Asian/American Intermarriages

The trend of intermarriage is nothing new.  However, it should also be noted that throughout history all cultures have opposed the idea of a person from one culture or race marrying someone from another culture or race.  Nations have always been interested in preserving the aspects of their culture and race from compromise.  The simple fact is that "intermarriage" compromises the distinctiveness of an ethnic group at the most intimate level possible:  the family unit.  Therefore, there were often strict legal prohibitions on "who" you could marry in the past.  Even so, intermarriages still did happen despite the harsh social penalties.

Today, these prohibitions have been removed in the United States.  The incidence of intermarriage is more and more common.  Few people now have serious problems with the fact that some people choose to marry someone from a different culture or race.  One truth about those who intermarry is that such people feel less constrained by public opinion.  Consequently, they tend to be more receptive to change.  In our world today change is very much a part of our daily lives. 

As this phenomenom pertains to Chinese women, there is the stigma of remarriage that may enter into the equation.  It has been said that many Chinese men are reluctant to marry women who have been married before, even when such women are widows.  Traditionally, Chinese women were supposed to remain true to their deceased husbands and not marry again.  In fact, throughout China the countryside is dotted with arches built in honor of widows who never remarried.  Therefore, to remarry Chinese women sometimes find it easier to go outside their own ethnic group.  To help matters out for Chinese women (as well as other Asian brides-to-be), many American men have taken on a special fascination with things "Asian" in recent years.  Regardless of the reasons, people who intermarry seem to possess special characteristics and traits.  At some point, these people have decided that public opinion of their cultural group is not important in regard to the selection of a marriage partner.  This combined with the ease of intermarriage now makes this type of union more common than ever before!

Best regards from your friend,

Harlan Urwiler

For more information, feel free to visit my website at:  http://www.myorientalgallery.com/.