I think it’s great that you celebrate diversity. You would be dishonest to yourself if you just saw everyone as “just people.” Of course, everyone is, at heart, “just people,” but think how boring things would be if there weren’t differences. When you were saying that in the neighborhood — he’s black, he’s Jewish, etc., you were looking at it in a positive way. That’s good, not bad. I’m sure the black guy is looking at you like the white woman.

The one thing I sometimes see in people who’ve come from suburban all-white areas and then move to the city is that they sometimes do a reverse racism and look at “ethnics” as somehow more authentic than “white-bread” white people. I always found that a bit racist, as if they were using black/Asian/Latino people to help them escape something from their suburban past. We’re all different, but all the same. We all like Chinese food a lot and watch “American Idol.”

You could say she’s tall, beautiful, smart, funny, and an excellent roller skater. It’s certainly possible; moreover it’s easy unless you’re hung up on the fact that she’s black. I think it’s telling that the assumption is we wouldn’t and needn’t describe her as “white” if that’s what she is. Having said that, I don’t think so-called colorblindness would be a good thing, and I do agree that “color” would likely be a large part of said girlfriend’s identity (as it would be for a white girlfriend, though maybe not in a way that was as obvious to her or anyone else).

it is tough - we’re supposed to celebrate diversity, but not talk about races? how is it possible to describe an African American friend (or girlfriend) without mentioning they’re black? isn’t that a huge part of who they are? why is it that something that is so visually apparent is supposed be ignored?

TREATING people differently b/c of their color is racist. ACKOWLEDGING that they are a different color is just describing a natural difference, and possibly cultural difference, depending on the person. why have we been taught that that is wrong? this is one issue where i think the left has swung way, way to far. race distinction is important to cultural and personal identity; it is not something to be ignored.

This would be really funny if hos and pho rhymed.