestry families do not impact someone else’s life, but the idea that we’re protecting those who most need “protection” is still the same. Just a thought worth pondering.
It’s unfortunate that he speaks with a southern accent. In fairness, he says that his definition of “racist” is when you treat black people differently than white people. By not issuing the marriage license he’s actually treating black and white people the same! So I guess he’s not racist. Life is complex…
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I can’t see how a person can act simply based on race and claim that they are not a racist. He looked two people in the face and told them that he would not grant them a marriage license because they were of two different races. If that is not racist, then I don’t know what is. Just because most interracial marriages do not last does not mean that all interracial couples should be denied the right to marriage. Let them do it at their own risk and if they get divorced or one kills the other, we can bring in Keith Bardwell and he can personally tell them “I told you so.” If we went with the odds on everything life just would not be as interesting. The odds of actually shooting a deer are pretty low, so we may as well just give up on hunting. The chances of your kid making it as a professional athlete are not that great, especially if he is a white kid, so just start sending him to business classes while he is still in elementary school so that he can have a realistic dream for his future. And, by the way, your daughter is a great singer, but she could never make it in the modern music industry. So you might as well just put all the singing aside so she can start preparing for med school earlier. And forget about gambling! With this logic, the city of Las Vegas would have collapsed from economic depression fifty years ago. Also, it is not very valid to compare this to our class not wanting to adopt or receive sperm or egg donation from a person of another race. Sure, if an interracial couple has a child it will be a different color from one or possibly even both of the parents. But that is because it is a damn interracial child! Of course the kid is going to be mixed race. That is completely different from two people of the same race adopting a child of a different race. That child will be identified as being different from his or her parents, but a mixed race child will bear resemblances to both parents, even if their skin tones meet somewhere in the middle. I thought that the debate over gay marriage was ridiculous, but now it looks like we may need to start rallying and holding protests so that people of different racial backgrounds can marry one another. Is it really that bad that people are out there falling in love and making different colored babies? Or is it that the different colored babies are in turn marrying one another and making even more fucked up babies? To me, it doesn’t matter. Let them get married and face the odds.
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This is a very interesting case, and the more I think about it the more complicated it becomes. On the surface it appears as if this is one man, the judge, being racist and not allowing the marriage of an interracial couple. This definitely seems wrong to me. I could not imagine the shock and anger I would feel if I tried to marry out of my race and was denied in a similar fashion. This case seems like one out of the 1970s rather than current day. I can barely wrap my mind around the idea that in this day and age, people cannot marry due to their race.
The thing that makes it complicated for me though is the reasoning that they should not be married because of the potential that their children’s lives will be riddled with hardships. I want to say that it is wrong, but research has shown that mixed-race children do have a tougher go than those of the same ancestry. I cannot refute this evidence, but regardless I feel that it is wrong. I honestly feel that how parents raise a child has more to do with the couple themselves then their actual race. I also think that some of the studies may have been conducted on a different generation when race relations are not what they are now and that may have affected the statistics.
When it comes down to it, I don’t want to immediately condemn the judge as racist, but race definitely played a huge part in his decision. There is no doubt in my mind that this is not about the children, but old prejudices that have not yet gone away. It is the same situation as a father who gets angry when his daughter brings a black or Hispanic date home, or vice versa. This man just happens to be a judge and has the legal authority to strike down the marriage. It is a real shame that we are still seeing these kinds of cases in this day and age.
I am disappointed that in this article, there is no mention of the reaction of the couple to this situation. They are victims in this case and I would love to hear their side of the story rather than focus on one old judge who is too set in his ways to catch up on the ways of the world. I know other people have these same beliefs. As a matter of fact, a man that I worked with this summer refused to sublet a room in his house to an interracial couple with the reasoning that he only wanted one tenant. At work he confided that the real issue was race. I just hope that the next generations of judges will be more open to mixed race relations.
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First of all this man may not be racist, but he is in fact ignorant. Last time I checked racism goes far beyond the differences of black and white people. Would he have married a mixed racial couple that consisted of a white woman and an Asian man? My thought is yes. I could honestly say this man is still living in the days where black people had to sit in the back of the bus, and I do believe the southern accent says a lot about this story. I had a chance to visit the south. I lived there for over a year, just about eighteen months. I will say that there were parts of the south where I thought I was reliving some scenes from the movie Forrest Gump. I’m not saying that the North doesn’t have its racism, but I do strongly believe that the majority of the south still wishes they won the civil war. I noticed the racism wasn’t as prevalent in the big cities I visited, as it was in the backwoods if you will with friends that were from the area. I think Kanye West should make a statement saying this man hates black people just as much as President Bush did. I also love this man’s demeanor. What I got out of this interview was that he stands firmly behind his clearly racial beliefs and there are some people that most likely told him he is making the right decision. Perhaps his friends that go to the same southern church, most likely have breakfast afterwards to speak about how the blacks are taking over the state and his decision will help prevent it. This might be a typical example of hate breeds hate. Which brings me to my next point, what is this guy honestly thinking by saying he’s worried about the children? Wait he said offspring as if these two are having a science experiment that consists of humping each other out back in the woods. I forgot this man became justice and was issued the title of god instead. This man is the ultimate decision in the south when it comes to who can procreate and who cannot. In my opinion this man should never be able to raise a child let alone hold the title or position he does. This guy really needs to pop out some little versions of him so that the world has more ignorant bigots. I hope this man is forced to resign. I hope this makes national news and embarrasses the hell out of him. He needs to be made an example of so this can never happen again. Let’s go Yankees, game 3 Saturday night.
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This article detailing modern day racism is disheartening for me to hear. What struck me the most about it though was the judge’s “matter of fact” kind of attitude. In his defense, he truly thinks he did nothing wrong. He seems to think that his decision was the best one to make and he stood behind it which I do admire.
However, I can say my generation is so much more accepting of cross-race marriages than any that came before us. I can name at least five people right off the bat in my life who are considered “mixed” and have lived a completely normal life. Even if they were the products of a time even less stable when it came to mixed marriages, they have defied the odds that previous generation set out for them to fail.
This judge comes from that particular timeframe and generation. He was most likely raised to believed that whites are better than blacks, and spent the rest of his life after the civil rights movement reversing that prejudice in his mind. However it’s hard to change someone’s beliefs that are so deeply embedded in their life.
I’m not saying this to justify what he did. I 100% support people marrying whoever they want, regardless of race. I’m just trying to understand the judge’s stance on this issue to make it a little more plausible in my mind.
With all of this taken into consideration, I don’t believe it is the job of the judge to show such concern for offspring that truly have no impact on his life and he on theirs. His job is to make decisions based on the people involved in the situation, not those that hypothetically may exist somewhere in the future. If two people clearly love each other and are willing to take the necessary steps to make that bond official, you as the judge have no choice but honor their request. So throwing around statistics about mixed marriages having greater percentages of divorce is only adding fuel to the fire of racism in our world today. Because at the end of the day, that’s all these numbers represent as statistics and are not the law. They are the trend that came before and can easily be reversed if given time and ample means to survive.
So after all of this harping about what is and isn’t racism, my overall stance on this issue is that the judge had no right today to deny these decent people the right to be married. He may have his own personal beliefs about whether or not their marriage would survive the doom the statistics had predicted, but they walked into his office no different than two white people or two black people. They just happen to step outside their comfort zone and have found love in a less traditional way than the judge normally approves.
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Sam brings up the point that the majority of our SOC 119 class feels they would not adopt a child of a mixed race. One of the opinions behind this class decision was to avoid difficulty for the children down the road. This is the same reason why Bardwell denied the mixed race couple a marriage license. He is certainly entitled to this opinion just as our class is, but I feel the situations are entirely different and what Bardwell did was wrong.
I was one of the ones in class that felt they would not adopt or choose to be inseminated by someone of another race. I feel this is a personal choice only dependent upon the couple of which is adopting. My personal reason for choosing not to have a mixed race child is because I am in a relationship with someone of the same race, and if we could not have kids naturally, I would want my adopted child to resemble us as much as possible. This just seems natural to me. We could easily identify with our child and our child can easily identify with us. The other reason is the one discussed in class, I would want what is best for my child and avoid the difficulties they would have in life being a mixed race child.
As I said earlier, this is a personal choice. Just because I choose not to be in a mixed race family doesn’t mean I disapprove of it. Other people may feel differently and they have every right to choose. The same goes for mixed marriages; it is a personal choice between the couple. It is OK to have your own personal opinions but it becomes overt racism when you deny others of their rights because of your opinion. That is why what Bardwell did was wrong. Since 1967, The United States of America has recognized that the freedom of marriage between races resides within the individual and cannot be infringed by the state. Therefore Bardwell’s opinion has no relevancy in this matter. I agree with the Governor of Louisiana that this is a violation of constitutional rights and disciplinary action should be taken immediately.
This man claims he is not racist because he is “hating blacks or treating people differently.” Someone needs to explain to this man that he is indeed being racist. He is denying peoples rights based purely on race. He needs to acknowledge this and apologize or he needs to have his license revoked. He also needs to acknowledge the fact the he is an elected official and he needs to keep his personal opinions separate from his job. He needs to uphold people’s rights as defined specifically in the constitution. If he cannot do this, he should resign.
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It is very saddening to see just how prevalent racism is in our nation today. It is 2009! A justice of the peace in Louisiana, Keith Bardwell, refused to issue a multiracial couple a marriage license, saying, “It’s kind of hard to apologize for something that you really and truly feel down in your heart you haven’t done wrong.” And to think the Loving v. Virginia case that eradicated any racially-based limitations on marriage was ruled way back in 1967! That’s 42 years! I think it is absolutely ridiculous that Bardwell got away with refusing this couple’s right to marry, and how he justified this as being “not racist” because he doesn’t hate on blacks specifically, since he marries black couples all the time in his own home.
I don’t think that the issue being addressed here is similar to the adoption or in vitro discussions from the past couple of classes, because the child that Beth Humphrey and Terence McKay are still their children – they’re going to look like them and their skin will probably be a happy medium between the two parents, whereas adopting or using the sperm or egg of someone from a different ancestry than both yourself and your spouse’s is probably more likely to create “identity issues” among the child. If anything, I think that multiracial babies are more intelligent and well-rounded, because they will grow up surrounded by both worlds and they will be able to relate to more things and understand issues in the world better.
Bardwell claims he is not racist because he is not treating black people differently. Sam points out that in denying Beth and Terence their marriage license, he is actually being racist towards both of them. Who is he to say whether or not they can get married or not because of their skin color? I think that he should resign and that it is sad that we have people who hold views like Bardwell in such high positions in the government. He claims that many mixed marriages end in divorce, but many of them do not. How can he deny these couples the right to have a life together? The news report says that Bardwell’s term goes until 2014. That isn’t for another five years! America is rapidly advancing and becoming less racist as the years go by, so his views are sure to stir up even more opposition in the near future. I am glad that Beth and Terence are trying to file a lawsuit against him.
Love cannot be explained, and I do not think that anyone has a right to limit another person’s affections to someone of the same race as them. The more interracial couples there are, the more diverse America will become, and eventually racism will fade away.
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I am honestly befuddled by the Justice of the Peace’s refusal to marry the interracial company. Although I would not consider this an example of blatant racism, the judge must of possessed some racial aptitudes in order to reach this decision. If he was not racist, or free of stereotypes I do not see how he could of possibly arrived at such a decision. I also believe his reasoning is also flawed. For instance, if he is applying his logic of refusing to marry interracial couples due to the fact that they have a higher chance of getting a divorce, he should also apply that to people that were previously divorced and prevent them from getting married, because they, as do interracial couples, have a higher chance of getting divorced. I also wonder if the fact that he is from the south, in particularly, Louisana, if that raises his chances of being called a racist. I mean if someone was from New York, would that trigger the same reaction? Also suppose the judge was Black, or of color, and refused to marry a interracial couple I wonder if the same reactions of racist would be triggered. I do not believe this would cause the same reaction. Also I do not understand the negative attitudes that surround interracial couples. The judge mentioned that it would be bad for the children down the road, but that is ridiculous is my mind. First off all, a couple can still have children without being married. So the judge is not really preventing anything. Anyways back to the center of the argument I do believe this judge to be a racist, and I do think you do not have to be a blatant racist to be a racist. There is no way you can look at this without considering the judge to be a racist. If he was not racist, then he would not of prevented the marriage. There are many things that could be a successful indicator of the likelihood of someone being a good parent. For instance, could a judge refuse the marriage of obese people, because that increases the likelihood of their children being obese, and would certainly make a tougher life for him. What about convicts trying to get married? The argument could easily be made that the kids of that marriage would be of a tough up bringing. In addition, I do not think the judge should be forced to resign. Although his judgment was eccentric and outlandish, he was doing his job on interoperating the law as he saw fit. I do believe it is fair though to have his career evaluated though and I do believe his criticisms are fair.
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Interracial marriages haven’t affected me directly since I am not biracial, but the majority of my friends are either biracial or of a different nationality than I am. This article really affected me though because I am totally for interracial marriages. To start off, I have dated a few people who were not white (like I am.) I lived overseas for the majority of my childhood. Everywhere I went, people dated people who were of a different race than their own. Therefore, I have grown accustomed to seeing half Japanese, half white teens making out in the halls of my high school. I never thought anything of it because I was immersed into that ‘international’ culture at such a young age. However, after reading this article, I found that there are actually some people out there that oppose it. Even though the priest stated that he was doing it for the children, I still have to agree that he is being extremely racist. All of the people I know that are biracial have turned out fine! My roommate is half Japanese and half white. The only thing that is hard for her is stating where she is from. If she says she is from Japan, people always say, ‘well how come you speak such good English.’ She gets frustrated with having to explain her story to each person she meets. Honestly, I don’t believe the priest should have any say in whether or not he should wed the two. I feel like the only people that would be able to oppose the interracial marriage would be the parents of the two getting married. When I lived in Japan, my parents moved for my senior year and allowed me to live with my best friend. My best friend had a mom who is traditional Japanese and a father who is from a farm in Ohio. Her mom, Michyo, has a mother who was extremely against the marriage at the start because she was concerned for their future children. She didn’t want the child to be fully ‘Americanized’ just because the father was white. My friend is fluent in Japanese and practices Buddhist traditions because she loves keeping her Japanese side alive inside of her. I believe that children who are biracial are the luckiest of all because they get to experience two different cultures at home. They can get further in life because they speak two languages or have traveled to the countries where their parents are originally from. I honestly believe that the priest only didn’t marry the couple because he hasn’t been immersed into this biracial ‘culture.’ If he took the time to think about the pros of being biracial, he might change his mind. Instead, he is focused solely on the fact that the children will not be able to get by in society. This is where he is extremely wrong.
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I am extremely shocked by this Louisiana judge. I didn’t even think that such a thing could be done, not allowing a marriage license because the two people are of different races. I thought that only happened with same sex marriages, which isn’t right either, but that’s a whole other separate issue. Then after watching the video of the judge, the only reasoning that he remotely touches upon is the hypothetical offspring of these two people. Which I think is ridiculous in itself because he shouldn’t have that kind of authority over two people getting married, let alone about their children if they decide to even have them. I like how Sam brings up the questions he posed to our class about adopting a child from a different ancestry or using a sperm or egg from a different ancestry. The majority of the responses against it were that it would be for the kids’ sake. A lot of people in the class think that it would be difficult for the child growing up. I know a lot of people, friends of the family and such, that have adopted children from different ancestries and they never say anything negative about it, and there’s never been any issues from it that would be different of adopting from the same ancestral background. I realize that’s specific cases but I think adopting in general is going to have certain issues that arise when you raise your child, I don’t personally think that it would be any harder with a child from a different ancestral background. Also, these days interracial relationships are very common, so is adopting from different races. Furthermore I really don’t think anyone has the kind of power to decide whose marriage is going to be successful and whose isn’t going to be successful. No one can predict the future and I don’t think that should influence a decision such as granting someone the right for a marriage license. We live in a free country, I don’t think that any two people that love each other should be denied the right to get married, and they are not hurting anyone else so what is the big deal? For a judge who to act this way in such a position of power should never be allowed. A judge is supposed to be unbiased, fair, and equal. If he can not treat people equally then maybe he has no place to be a judge and I agree that he should resign. I am extremely appalled that it is the year 2009 and these types of situations are still occurring. Every type of relationship should be treated in the same manner, no relationship is more right or wrong than another, and marriage is based on love, not race.
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So, we’re into another racist or not racist decision. On one hand the judge clearly was treating their relationship differently than a relationship of two white people or two black people, but on the other hand he says that he has no probably with black marriage or white marriage as long as they are separate. But does this really make him completely racist then? Or, does it make him just an immoral arrogant judge? The question is difficult to understand. If anything he is racist against mixed raced children, but really he says he is just worried about the child, and how that child will grow up and what not. Now, in my personal opinion this case is ridiculous. People of any race or background or gender should be legally allowed to get married without the personal input of any specific judge’s moralistic views and beliefs. I feel like this situations is very relevant of showing how people are so quick to drop the racist remark about someone without perhaps fully evaluating the situation. I can see how in his own eyes he does not define himself as racist, considering he is treating blacks and whites very much in the same manner, but together he does not. He isn’t claiming that its because the white girl is trying to marry a black guy, and vis versa he isn’t saying that its because the black guy wants to marry a white girl. There is no blame on his account, except for the future of any of their kids. But, truly, is that his right to be able to deny a couple of marriage based on their children either? This is much like denying rights based off of ancestral backgrounds and such, which we clearly know is wrong. I am quite interested in how there are no guidelines for such a thing though. They can just be referred to a new Judge of Peace and have it officially done through that one? Then what is the point? If there are no guidelines for their rulings why have them at all? If they just go off of their personal beliefs and morals about a situation, why do we make laws? Further along his own judgement though is that he is clearly just further segregating. Many biracial marriages DO work, and kids born of differently raced parents will only further help us bridge the gap of races. Perhaps they will be looked at or viewed differently by stupid ignorant people of the world, but if we never allow it to happen then that gap will never go away, in fact it will just never be dealt with! I think that the judge should resign just because he is no longer dealing with real issues, just with his own personal issues and moral insecurities. But as for being racist? I’m really not sure. Maybe he is just misunderstood.
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I can’t believe that Judge Bardwell denied a couple’s marriage license because they are an interracial couple. I do not see how he can say that he is not racist for doing this. He denied a black man and a white woman their rights to get married. He did not seem to care how much they loved each other, but instead used his prejudice and the statistic that most interracial marriages end in divorce. Only half of all marriages today are successful and the other half end in divorce so how can he deny this couple their right to get married and respect another couple’s right to do the same exact thing. The fact that he doesn’t approve of interracial couples is disturbing. I am Mexican, German and Irish so I am multi racial, and three of my cousins are Mexican, German, Irish, Black, and some type of Native American. I have grown up my whole life seeing interracial relationships so I don’t have a problem with them. The relationship between my mom and dad did not end up working out. My parents were never married and my mom left me when I was about 3 months old and my dad died when I was about 1 ½ years old. My cousins’ parents on the other hand have been together for about 18 years, but they were not married for that entire time. They got married about 2 or 3 years ago. When Sam showed us that so many people in the class said that they would not want to have an interracial child I was very surprised. I would not have a problem dating someone of a different race than me or adopting a child that is a different race than me. If I was going to adopt a child I would adopt one that was a different race than me. I feel really bad for the couple that was denied their right to get married. I think it is extremely wrong to deny people their right to express their love for each other, even if they have a higher chance of getting divorced. Speaking of denying people their right to express their love for each other and get married I believe that gays and lesbians should have the right to get married too. I think it is wrong to deny them their rights to get married, just like it is wrong to deny those rights to anyone else. I think that the definition of marriage should be changed from being between only a man and a woman to being between two people who genuinely love each other. I agree with the governor of Louisiana that Judge Bardwell should resign because he is obviously unable to carry out his duties as a public official.
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This article was shocking for me to read. I don’t understand how people can still be against interracial marriages. It is completely insane that this man refused to marry these two people. It is his job to marry people and if by law they are allowed to be married that it is not right for him to refuse to marry them. As a justice of the peace, he should know the law. He does not have the right to decide who can marry and who cannot get married. It is this man’s job to marry people so that is what he should do. I agree that some sort of action needs to be taken against this man because there is no law against these two people being married so he has no right to tell them no. I also agree that by not agreeing to marry this couple, this man took a huge step backward in society, back to a long time ago when interracial marriages were illegal. We have reached a point in our history where we have moved forward and interracial marriages are fairly common. It is really sad that people still feel the way that this man does and does not want interracial marriages to exist.
As for his saying that he was concerned for any children the marriage might produce, that is also not up to him. His opinion on the matter is not very important. It is his job to give out marriage licenses, not to decide who can marry or what marriages will produce bad conditions for children. Interracial marriages are no longer a rarity and I don’t think anyone complains that they are biracial. As for Sam’s comment comparing this to people that said they would not adopt a child of a different race, I was extremely happy to read that he said this. Most people say that they would adopt a child that is of their race so that the child does not have problems growing up or whatever reasons they say because they don’t look like their parents. However, I know that if I marry an Asian man of a black man that my children will not look much like me at all. They would probably have more characteristics of their father in that case and would look extremely different from me. My sister and her boyfriend have been dating for years and are discussing marriage and children in the future. Her boyfriend is Asian, so if they have children they are obviously going to look Asian. Are those kids really going to have that much trouble in life? Whether you think so or not, I don’t think that is reason enough to stop them from being together. Who you’re going to marry should be completely up to you. What happened to this couple just seems so crazy and so wrong to me. This man definitely had no right to tell this couple that they could not be married.
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In America, citizens are offered many freedoms. We have profound freedoms, such as speaking what is on our mind and practicing whichever religion we choose. We also have some freedoms that we don’t often realize. For instance, we have the freedom to choose what we will eat for dinner. Included in our rights is the freedom to marry, or not marry, a person of another race. When learning about the situation Terence and Beth McKay were put through at the hands of Keith Bardwell, a justice of the peace in Louisiana, we see that an individual has no right to deny a marriage license to a couple to an interracial couple, nor any couple for that matter.
One man does not have the privilege to refuse a couple the right to wed. And for the basis of the denial to be because the couple in question was interracial just makes this situation even more intolerable. Bardwell claimed that the events were not racist because they treat black and white people the same. I’m still confused as to whether this really is racism or just pure stupidity. Something tells me that it is racist to not wed this couple because of their differing race, but another tells me there is no racism is involved whatsoever, seeing as Bardwell weds black couples and white couples without any question. Maybe this is just stupidity.
The justice of the peace felt it was in his place to refuse to wed this couple because he feared for their children. Sir, don’t you think the McKay’s have thought through these things before they decided to wed? Biracial children are becoming more abundant in today’s society, and I have yet to hear of a modern case where they are treated differently than children of one race here in the United States. In fact, societies have arisen because of mixed race children. Central and South Americans have changed from strictly indigenous races centuries ago to the mixed indigenous and European races of today. Yes, they fought through violent struggles to become equal and accepted in society, but now the struggles are over. Mixed children are now nothing more than children. They are just like all other kids…just with a few extra strings attached. So maybe to treat them differently because they are of a different race is racist. There you go Mr. Bardwell, you are now officially stupid AND racist.
There isn’t too much left to say about this instance. It is very clear to see that interracial couples have the freedom to be wed and nobody legally has the right to interfere. Keith Bardwell, I understand what you are trying to say, but you’re wrong. And have fun finding a new job in this economy.
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First, I would like to say that the Justice of the Peace is a public servant and is NOT allowed to let his personal feelings interfere with doing his job as a judge. What he did was very hurtful to that couple. They had to cancel their wedding and, instead, elope. Their families were also affected because they did not get to be there when the couple was married.
I know what some people are saying. “Well, they still got married. What’s the problem?”
The problem is that we, as a people should not ever discourage a couple of consenting adults, who are in love, from getting married. Yes, I also believe that homosexual individuals should be able to marry as well but that’s for another time.
As a woman who is in an interracial marriage, I am feeling very fortunate that I did not have to deal with this kind of “overt racism” when my husband and I got married. It could have easily turned what was one of the best days of my life, into possibly, one of the worst.
If this judge was the only individual who felt he was justified, this would not be as frightening. Unfortunately, there are scads of individuals standing up for his rights to say how he feels as a judge. To reiterate the problem with this; feelings are not facts! They do not stand up in court and they should not be used as a Justice of the Peace. It is NOT his job to criticize the idea of an interracial couples plans on marriage.
The fact that this judge is standing up for himself saying he did absolutely nothing wrong is sad. People do not cry without a reason. People are not hurt without a reason. Obviously he did do something wrong, and the fact that he can not man up to it shows myself, as well as many others, that he is a coward.
Where did he get this belief that interracial children are not going to grow up in good families and can turn to crime and violence. Children of couples who are of one race can turn this way as well. I feel as if his argument is not valid at all.
Some very “well off” people are biracial children as well. Is this man not aware that our own President of the United States was, in fact, a biracial child. It kind of burns me to see that racial bigotry still exists in our legal system in this country. This kind of thing has no place in today’s modern society.
Someday I plan on having children myself and I do NOT want them to experience this kind of treatment and “lower” expectation of them. Something MUST be done!
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Love vs. Justice
Two weeks ago, it was reported that a Justice of the Peace of the State of Louisiana by the name of Keith Bardwell denied a couple the right to marriage simply because it involved a couple of differing ethnicities. Beth Humphrey, a Caucasian woman, and Terence McKay, an African American man, were forced to find a different Justice of the Peace when they were told that the Justice would not perform the wedding and that they would probably need to go outside their parish in order for them to be married. The couple was able to be married, but was forced to do as they were told; they found another Justice of the Peace to marry them. What surprised me the most of this case was that Justice Bardwell was completely convinced what he was doing was right. The tone in his voice makes me think that he is doing the couple a service by denying their marriage because he believes interracial marriages do not last and that in the event that they had children, they would suffer greatly because interracial children have problems with their identity. I believe Bardwell would go as far as too believe that he is a humanitarian. Bardwell’s actions clearly deem him as a racist. He discriminated against a couple because of the groom’s heritage and that clearly is racist. This individual also emphasizes that he is not a racist. He clearly stated that he would provide services to a black couple in the same way he would a white couple. Is there a standard definition or a cookie-cutter example of what a racist is? Bardwell convinced that he is not a racist; he doesn’t say he believes that one race is superior to another or that Humphrey, a Caucasian woman, is demeaning her heritage by wanting to marry McKay who is African American. From a certain point of view he might not be a racist. He might have even been completely polite to the couple when he denied marrying them. Is it possible that we all do things that seem completely normal, but in reality are completely ignorant and racist? I believe the answer to that question is YES. A week ago, two of my friends, one was Caucasian and the other was Korean, were speaking about girls. I wasn’t paying that much attention to what they were saying until the white guy said something along the lines of: “Come on man! You don’t have to feel pressured into hanging out with only Asian girls. There is nothing wrong with going outside your race. You could always go after the white girls.” And then he went on to talk about white girls and Asians. The fact that he only mentioned those two ethnicities got me curious. Why didn’t he mention Latinas or Black women? I was probably over reacting when I heard them. Maybe I was being racist by believing they were racist. Ah, racism is confusing.
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This is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. I do not understand how something ridiculous like this is even allowed by the US law. I have heard of denying gay and lesbian marriage licenses because it is against the law in some states. Just because there is a statistic that says that most interracial marriages end in divorce, does not give him the right to deny this particular couple regardless he is a judge. This makes me really believe he is racist because he has no remorse for the circumstances he put this couple through.
The judge, for opposing their marriage like that, should be considered somewhat of a racist in that even though he marries “black people in his own home,” he refused to marry a black man and a white woman. The governor was right, in my opinion, for requesting the dismissal of this judge. His actions, as correct they are to him, are against our constitution. That judge needs to be removed from his position and never be able to perform marriages for the fact that if he denied this couple their right, chances are he’ll do it again to another mixed racial couple.
If two people love each other and both consent to getting married that they should be able to do so in all fifty states in the country no matter they are gays, black and white couples. There is no law in this country could stop them from doing that and no one should be able to make that decision but them. If they choose to deal with the problems that might arise then they should be allowed to go for it.
I think that he should resign or be forced to resign, so he can be made an example of. He work for the Justice of the Peace, he should know how to respond in a politically correct way to issues involving race relations because it always looks terrible on their part when they manage to screw up like Bardwell did. I believe people cannot believe that this is acceptable behavior. If he apologized and admitted his mistake, critics would not be as hard on him, but the fact that he honestly believes his actions is acceptable makes me mad.
I also think it is not fair to not hand someone a license for marriage on the basis of skin color. This justice’s job is to accept anything that is legal in his state and not to express his opinion on the future of two people of different races who want to completely commit. Not only should the interracial marriages be allowed in this country but also the gay and lesbian marriages, too.
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When Sam asked if you are willing to marry a person with different race, I was quite surprised to see that majority of the class accept the can marry a person with different race other than themselves. Even though I am not a racist, my belief might be attributed to the fact that I have raised up in a really traditional family with conservative perspectives. I personally do not know if the facts that I heard are true or not, but I heard that there are a lot of genetic diseases going on between a couple of different races. If you see some statistics of disease or morbidity rates, you would find that certain disease is prevalent in certain group of race. For example, clinical symptom lactose intolerance is mostly found in Asian people while is hardly found in European descendents. I heard that if you marry a person of different race, the probability of getting a defect child is higher than a couple of the same race. Even though you get healthy, normal children, the second generation of mixed-racial children might suffer from genetic defect. That is what I heard a lot from other ladies and maybe that is why I try to marry a person from my racial group. One day, I asked a Chinese-American girl about her marriage or relationship issue just for pure curiosity. She was born and raised up in the United States, so she is more American than Chinese. I asked her if she prefers date out with American guy or a Chinese guy. She answered she would care more about how nice the guy is and how he treats her, but if there are two nice guys who equally treat her well, then she would choose a Chinese guy because she felt more comfortable with Chinese culture even though she has never been to China as she is the third generation Chinese immigrant. I would say it is hard to think of racism from marriage because marriage or relationship is based on how much you love another person, not on race. However, I think most people feel comfortable being with someone with same race. I think it is hard for two people to live together in a house because each has raised up so differently with different parents, backgrounds, and values. I realized that after I lived in a dorm with a roommate. I had a roommate with different racial background, and I found it is really hard to be with her even though I knew that she was a really nice person. I found that I would feel better with a roommate from the same race group because you can share some, not all, of your life styles and values. Of course, it is wrong to not permit a marriage between people who fall in love, but just my personal opinion is it is better to marry someone in your own racial group and I think this is totally different aspect than racism.
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It is truly a shame that in this day in age stories such as this still arise. The idea that someone can decide who should be permitted to marry is reminiscent of a day in age when the color of someone’s skin was a factor in creating barriers between people. Do I think the judge is racist? No, I don’t know him nor do I know his personal thoughts. He is simply rationalizing his decision by saying that a large number of interracial marriages do not work out. By no means am I saying this is logical reasoning, considering a large number of marriages between same race couples end in divorce as well. However, the issue in this story is not the personal views of the judge but instead that he allows his personal views to affect the lives of others. It is not the place of others to decide where someone’s love should be directed. No law exists that bans interracial marriages and no individual should be allowed to create their own laws in a way. I am not blind to the issues some interracial couples may possess. Society makes it difficult as strange looks are given and judgment is passed to different races who decide to lives their lives together. Does this mean we should decide for them? Does it mean that we know what is best? Absolutely not, we, including the judge, should get past this non-issue and realize interracial marriages should be viewed just the same as marriages between people of the same race. I think the judge is missing a crucial component; the benefits of interracial marriage. In a world that encourages diversity and understanding what could be better than two races aligning to form a common bond. It is these partnerships that can advance society and allow more people to see beyond color and accordingly, judgment. It is my opinion that this judge should be dismissed from his job. If you want to agree with his personal view that interracial marriages simply result in trouble, it is your prerogative. However, when these views contribute to society in a way that has no place, it becomes a problem. I wonder how this judge would feel if someone denied him the right to marry—the right to make a commitment to a person he loves. Imagine you are a part of this interracial couple and someone says sorry but you can’t get married. How someone can deny a right do truly fundamental is saddening and I would imagine be extremely frustrating. For a huge and exciting step in the lives of two people to be denied by a single human being who is prone to bias and objection is truly a travesty and should never occur.
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A couple weeks ago when we were discussing the topic of adopting a child that was not of your own ancestry but of another or having a sperm or egg of a different race used to make a child for you it got me thinking. After reading this article and listening to what the judge is saying and the couple is saying, it got me thinking about this topic again. Whenever I answered those questions, I said that I would not mind adopting a child from a different race or ethnicity group because to me, a child that is living without a family is extremely sad. I personally would not care if they looked different than me, but it is still in the view of society that it is somewhat strange or “not right” if a couple has a child from a different ancestry background. I think when it comes to the decision of being able to pick a sperm or an egg it is a little different. As of right now I would just prefer to have a baby that looked like me if it was a single decision of my own and I would be raising the child. However, I honestly could not tell you what I would pick until I was in that moment because picking an egg or a sperm does not just include race but so many other aspects too. I do not however have any problems with mixed marriages because if you truly love someone, no matter what they look like or what race they are, it just does not matter to me. Even though society has come a long in dealing with race issues, there is still a great distance that needs to be traveled before everyone is one the same playing field. This blog and article demonstrate that perfectly.
After watching the video clip and reading the piece about the situation, I could not believe that this judge could do that to this couple. Not only do that to them but use the lame excuse that he is protecting the children that would come out of the marriage. That is complete bullshit if you ask me. What really got me to laugh was then how he said that he is not racist. My question to him would be okay then why do you have such an issue with them getting married because it is obviously not about the kids since there are thousands of kids all over the United States that are mixed races. It is really disheartening that these two could not get a marriage license just because of their skin color. It did not matter whether or not they loved each other or any of the important issues when deciding to get married. It all came down to a racist judge that could not handle the fact that these two wanted to get married.
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The actions of this judge are certainly unethical in my eyes. I do not think that a judge should be able to not give a marriage license to someone just because they are of two different races. I do not feel he has the legal jurisdiction to do this. As two people there is no reason that they are incompetent of getting married. Also, there are many mixed married couples in the world today and to deny these two specific people is very unfair. Also, even though racism has not gone away even in the twenty first century, one would think that people are open to mixed marriages, at least publically. Also, this is not a marriage of two people of the same sex that is not legal, thus, I do not see why it should be allowed.
I feel that the judge’s actions are a result of racism. He may not be an extreme racist who hates a race other than his own. However, he has in his head this idea of how a marriage should look like. In this image he only wants two white people or two black people to marry one another. This may not hate but it is still racism and a very narrow way of thinking. His reason of being concerned about their children is a legitimate one for many people, however, as a judge and an individual who is able to impact the lives of others he should not be able to make this sort of decision. It is one thing to be against marriages of mixed races however, it is another thing to actually take action to prevent it. Both may be forces of racism however, the latter is a form of active racism and is unethical.
The issue of many people in class saying that they would be uncomfortable with or would not want an egg or sperm from another race other than their own, I feel is not a comparable issue to this one. Even though the judge’s reasoning is one that many people think of when having mixed marriages it is not fair to openly deny someone the right of having one. It would be a comparable situation if a couple were forbidden to carry one’s baby from another race or have a baby with someone from the opposite race. No one is stopping people from doing this and for the judge to stop this couple is very wrong. I feel that both issues do touch on racism in a way however, I still believe that taking outward action against the issue is a deeper form of racism because you are intentionally hurting others by your feelings and actions.
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Racism is the belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racism). The denial of a marriage license to an interracial couple is directly linked to racism. This article is a perfect example of the fact that there is STILL racism in our society as of today. Actually, for me this article was very interesting to read. It’s hard to believe that within our diverse society, something such as this would happen. I didn’t realize a judge could just simply deny people’s rights to a marriage license without any regards as to why other than the race issue. I could understand if they were two men or two women trying to get married in a state that doesn’t allow gay marriages, but even then I personally would have many things to say about that situation but that’s another time. The mere thought of any type of differing races being together or being in love must spark this judge’s racism instantly. This situation all in all bewilders me; because how can you deny someone their OWN LEGAL RIGHTS just because they are different races, then claim you’re not racist. I believe not only is it unjust, but in a way immoral to deny these two a marriage license.
So the Judge wouldn’t give them a marriage license because they were an interracial couple but race doesn’t only include skin color. Race goes a lot deeper than that it plays into peoples’ backgrounds and heritages as well. His basis for denial to their marriage license is absurd. The interview he offered to the public eye to see did not evidently mention the fact of being racist as being part of his decision. As a matter of fact, he didn’t mention any specific reasoning behind his decision. He did as he pleased and what he thought was right in his mind. He didn’t think twice about it, and didn’t give a shit about what that couple went through when he denied them their marriage license. This is sociologically and morally wrong to me. If you have the authority and power to actually make a difference in this world and shape society in a different way, why wouldn’t you do it positively rather than negatively? The situation of this interracial couple relates exactly to our discussion we had in class. I believe this is an extreme example of what we discussed in class. Questions varied from whether or not we would marry someone of another race, adopt from another race, or use a sperm or egg from another race. A lot of people in the class said that they most likely wouldn’t do any of these things. So this blatantly exhibits the subtle racism that is within every human being and brings it out in the open. Overall I believe that this circumstance should of been avoided, and I think any type of interracial relationships should be allowed to marry as same races. This judge was just a complete idiot and a fucking waste of this couples time.
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Wow after watching this man speak how can we not say he is racists? This action of him not wanting to marry this couple was totally a racist action. In my opinion I don’t think he has the right to chose who people marry and say who is not to be married. He is not even a relative of either one to have any sort of opinion in this situation neither is he the President. I think this was totally a racists action just because of the fact a white women is marrying a black man. I bet if would have been a white man marrying a white woman he would diffidently marry them. In that situation he wouldn’t worry about any children coming out mixed. I think it is ridicules the reason he gave for not wanting to marry them. The reason he gave was he was concerned with the offspring that might come out of this marriage meaning they were going to be children who were going to be mixed. This is the most ridicules reason anyone could give because what does this person care if that couple has children or not, I obviously he is getting into others people business to much! I totally think this judge is so ignorant in the topic of racism because he says he is not but through other people’s eyes he would be considered one. He says racism is a discriminating only black person which he means that black people aren’t given the same or equal opportunity as the white people. This is partially correct but a middle school student could give a better response of what being racist actually means. If I recall black people are not the only ones that are getting discriminated against there is also Latinos, Asians, and Chinese people greeting discriminated against. I wondering, if this judge is so concerned with the offspring of marriages, does that mean he only marries white couples? If I were in the shoes of this couple I would totally take this judge to court so he can be removed from his position. I don’t think a person that is so closed mind should have the right to be marrying anyone. I don’t really see why people make such a big deal when they see a white person wanting to marry a black person or a person form any other race. I mean this is a free country and I think everyone had the right to chose who they want to marry. I mean we are now in the 21st century we I don’t we need our parents to chose who we marry like it was done back in the old days! I think we all have to learn to respect each other and learn not to get into other people’s business!
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I find this article pretty interesting. Would I call Keith racist? Maybe, that’s because who said being racist only involves hating black people. I think when Keith said he’s concerned about the children in the future was an excuse. I know plenty of interracial people and they are doing great in life. So in my opinion, he was trying to get away with saying that the children will be highly affected if the couple was to get divorced. I was surprised that a priest can refuse not to marry a man and a woman. I thought they had the right not marry two people of the same sex because they are devoted to their religion and a same sex marriage goes against it. Not marrying a couple that’s in love because of their race is pretty wrong.
I am for interracial relationships because I can’t find myself dating the same race as myself. Throughout my whole life, it was rare for me to like a person that was the same race as me. I think interracial relationships are great. However, many problems start to erupt from being in a relationship with someone out of your own race. I had quite I few problems when my mom found out that I was dating a black guy, she started lying to herself that it’s not real, she started to yell more and grieved over it a lot. I do understand why she acts like this because we’re Asian and we’re not allowed to date other people no matter how in love we are. My cousin once told me not to date other races because it’s dishonor to our family and ancestors. Our ancestors came to the United States to make a better living from China, so once we have our lives together here in the U. S, we have to stick to our roots and culture. We have to have our pride and keep the blood line going without any mixed races in it. I understand that, but it’s still hard for me to get it through to my mom that I love a different race than my own. I doubt she will accept it and probably be ashamed of me but in the end I’m still her daughter.
I was one of the people that voted that I didn’t care about an interracial baby. I think that having an interracial baby would actually make things better than now. That way, people can slowly accept that all races can get along and that can be the first step to make peace between the races. We don’t know what the future holds, so for now, if the couple is in love then it shouldn’t matter what race they are to even be considered to get married. Love is blind and it shouldn’t matter what color you are on the inside, it’s all about the love they have for each other that is in the inside.
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Hypocrisy, hypocrisy strikes again I say, and its face……..white! Give me a break this guy doesn’t think he’s racist. Treating black people equally would mean marrying these two as if the man was of the same race as you, which you didn’t. Therefore I call hypocrisy on the white team. Why do old southerners always have the venue to flaunt there misled ideas and illegitimate opinions. They give me a bad name, give me a place to show where racial tensions are being broken down and understanding is being established. Give SOC 119 some air time to exploit the fact that students are changing their minds and becoming less afraid to say what’s on their mind and take the time to reflect on why. No, no that story’s not interesting enough, we need drama, and idiots to make prime time television. This man seems so backward and slow, its shocking that he has a law degree, and flabbergasting that he is an elected official! It almost makes me want to laugh, or cry. It’s a analogy of our political system, or maybe a satire. Seriously think about this, enough people took time out of their days, went to a polling booth and ticked the name of this Judge, I’m even more scared about how many people probably don’t regret it. I can rant and rave all day, the fact is there are people out there like this Judge, and I don’t think anyone should believe they are representative of white people as a whole. It’s sad to think of how many people lumped me in with these unbelievable statements and policies. It needs to be distinguished that I think this man is an outlier, or maybe I’m the outlier but I certainly hope not. Another thing I think about when I hear stories like this, and see faces like that, is the perception this Judge will display of Americans abroad. People hear this man speak and see what he has to say and they group all Americans in with this man. I guess the only way to change perceptions is to fight the battle one person at a time. Influence first the people around you and then hopefully the knowledge is contagious. Honestly I want to ask Sam why he never posts blogs of people breaking down the barrier of racism and race. Examine these cases and asking us as college students to debate why they have been successful and what it means to succeed. I feel like week after week I’m writing about my outrage. Is there a light at the end of the tunnel or is race relations a never ending tornado of hypocrisy, hate, and misunderstanding that twirls us around until we want out? Tell me Sam what does it mean to win?
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When we discussed adoption and artificial insemination from another race than our own, the majority of the class said they wouldn’t do it. Of the majority, though, most people would have rather adopted a child of another race than to actually give birth to one themselves. I don’t agree or disagree with the class’s reaction. I personally would rather adopt a child of another race. However, I feel that this is a personal decision. Similarly, I think interracial marriage is a personal decision. If two people love each other, that’s all that really matters, right? They know the outcome of their actions, and I’m sure they, along with any children they may have, will have to face struggles that same race married couples wouldn’t have to. Like I said before, this is all a personal decision.
I can understand where the Justice of the Peace was coming from. I don’t think he is necessarily racist and was unwilling to give Beth and Terence a marriage license just because Terence is black. I think it had to do with the fact he doesn’t agree with putting children through the struggles an interracial couple has to deal with. He may not have wanted this for his children, or would have ever married a woman of a different race, but that’s his personal preference. He shouldn’t reflect his personal opposition to interracial marriage onto the McKays. I don’t think whether or not Beth and Terence could marry should have been his decision. They know what they will face, and to them, I guess, love conquers all. They are happy, and no one should deny them the right to signify their love by not letting them marry. It’s really old school.
I’m happy a different Justice of the Peace was willing to approve the marriage license for them. Quite frankly, I think if they are to have children, the fact that they will be brought up in a loving home should be what really matters. It’s a shame that opposition of interracial couples still exists. It’s especially disappointing that one person single-handedly decided the fate for Beth and Terence (fortunately they were able to marry anyway).
As for the Justice to be called a racist because he was a white man that denied a black man from marrying a white woman, I think it would have been equally “racist” for a black Justice to deny the marriage as well. In this case, I truly believe the decision wasn’t based solely on racist feelings and attitudes. Instead, I think it was based off of the overall picture and the challenges Beth and Terence, and their children, would face in the long run. But, like I said before, that’s not a decision that is left up to him. It’s a personal decision that I’m sure the McKay’s consciously made together.
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This is in response to the judge who will not authorize the marriage of the black male and the white female. This is really messed up. I hate watching videos like this I think this just shows how unintelligent and how uneducated some people actually are. This angers me so much people like this think that they are right and the decisions they make are for the better and for these actions to take place publically scares me because what happens behind closed doors?? Yes he is treating them the same way and is sowing hatred towards the both of them. To me this is the same discrimination that Homosexuals face. Regardless who you are, who you like, no matter what if you want to get married and you are truly in love with your partner you should be able to marry them. The couple in this video should be able to press charges and should. This is definitely another example of racism in its finest. Just like we discussed in class when we discussed people of color and homosexuals and how they both have disadvantages in life. This really makes you realize how hard it is especially when you cannot even get married because you are of color and your partner is white. I really cannot even believe how blinded this man is. This is the problem with some people and the way they were raised. See when people are taught to think this way at a young age it destroys their free train of thought and causes them to be narrow minded. Then they reproduce and do the same exact thing to their children. It is just a vicious cycle that I really think will never end. This is why racism is still very much alive even in today’s day and age. So I do not think that we can ever really get rid of racism. So when I see things like this video it just makes me want to look at the parents to see how they were. In all actuality this guy started his life at a big disadvantage. I think that this would not be an issue if the couple was in a different area their marriage would not be out of the ordinary at all. This guy does not even have a reason to back up his decision. Plus he is staying in office just to spite the couple. If I was in their position I would go above his head and go public about it. I would make sure he never gets a job with any sort of power or decision making ever again. I just do not get it. People should be able to do wear and act whichever way they want regardless what they look like.
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This story is beyond outrageous. I feel as if we always try to justify racism with some ridiculous excuse. There’s an excuse when race comes about and that is truly utter BS. Who is this man to decide who he can marry and who he cannot? Marriage is about two people coming together in a sacred moment to seal their lives together. Where was the notion of marriage ever made to be for people of the same race? Honestly the discussion that we had in class is totally irrelevant and so not pertinent to this situation. What we spoke about in class was people adopting or having interracial babies. Yes marriage for the most part concerns reproduction but what if these individuals didn’t want kids. These two people are in love, and no judge, priest, or law should be able to have any bearing on whether or not they should be married.
What irks me the most is how all of these public figures can say these racist things and then apologize for their words or actions and claim their not racist. Then most people feel that these people are genuinely sorry for what they did and feel that it was merely a mistake when clearly its not. This individual who denied them marriage should have some sort of punishment to deal with. Where does it state in his license or in his profession that he can decide someone’s marriage based on race? Who is he to decide whether or not the children would suffer?
Now on to another huge issue and bone I have to pick. Everyone tries to speak about the children who are of mixed races and speak for them and don’t know anyone who is mixed or haven’t felt what that’s like. Everyone assumes this is such a negative thing and the child would be persecuted but that’s not even true. At least where I come from its not. In New York it is common to see someone of mixed race. My sister is actually half and half and to me that s a good thing. She has become acquainted with two different cultures and has learned so much more. When someone is of one race their eyes are closed to the many differences. What if the couple in this situation raised this child to be the next Obama? No one ever thinks about the positive but are quick to make judgments and assumptions. I think if we actually know people who are in that situation or have personal experience then we shouldn’t really have an opinion on this. All of these people opinions convince the majority of people. Opinion or not however this man is clearly a racist and should be dealt with accordingly. His actions are truly unacceptable and just show how far or not far we have come since the Civil Rights Movements.
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I think we all have some degree of racism within us. Just like how people would rather adopt a child who is the same race as they are than a child from another race. When I ask my Korean friends if race matters when it comes to marriage, they answer yes. They said that they would like to marry a Korean person because of the cultural differences. It is just like when my parents always tell me to find a nice Korean boy to marry. They emphasize the Korean part. I was thinking what if one day I married a white person and adopted a black baby, how would the baby turn out? I personally do not consider race when it comes to relationships. Yes, it is easier to be in a relationship with someone of the same race because of the cultural and language differences. I believe that is just a minor obstacle I might have to overcome.
But then that justice who denied the interracial couple was blatantly racist. Is that even legal? In a way I could understand his reasoning for his decision for not marrying the couple. He wanted to prevent them from getting a divorce, but who is he to make that decision for the couple? He is not a significant person or any importance to the couple. I do not know why he thinks he has any right or say in their lives. It really shows us that how little we have come so far. You would think because American is considered the melting pot, racism like that would disappear. I can not believe that people still have the kind of mind set like the justice. If the justice was working in New York City that definitely would not be acceptable. It is a very common thing in the city.
I agree with one of the comments above that said authorities should not abuse their power in position. It does not give them the right to make personal decisions for us just because of their position. Why should they determine the decisions of our lives.
I wonder when the time will come when we all can live peacefully and freely. I hope that racism would be eliminated completely. When will we all be treated equally? I can not believe people these days still experience extreme case of racism. It really saddens me to see our society in the state it is in. Racism will only disappear more people interact with people of the other race. I think if more people took classes like SOC 119 more people will be able to accept people that are different then them. It really helps us to understand them and think in other people’s shoes.
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Love has no boundaries. People constantly assume that once someone tries to pursue happiness with a person of different skin than their own, they are rebelling or they do not know what is good for them. Either way the reasoning of such a situation leads one to believe that we, as individuals, can not account for our own being. That when we do thing it is just for the hell of it, and not for out personal benefit. You can not base what you want to be based on what everyone else isn’t. The judge makes the same mistake, which is kind of scary considering he actually has power in our society and for the fact that there are a thousand more bias judges in the legal system. The only way to alleviate this situation and prevent any situations like this occurring in the future is to fire the judge. The fact that we have to ask and wait for him to resign is an injustice to the constitution. The couple whose marriage was denied are just like any other couple who are with each other because they are better off for it. Seeing a travesty on this scale happen today is bittersweet. Consider it a rocky transition from a dirt road to a highway. As each day passes our generation is being equipped with more and more power until we will decide the fate of these controversial social issues. Think about all of the situations where this has occurred but nothing was said about it. At least we can see the problem now. It will be interesting enough to see how our generation combats the problems we consider important today. It will be even more interesting to see the problems we will ignore that next generation can bitch about. It does not seem irrelevant to mention the fact that the history of our human behavior is surrounded layer of bitching about everything. We, as a people, are never happy. At the same time no matter what we do, someone will feel offended. It seems like our goal of reaching a peaceful world is impossible. The fact of the matter is that for every controversial situation there are a million people who decide not to do anything. These people stunt any growth we may be have. It is an unfortunate necessity. The moment when everyone around us is actually outspoken about their beliefs is also the same moment that we as a people take for granted the power and purpose of why we are speaking. We are damned if we do and damned if we do not. None the less we must push and move forward for the only person who can see what happens in the future is us in the future, and I can assure nothing will be done if we spend out time pondering such trivial concepts.
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I actually thought that this was a joke or a publicity stunt when I first heard about it, but I guess not. This guy says he Isn’t racist but I really doubt it. I really don’t see this being the same situation as adopting a child from a different race though. Adopting a child of a different race means they won’t grow up with their race and culture of their ancestors but a mixed child has both the races that they are right there.
There shouldn’t be any problem with a mixed child, and the judge doesn’t explain what the problem would be. Honestly this is kind of silly because that couple is getting married, there is absolutely no way this guy could stop them and just the fact that he didn’t realize that makes me think he might not be fit for his job.
If in 2009 this guy is still making decisions like this he really shouldn’t be a judge. As for him treating white and black people equally, thats really his only defense. But this guy is literally saying I won’t let these two marry because they are of a different race, thats kinda racist in itself; well I personally think.
I know that the KKK is still big in America, Ive met an ex KKK member who explained to me just how many there are of them today. Still, a judge is one of the supreme authorities in the U.S. and for him not to be educated in race issues is absolutely absurd. You’d think with all their educational backgrounds they would have some class to do with race relations.
I think its so important for people to realize this stuff still exists. We have to keep up efforts to educate everyone. The only way this stuff is actually going to stop is if people are persistent in their goals for education everywhere of race relations. Before I got into this class I never really saw it as such a big issue, but I was less educated on the topic. I’m Jewish and I still didn’t see it as a big issue, because I was lucky on where I grew up and the people I grew up around; really lucky.
Thats why I can’t respect people who say things like racism doesn’t exist anymore. Maybe not as out in the open but its still engrained in our minds like a chisel and stone. It could come back out at anytime, and as a Jew thats why I say “Never again.” But what I really should be saying now is “Never again to anyone!”
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While I understand the point that Sam is making in saying that it isn’t fair for us in class to justify our own decisions and racism by saying expressing concern for the child and for this judge to not be allowed to do the same, but I cannot ignore the fact that I find this story to be morally and ethically wrong. Every person has the right to believe what they want but it is nobody’s place to stand in the way of those who believe differently. The judge had absolutely no authority to refuse to marry this couple. He could not separate his own beliefs from his job which I believe we decided in discussion is wrong. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion but you cannot use that opinion in a professional environment to openly discriminate against those who oppose your beliefs. The judge did not act in a professional way and let his emotions lead him to make himself look like a foolish racist pig.
As for the notion that so many of us justify our refusal to use the sperm or egg of someone of a different race by saying that we are protecting the child, I believe may not be entirely honest. I will admit that am a person that would prefer my child to look like me but my own opinion is not at all based on how I think a mixed child would be treated at all, it is more about my own comfort. While my preference is to have a child that looks similar to me, if I had no other options I really don’t know what I would ultimately decide. I myself am mixed, I am half Asian and half white and from my experience some of the mixed people that I have met in my life are the most beautiful and confident people I have met, so I have not concern that a mixed child is automatically going to face struggles. As long as the child is raised by ready, willing, and loving parents I believe that they will be just fine.
Back the story from the post, I find it kind of funny that the judge’s wife recommended another place for this couple to go. His wife seems to disagree with her husband’s belief and ultimate decision which kind of just makes him look even worse. I am very glad to hear that they were rightfully married and wish them the best. As for the judge, I would agree that by his definition he did not act in a racist manner, however based on his unprofessionalism he should have just gracefully retired and accepted the fact that his career was over. When professionals act in a foolish emotionally charged way which affects the way in which they perform at the office, it is only fitting that they be dismissed, especially in such a public situation as this.
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I can’t believe that the justice of peace denied the rights of the interracial couple to marry in Louisiana. He clearly states that he is not racist and defines it to the media but I don’t know what else he can say for his actions then they were really racist. To deny anyone a right to marriage is wrong and especially if it was based on the fact that the couple was interracial with a black man marrying a white women. If two people are in love no matter their race, color or ethnicity they should have the right to be able to get married with no problems. It’s a constitutional right to be able to and for this justice of peace to say no to this interracial couple is an example of his ignorance and discrimination. He said that he marries black people in his very own house, so that should make him not racist? The justice says that he is not racist by saying that his concern is for the children of the couple getting married. Why should that be any of his business? If these two people are in love, decided to get married and had plans on having kids they would have worked it out and talked about the problems and tough upraising that the kid might have. But because they are married and love each other they know the difficulties and should have the determination to work hard in their relationship and their kid’s upbringing.
At least the Governor of Louisiana took actions into seeing that this man resign and rethink about his actions. I understand that it’s tougher for states in the south to overcome racism and discrimination. You need time to find your own racial identity and become comfortable with people of other races. The southern states are still lacking behind with this idea and have been raised with racism in their culture. That’s why I’m not surprised that this story and dilemma happened in the southern state of Louisiana. If I were in an interracial relationship, wanted to get married and I was not allowed to because I had a different skin color other than my fiancé I would be extremely upset, angry and shocked. This couple should charge the justice of peace with anything that can be filed against him. No interracial couple should be denied the right to marriage. This whole situation was based on the justice of peace’s mindset that interracial marriage should not be justified. This is just his opinion and ignorance. Overall this coincidence shows that racism views and opinions are still going on in the south. It is still part of the culture and stuck in the minds of the older generation. At least this interracial couple was able to find another peace of justice that was able to let them get married.
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I do not understand how someone who read this article could not see the blatant racism by this judge. I also do not think it is right to give a person, a judge, the power to determine if two people are allowed to get married or not. Judges also should not have the power to determine if a man and another man or a woman and another woman can get married. I thought marriage was supposed to be about love, not about race, or sexuality. Anyways I do not want to start talking about other factors of marriage. Judges and people in power are primarily white, with probably an all white family, so issues such as race are dealt with the white man’s belief. The white man usually has negative beliefs and or issues with people of different race just because it was a part of their culture and society. In my opinion, the judge who made this decision did not believe that he was making a raciest decision, even though everyone should be able to see that must he must have had deeply entrenched racism that he is unaware of. I do not know what I would have done in this couples situation because I would be so enraged that some person could tell me whom I can or cannot marry. That idea is ridiculous. The basis for this judge’s decision was because he believed that if the couple would decide to have children down the road, the children would have a less privileged and harder life. It is because of people like him that people of a different race do have to work harder for things in life compared to white people. I personally find people of different races attractive, and would not be shocked if down the road I will be part of an interracial marriage. I believe children who grow up with parents of different race have a better perspective of race and can help get rid of racism in this world. I am not opposed to adopting a child of a different race, I would first do research on the culture first and try to bring up the child as he would have in his or her culture. That way they are exposed to their own culture and my family’s culture. Anyways not to get off topic, the judge that did not allowed this interracial couple to get married was completely racist even if he is blind to it. It is absurd that we let this still go on today in the United States in 2009. Anyways I guess these deeply embedded beliefs still effect people’s decision, and the only thing that is going to change is an outside factor.
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When I saw this video I got really angry how can this be possible I mean every has the right to marry whoever they want to, well except gay and lesbian couples, and in my opinion they should have the right too. Obviously this judge is being racist b not letting this interracial couple to get a legal union, and his definition of racism is in part right but that is not correct definition because he is only talking about blacks, what about the other races. I think he should get fired for his dumb error. And like the African American guy said, this is 2009, people have to wake up and realize that racism exists deep inside in our heart even though we try to hide it but sometime it comes to the surface involuntarily. We have to accept to live with our difference. I think the worst part of this, is that the judge doe not want to resign his decision. He is not going to admit that he made mistake denying this couple the marriage right. I mean he has no valid reasons to oppose to their choice. This is crazy, I cannot believe stuff like this happens today, in a country that is supposed to be advanced in technology, in weapons, everything but race relations. This judge is applying what he considers his own justice, we all know that in this case justice was kidnapped and he decided based on what he thought it should be done, but I know that this guy knows that he did wrong. If something like that would have happened to me I would the judge and make him go to jail or something. I cannot stand racist people and hate them is not the solution. I am one of those persons that think that everything can be solved through dialogue. As everybody knows people get mixed with other people, races combined, there is no pure race anymore, that is obsolete. So denying this couple the marriage is not going to affect them for a long time in fact they will have kids, and some day when they get old they are going to remember this incident and laugh about it. The bad thing for the judge is the media is going to attack him, everybody is going to put pressure on him, and they are going to ask him so many questions that he might end up regretting his decision . I think his explanation to not let them get married was because interracial couples get divorced eventually, but why would he care about that, I mean his job is to marry people not to veil their future. This is very upsetting.
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I don’t think the judge is being racist; however, I do feel his is being discriminatory. He is wrong for not allowing the couple to marry. Even with the power that he was granted, I feel he has no right to tell this couple that they can’t get married. The law states that any man or women can get married regardless of their race.
The judge has no connection with this couple and shouldn’t be worried about preventing them from getting a divorce. For all any of us know, this couple could be one of the interracial couples that don’t get a divorce and have a long lasting marriage. I know several people that are currently in working interracial marriages, so it’s not impossible. As for him wanting to protect their future children, who says they want to have children? Who says they can have children? What if they wanted to adopt a child? Not to sound harsh, but even if they wanted to have children, what does that have to do with him? Yes there is a chance that some of their biological children may struggle with their racial identify, but that’s when the couple have to step up together as parents and help the child, not an officer of the law. I know it’s sad to see little kids suffer through these events. I have three younger cousins that are bi-racial and live in a predominantly white neighborhood. They have asked one of our aunts if they could come live with her several times. When she asked why, they answered by saying that they wanted to live near people who looked like them.
I believe the situation with the interracial couple and some of us not wanting to adopt children outside of our race are slightly different. To me, it’s almost like comparing apples and oranges. Both are fruit, just like both situations deal with one person “protecting” another person. The difference comes in with the way the person is “protecting.” The judge is “protecting” the couple’s children by denying the couple one of their rights. He is also taking away some of their personal choice. By deciding not to adopt a child of a different race we are exercising our own personal choice. Even though we are choosing not to adopt them, we are not purposely taking away any of their rights. To a certain degree, we are not stopping them from moving on in with their life. That cannot be said for the judge and this couple.
When it all comes down to it, the judge is wrong. He shouldn’t try to control the lives of this couple’s children. Although the kids may have a hard time in their lives he has no place in stopping that by not allowing their parents to marry.
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“It’s kind of hard to apologize for something that you really and truly feel down in your heart you haven’t done wrong,” Keith Bardwell told CNN affiliate WAFB on Saturday. While I would agree with the many others disagree with this sentiment, there is value in Bardwell standing by his beliefs. He believes that racism is treating blacks different than whites, and through his decision he is treating people the same. Therefore, it is hypocritical to view what Bardwell is doing as bigoted and racist. I feel this way especially because many of us cannot define racism, or would even define it in a similar way. So why call him out on acting the way he thinks is appropriate based a shared definition?
I think is the point where the racism Sam talks about comes into play. People continue to view the world in ethnocentric, self-absorbed ways adding to the tangled mess of deciphering what is right and what is wrong. We are so often told to think outside the box as well as to accept how and why others think differently than us, how is this any different. He is not misaligned in his definition and actions based on that definition, and in fact, I would go as far to say that this is not so much an issue of race as it is the greater question that Sam posed about deciding who to protect.
Yes, many of us stated that we would not want sperm from someone of a different ancestry because it might be hard for the child. I don’t think that is how people really feel. I think that is the safe answer, the one that will prevent the word ‘racist’ from being used and actually promote the person in a humanitarian light. There are so many other things that will make a child’s life difficult, most of which are beyond control. So why is this opportunity to use protection as the motivation to prevent a mixed ethnicity child? Why is denying a marriage license to this couple a way of protecting them?
I can understand how deciding on the life of a child who has no choice is different than the idea of grown adults choosing to marry each other. But at the same token, what is the meaning of ‘protecting’ others. By making the choice to protect someone else, are we saying that we know better? The Bardwell may just have their best interest in mind. How is this different than the choices each and every one of us makes every day to protect others? We tell white lies, keep secrets, tell the truth, and do so many other things in order to protect those around us. Are we better? Better than our best friends, strangers, family and Bardwell? I think the hypocrisy discussion still has a place here, and before we examine others, we should examine ourselves.
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I think that it is sad that in 2009 that a Justice who works for the government refused to issue a marriage license to an inter-racial couple. After many years of racism and a civil war fought over racism Justice Keith Bardwell has taken a step back from Americans trying to stop this problem. Justice Bardwell says, “’I’m not a racist,’ Bardwell told the newspaper. ‘I do ceremonies for black couples right here in my house. My main concern is for the children.’” I am almost 100% positive that he does not care about the well being of their offspring. This is just one of many excuses that he uses to try to make himself look like he is not a racist, something that he believes in his mind is a justification for him to not administer a marriage license to an inter-racial couple. I also believe that Bardwell does not have a full understanding of what being a racist is, just because you perform marriage ceremonies for a black couple does not mean you are not a racist, denying a white woman and a black man a marriage license is a different FORM of racism. What Bardwell said is similar to someone on the street saying something along the lines of, “I hate Asian people, they illegally come to America and steal all of our jobs, BUT I do like Chinese food, I like going to the nail salon to get my nails done by them, etc (all the other stereotypes). It’s shocking that he has been a court justice for over 34 years and this is the first time that this racist issue is coming to light. On the other side, I am happy that the governor and others are trying to get him to resign from his current position, his unfortunate misunderstanding of him not seeing how he is a racist is making a positive progression in other areas such as the governor making an effort to remove him. This shows that after many years that there has been some progression towards ending racism after all. The other thing that I wanted to address is I guess Bardwell does not see that when someone loves another, regardless of their race they would still like to have equal rights as everyone else does. In today’s world there are many children who are of mixed ethnicities. People would possibly say they are more accepting of mixed offspring, it is more common now in 2009 than it ever was before. At the end of the day, when someone loves another, color is not a problem to them, hopefully in the future, other people will see that love does conquer all, it especially conquers racism.
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I honestly was shocked after hearing and reading this story on the news. This is just unbelievable, very upsetting. How could a judge deny the marriage of this bi-racial couple? I still don’t understand why this judge would do such a thing like this. I am very confused and totally surprised about this story. It really threw me off. I have never heard anything similar to this story. I think we have all heard about denying marriage to gay couples, but not to bi-racial couples. This must be very new in our modern times. Day by day racism is growing and growing and getting worst every day.
I would understand this judge if he denied a marriage between a gay couple in a state that it is illegal for homosexuals to get married. Still I would be upset, but I mean it’s the law and there is not much we can do about it. But in this case, I totally disagree with this extremely racist judge not granting the right for a multi-racial couple to marry and be happy. I feel that racism is just growing and growing and getting out of control. I feel very sorry for this couple. If I was them, I wouldn’t even know how I would of have felt after a judge denied me the right to marry my partner just because of my or her race.
From my own understanding, I concluded that the judge claimed that the only reason why he would not marry the bi-racial partners was because he did not want their marriage to end soon in a divorce, just like other marriages. Supposedly he was looking out for their future children. I mean why would he even care about the future children about this marriage. I feel like this is just an excuse, it doesn’t seem like something very serious. According to some statistics, bi-racial marriages do not work out as well as other marriages. If this was a problem then why isn’t there a law that prohibits bi-racial marriages. This is just something very stupid, yes that is the way I see it. If the bi-racial marriages wouldn’t work then every state would do the same thing. And from what I know, I have never heard about a judge denying the right of marriage to a bi-racial couple.
Over all, I just see the judge’s decision as a very racist and stupid decision. I am still shocked something like this has happened. It seems that all the color people are losing rights, even if they are American citizens. Their rights are being totally violated and that is something that I do not tolerate. I am very upset and at the same time very mad about this sad situation.
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So, this story is pretty ridiculous. A Justice denies an interracial couple their marriage license for no reason other than ethnicity. And his ridiculous logic is that he fears for the futures of their children. Certainly, the guy is allowed to form his own opinion on whatever issues he chooses, but he also has a job and duty as a justice of the peace. Having opinions is great, up to the point where they start infringing upon the rights of others, which is exactly what is happening here. There was absolutely no justifiable reason for the guy to deny that couple the license, and he chose to act on ignorance rather than do his job.
And then the guy says his isn’t racist? I almost kinda sorta believe him. I mean, yeah I’ll concede that there are probably still quite a few racists judges here in America, but how many of them are openly racist? I definitely don’t believe what he’s saying, but I think he believes it. So while I’d definitely label him a racist, I don’t think he believes himself to be racist, but I suppose that a racist never does. He should definitely be booted. Maybe then he can get a job as a pundit or something so he’ll actually be able to give his opinion on the laws and be relieved of the burden of upholding them.
As far as his actual argument that the couple’s children would suffer because interracial relationships don’t usually last, it’s bullshit. The same argument could be applied to a marriage between any other two people, no matter their ethnicity. Marriage as a whole has a pretty significant chance of failure. And what would happen to the children if their parents were to divorce? Newsflash: divorce doesn’t kill kids. It isn’t fun, and I definitely wouldn’t choose to go through it again if I could, but my parents, being the two responsible adults that they are, did the best they could at making sure that I was always as happy as could be. I don’t know why it’s so hard to buy the fact that as long as kids have got enough love, they’ll be just fine.
I think the whole interracial relationship thing is becoming more and more of a nonissue as time goes on. I guess the only real argument that could be made against it would be that the differences in culture would make it more difficult to maintain a healthy relationship, but today in America, ethnicity isn’t anywhere near as much of a determinate of culture as it was decades ago. As shown in class take three white people and you’re likely to get 3 pretty different cultures. Those are my feelings. Spread the love.
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This man is simply unbelievable. For a person in a position of power, he is absolutely abusing his authority by refusing to marry an interracial couple. His views are extremely close-minded. Bardwell claims to not be racist, but his actions strongly speak against that claim. He denied someone a right upon the basis of their skin color. If that is not a racist act, I do not know what is. He claims, though, that his decision was not rooted in racism, but rather out of concern for the offspring of the couple. He believes that children of interracial couples with suffer unnecessary hardships in life. While this may be true to some extent, it does not condone his denial of a marriage license. Bardwells actions are completely unfair and discriminatory to this couple who is in love and blind to color. The children, and the issues that they may or may not face, should be the concern of the parents, not the justice of the peace who was going to marry them. Another so-called concern Bardwell has in regards to marrying this couple was the divorce rate among mixed race marriages. He has no right or authority to decide which marriages have a better chance at success and which are prone to fail. I don’t know who this man thinks he is that he believes he has the right to deny marriages. He clearly overstepped his boundaries and there is no doubt that he should be penalized for his actions.
Sam Richards made a great point in his argument about which of us would be willing, or not, to have children from a different ancestry. The vast majority of the class claimed that they would be against it, and for the sake of the child. I honestly believe that that claim was made because it would be considered the most politically correct answer. It gives people who are looking for a way to cop out of a potentially racist situation the perfect opportunity to do so. It’s a lot easier to say that you wouldn’t want to have a child of mixed race because you’re afraid they may suffer hardships than it is to say that you wouldn’t want a child of mixed race because you wouldn’t be comfortable with the situation. Let’s be honest with ourselves. Mixed race relationships and marriages are fairly new and not so common, and many of us may be uncomfortable with the thought of being in one. Does this mean we’re racist? It may, but we can change these views. We need to get past color and see the person beneath the skin. We are all the same on the inside, and we need to embrace these similarities that we all share as a human race instead of focuses on differences which allow us to judge and discriminate against one another.
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This guy really rubs me the wrong way. I cant believer there are still people like this who actually have power. I understand that there are a lot of racist people around in the world today but this is unusual. I wonder how someone could make it so high up on the social latter and still be this stupid. I really thought judges were some of the smartest people around. But after reading the last comment Sam said on the blog page I see where this judge is coming from. Technically speaking by his own definition he’s not being racist to the couple. But the fact is, he IS being racist because he is not marrying them because they are not of the same race. He’s not treating them the same as a black or white couple and therefore he is a racist. I also understand the fact that most of the people in our class said that they would not want their child to be of mixed race. I don’t remember if I was one of those people butI may have been,. Sam is claiming that these people should at least at some level agree with the judge. I do not believe this should be the case because they were talking about their own kids as opposed to this judge who was talking about someone else’s kids. This judge is trying to prevent someone else from doing what they want with their lives. Whether or not this is racist it certainly is unethical and I believe he can be dismissed for either reason. I definitely think this judge should be removed from his position early. He is not holding true to the constitution and probably not even his own parish. As the article said, his parish is 30% black! I’m sure his black colleges would not agree with his decision to deny these two a happy marriage. Later in the article it says that the couple ended up getting married by another justice of the peace in the same parish. This is proof that the judge is blatantly lying. If he is willing to lie about that, who’s to say he is not lying about being a racist? I think that the two of them will now be able to live happily together. I do not believe that their child will have to deal with more problems than a child of just black or just white parents. If I said before that I would not want to have an interracial child then I am defiantly changing my mind now. This story (along with class) has made me think a little differently about the matter.
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First of all I was completely surprised by the blog Love vs. Justice because I did not know that a judge could simply deny a marriage license. One might think that one reason why they may deny it is probably because there was some type of error with the process or the documentation. Another reason why it would probably be denied is when a gay couple is trying to get married in a state where the law does not allow it. Regardless of the state, sexual orientation and color couples should be allowed to marry anyone they want and feel comfortable with. It astonishing those things like this happens today in the twenty first century. It is completely unbelievable that a judge has that much power over people. Not only that, but have the final word on giving a marriage license or not. It is wrong that he was looking at skin color rather than looking at them as two human beings that love themselves and want to get married under the law. I still don’t understand why he would not grant them their marriage license, even though he said something about the offspring. I think it is not his decision to decide if a couple wants to have an interracial offspring because for all that I know they could have done it without the marriage license. If that is his concern that they were going to have interracial offspring and him thinking that by not giving it to them was going to stop it. That is not the best solution to this situation or whatever he wants to call it. Would his decision have changed if it was a white man and a Latina or an Asian woman? I wonder if he would have done the same thing. When, he says that he is not racist and that his definition only includes not hating black people and treating them different than everybody else. I ask myself, what about all the other races? Why doesn’t he mention not hating other races?? Why does he only include black? Even though he is an elected official I believe he can’t decide for them. On the other hand I kind a do understand that he is worried about the children having problems later on with their lives because they live in and interracial family. On the contrary I think it is a great thing that they grow up in an interracial family because they can learn from both worlds and make it the best. Meaning having two cultures or unique by being racially mixed. Overall, I was really surprised with the Judge decision, and I think he shouldn’t be interfering with the interracial couple’s feelings.
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This doesn’t surprise me. I am from the south and I see this sort of thought happen all the time. You either find very accepting people or ignorant people like this down there. The fact that he would not give a marriage license to this couple is an abuse of his power. He says he is looking out for the future children of this couple, but he failed to see the hypocrisy in his actions. Did he not realize that ugly kids get ridiculed too? If he and his wife had gone to a similar judge for their wedding license and the judge told them that they were too ugly and their children would get pushed around on the playground, I think he would be pretty pissed about that. So basically his actions lead me to believe he thinks the solution to racism is let all the people of colors races die out. He thinks that none of them should procreate to save them from the ridicule down the road. How does he not see that he is a racist? He thinks racism is doing bad things to black people, but letting the black population die out because he will not let them marry is doing bad things to black people.
I get very embarrassed to tell people that I am from Texas because I feel that people’s minds automatically think of people like this man with the thick accent and ignorance. When I tell people I am from Texas, often they laugh out loud. I ask them what is funny about that and they say they did not even realize they did it. This man should not have the power that he does as a judge. Judges are supposed to be the head figures of the justice system, and how is this man providing any justice to the people of color in this nation? His ignorance cannot see that he is not even treating the white woman the same as he treats other white people. I would love to see one of his children come home with a man of color and a baby on the way and see how he feels about mixed babies. I feel that being raciest and not even seeing it as racism is the worst kind. Their ignorance blinds them and prevents forward effort in the movement towards acceptance. I feel that people such as this man make it harder for me to tell people I am from the south because I am afraid they will write me off as someone like this man. He makes it more difficult for me to really allow people to see me and not see an ignorant raciest girl from Texas.
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Earlier when I was searching the race relations blog for a post to use as my journal I was immediately drawn to the post entitled “love vs. justice”. When I saw the picture at the top of the page with the black man and white woman in it I knew this was going to be another unfortunate story about interracial relations. Right away I though of the tragic story of the man who was beaten to the brink of death for his relationship with a woman of a different race that I used for my journal a few weeks ago. As I read on my suspicions about interracial relations were confirmed. I was so saddened that the most joyous of times in these to young people’s lives, realising they were going to be married had to be off set and ruined by this overtly racist man. Who is he to decide who can and cannot get married? That is not part of his job at all. His complete openness about discussing his decision appalled me too in the video on YouTube he genuinely believed that his actions could be justified and quite frankly he seemed a bit surprised that people were questioning his actions at all . It would be one thing if it were a gay couple trying to get married and he refused because it was illegal but in this case he was refusing simply because he is racist. I agree with him in the fact that interracial marriages are questionable and that it will certainly make things hard for their children but its not up to him. His job is to marry people the rest he can leave to the law. His complete ignorance to the rest of the world was utterly amazing. For one he defined racism as “to hate black people or to treat black people differently”. Besides the fact that his definition is completely invalid he is directly contradicting himself in his actions. By denying a black man the right to marry he is as he would say “treating black people differently”. I also agree with the black man that this is the year 2009. I though for certain that we had moved past this type of racism in the United States. I certainly know that not everyone will approve of or condone interracial marriages but I didn’t know that there were people out there that would actually refuse to marry interracial couples. In the future we need to continue to work towards an acceptance of more and more people. We need to realise that things change over time and that things that we once though were unacceptable are now run of the mill and need to be treated with respect.
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From reading this article I found myself hard to believe a judge refuses to marry an interracial couple, not only because they are of two different races, but because he does not want the children to suffer. This is not an acceptable reason I could believe because what he is getting in to other people’s business. And how could he tell their mixed children are going suffer things? Divorce happens, and it does not just happen in people who are in different race but it happens to other couples too. His reason of being concerned about their children is a legitimate one for many people; however, as a judge and an individual who is able to impact the lives of others he should not be able to make this sort of decision. In my opinion he is kind of aware that being racist is bad but he doesn’t truly understand what is racist. As a fact he is being racist to the couples because of a white women is marrying a black man and I don’t think he has the right to chose who people marry and say who is not to be married. I believe he has the image in his head how a marriage should look like and he only wants two white people or two black people to marry one another. In that situation he wouldn’t worry about any children coming out mixed. He says racism is a discriminating only black person which he means that black people aren’t given the same or equal opportunity as the white people.
Recall to what Sam mentioned where people said that they wouldn’t adopt a child of the opposite race. I would not mind adopting a child from a different race or ethnicity group because to me, a child looked different than me is not a problem for me and himself or she living without a family is very sad. But what I am afraid is what the view of society, I am sure to believe there is going to be a amount of people think couple has a child from a different ancestry background is somewhat strange. But it might be a little different to me when it comes to the decision of being able to pick a sperm or an egg. As of right now I would just prefer to have a baby that looked like me if it was a single decision of my own and I would be raising the child. However, I honestly could not tell you what I would pick until I was in that moment because picking an egg or a sperm does not just include race but so many other aspects too.
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It is a great tragedy, in my mind, that a black man can not marry a white woman. Why could he not marry her? Because the judge said the children of a interracial couple suffer from a greater amount of prejudice and discrimination as opposed to single race children. Well sir, let me tell you something. The President of the United States is biracial. He has a white mother and a black father. So I am very sorry but you are quite mistaken. If this country is going to move forward from our many problems, then the up and coming generation is the one that will bring us past these problems. Bringing interracial child into this world is one of the best solutions to uprooting the deeply unconscious thoughts that cause people to discriminate between black and white. Mixing the races doesn’t even allow you to pose the question of whether you are black or white. I feel as though interracial couples are big part of uniting the people of this country past the racial line. Right now the country is very divided into racial and cultural groups. Connecting racial groups through music, culture, and love is a huge step in the direction of uniting the people of the United States for a single cause. The advancement of this nation as a whole should be the cause that every man and woman regardless of skin color and background should fight for. The country has become very selfish at times. The collapse at Wall Street, the current economic recession, was caused by large business men getting overly enticed by short term profits and failing to assess the long term consequences. If people can get beyond thinking about only themselves and their own, they might be able to help this nation as whole get past its many problems. For example, the unconscious racism that exists in the back of the minds of many in power is a huge problem for this society. It prevents everyone from having an equal opportunity to be successful in this country. Providing everybody with an equal opportunity is an essential block in the foundation of this country made by Thomas Jefferson in The Constitution. This may sound a little overly political but I was flipping through channels and saw Glenn Beck talk about the Fathers of this Country and contrast them to the current political regime in office. Fox News the supposedly “Fair and Unbiased” channel is obviously taking shots at the current administration it makes me wonder how this channel pretends to be a news channel. Well getting back to the interracial couple, I hope that a judge will grant them a marriage license so that they can get on with their lives.
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Getting married and having children are goals for the majority of people in the world. Personally, I would like to get married and have children, hopefully not anytime soon though. That’s what a lot of couple strive for in relationships. That’s why this blog is interesting and contraversial. The judge isn’t allowing a couple to take part in a sacrament that so many others had the opportunity to. That is what really pisses me off about this whole topic; the judge is using an assumption and labeling it to people. He’s not even using statistics or previous results and forcing his opinion on other people’s lives. Just thinking about that brings up to strong opinions in me. 1. Nobody in America should have that much power. I feel that’s a minor dictatorship and that not one person should be able to determines someone’s life and fate like he did. That’s something I’d expect from a third world or communist country, not America- the land of the free and home of the brave. 2. If he was going to make such a bold inference like, “I’m concerned about their kid. Most interracial couples break up”, not only should he back that up, but he should also live by other statistics. He should deny half the couples that want to get marriage licences just because half of all marriages end in divorce. And he shouldn’t stop there. If any athletes or celebrities are getting married under his jurisdiction he should deny their right as well, since we know those never last. But of course he isn’t going to do that. He just seems like he’s using his judge powers to reflect his racist thinking.
Now for the topic of sperm donors. I was one of the people who said they wouldn’t take the sperm from another race to make our child. However, it wasn’t the race factor. It was simply the fact that someone else would be impregnanting my wife. Not only does that sound weird, but it’s a husbands right. I don’t care who the donor would be, black, white, Asian, Australian, Indian, as long as it’s another man, I’m against it. However, if it came to the unfortunate circumstance that my wife and I couldn’t make kids, I’d have no problem adopting a child. And I wouldn’t care what race he was, all that would matter was that he or she was MY and my wife’s child.
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As citizens of this country we have the right to pursue the faith of our choice without fear of persecution; but, as citizens of this country we also have the responsibility to insure that no one persons’ beliefs, religious or otherwise, interfere with another persons basic civil rights. Some religious faiths teach that eating meat or consuming caffeine is wrong. Others prohibit dancing, the use of modern technology, eating pork, or the use of birth control. These people have the right to live by the teaching of their faiths, but they do not have the right to insist that all people live according to their personal beliefs. Even my Mother was against gay men and women. But she never told me to hate or dislike anyone for the color of his or her skin or sexuality. Judge individually, was her motto. I have family members who are gay. And I also have a friend who is gay. So it’s not my business to dictate or tell anyone how he or she should live his or her life. I think men and women who are gay are born gay. They prefer same sex partners. Is it natural? It seems like it comes naturally! Or is it a sin? That is for god to decide not me. And I don’t think they are going to be cast into hell because they are gay. With all this sin that is going on and all this killing everywhere there are going to be truckloads for the “thou shall not kill” crew. I think in terms of ALL of humanity, yes, homosexuality is ABNORMAL, meaning that it doesn’t normally occur. Most people are heterosexual. For the individual who are homosexual, however, I believe its very normal and natural to them. I won’t use the color example, but I will use a race example. Some things are predetermined. You don’t pick your race, eye color, hair texture, height, etc. I don’t think its a stretch at all to include sexuality in those before mentioned things. It is my opinion that homosexuality is not a chosen orientation. I imagine that their attraction to the same sex feels as natural as straight peoples’ attraction to the opposite sex. I mean, honestly, why would anyone choose to be a member of a group so heavily discriminated against? There is a verse in Leviticus condemning homosexuals, but the thing is, a couple of verses earlier, it says that if a bride is discovered to not be a virgin, she should be stoned. Though we have done away with the stoning, why not homosexuality? Another passage in 1 Cor. lists types of sinners who will not inherit the kingdom of God. Homosexuals are included in this list, but so are alcoholics, effeminate men, and those who covet. I do believe that legal marriage should remain between a man and woman, but I don’t understand the severe bias placed upon homosexuals.
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