Many Americans have no friends of another race: poll

[Baitball Blogger]

NEW YORK (Reuters) - About 40 percent of white Americans and about 25 percent of non-white Americans are surrounded exclusively by friends of their own race, according to an ongoing Reuters/Ipsos poll.

The figures highlight how segregated the United States remains in the wake of a debate on race sparked by last month's acquittal of George Zimmerman in the shooting of unarmed black Florida teenager Trayvon Martin. President Barack Obama weighed in after the verdict, calling for Americans to do some "soul searching" on whether they harbor racial prejudice.

There are regions and groups where mixing with people of other races is more common, especially in the Hispanic community where only a tenth do not have friends of a different race. About half of Hispanics who have a spouse or partner are in a relationship with non-Hispanics, compared to one tenth of whites and blacks in relationships.

Looking at a broader circle of acquaintances to include coworkers as well as friends and relatives, 30 percent of Americans are not mixing with others of a different race, the poll showed.


http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sns-rt-us-usa-poll-race-20130807,0,3468632.story

[Recursion]

1. I find that difficult to imagine, personally

Though I've never lived in a majority white neighborhood, either.

[Bennyboy]

2. I've ner had a black friend, an asian friend, a Jewish friend, a gay friend or

almost every other ethnicity you can name. Not that I have anything against them, they do not figure in my world. I live in lilly white ville...

The best song about race ever is this one by Dan Bern: http://www.artistdirect.com/nad/window/media/page/0,,336675-1958458,00.html


*correction* I have always had gay female friends, But never had a gay male friend. In fact my girlfriend (?) right now is gay. When ever I am single I get together with a gay girl and we hang out. Not that it is what I am looking for (I prefer women who like Men) it has always worked out that way. that is until I meet someone who is straight and they always freak out and I have to end the relationship with my gay friend.

[xfundy]

3. Well, yeah, everyone else is "other."

I was raised to be a racist cancervative and disappointed my family horribly because I questioned, ie, "why do we hate [group or "color"]?" and never got a remotely relevant answer. "We'll know after death" was the most frequent answer, especially when I asked the churchies, of whom my parents were a part. Went to the preacher, too, got the same answer.

To hate or devalue anyone on the basis of where they come from, how they look, their native customs, how they speak, the melanin in their skin--I honestly doubt this is even a caveman-inspired suspicion, as our ancestors mated with anyone available, but a more recent invention.

The funny thing is the racists enlist a liberal jew who may or may not have lived in the desert two centuries ago as some kind of standard for their racist rants, even antisemitism.

"JAYZUSS was a CHRISTIAN, yew librul heathen!"

Honestly.

[Jamaal510]

4. I don't have any friends period.

I had some in high school I'd hang with during lunch and on the baseball team. I had friends from all races/ethnicities, and I had friends who were nerds and friends who were more popular. I never bothered to keep in contact with any of them. Back then, I was just so ecstatic about finally leaving high school that the thought never occurred to me. Plus I was even more shy then than I am now, and I knew less about being sociable.

[Lugal Zaggesi]

5. I go out of my way to be friends with Black, Asian, Hispanic, Indian, Native American, whatever,

women. But they don't seem to like white guys.

They say things like "Do you even go to this college ? Who are you ? You're like old enough to be my father, get the fuc..." Sadly, America is still very segregated, where people stay with their own kind and don't make an effort to broaden their horizons.