How can blatant racism exist in 2009?

This is sickening. I hope that man doesn’t have children himself, I hate to think of such blatant ignorance being passed on.

New Orleans, really? That whole state is full of mixed race people.

I love seeing him try to justify it. Apparently he’s seen mixed-race statistics and knows that they don’t last as long. Cause it’s so rare for white couples to divorce..

I thought that was disgusting as well. It happens often though, really often, it just isn’t publicized. When you are a person of color it is just a matter of reality. I have stories upon stories of this. I’m glad they are giving it coverage , that is really important.

Wow. I can’t believe that is a current article. How did he not lose his job the first this happened?

well, its no different than the pharmacists that fought the Morning After pill, saying they weren’t going to sell it because it violated their religious beliefs.

The world is full of stupid people, you just have to look around you to find them.

Slavery still exists.

I suppose that deep south mentality still hasn’t lost its grip on some people.

@ChazMaz in Sudan it does.

and I dont think its just southern mentality. It boils down to some people being ignorant and some people are not.

Poor mixed race children. They might grow up to be President some day!!

It’s the same thing that happens to children of any age in school. They’re will be prejudices as long as there are people that are different in any way.

To quote from one of my favorite daily comic strips, Non Sequitur,
Stupidity is a condition. Ignorance is a choice.

He justifies it by saying it disadvantages the kids. Now, I happen to think that’s just a BS excuse for his bigotry, but let’s assume temporarily for the sake of argument that he’s right… that ignorant hicks will disadvantage them socially even if there’s no genetic disadvantage (as indeed, there is not). It still makes no f***ing sense. Because…

A. Marriages aren’t all about children. Say a 60-something interracial couple came to him and wanted to get married. Think he’d do it? I bet not.

B. Even if you swallow the idea that being of mixed race is some kind of developmental risk that puts kids at a disadvantage, there are all kinds of developmental risks that put kids at a disadvantage…

Poverty. Parents with substance abuse issues. Parents who don’t emphasize the value of education. Religious conflict in the home (not necessarily being religious per se, but something like conflicting religions in the home confusing the kids). Weak parenting skills. Child abuse. And—ahem—raising kids in an atmosphere of ignorant-ass bigotry. These are just a few potentially negative influences that leap to mind.

Is he worried about avoiding all of these… or just the one he personally finds distasteful? (Again, I don’t even agree with him that it’s a significant risk… just saying that even if you do agree with it, he’s still picking and choosing which risks he cares about, which means he’s being arbitrary and discriminatory.)

Besides, he’s thinking too small… A mixed-race kid can choose from twice as many scholarships and stuff! ;-) And as @Judi noted, what could a mixed-race kid ever amount to? The Presidency of the United States or something?!?? Oh. Right. :-D

yeah i read this yesterday, and it is sick. They should sue his ass till bankruptcy. But this isn’t true racism, the man is mentally retarded and thinks he is doing the right thing.

@Alek2407 He is a judge and using his opinions on race to hurt others. How is that not “true” racism? I would argue that as a judge ignorance is no excuse. And I highly doubt he is not ignorant to the issue just justifying his beliefs for the media.

@Alek2407 I take offense at you calling the man mentally retarded. I know plenty of retarded people, and they would drool on you if they heard you say that. The man is just using the power of his position to set his own rules.

With Obama in the White House, racism is in it’s death throws. We expected this.

Racism is still alive and well in many parts of the country. It is often more blatant in small towns and in the South, but it is still there. Anytime someone refers to a generalized group of people who have a common background of some sort as “they,” as in “they always…” there is a seed of racism present.

I hope that the presence of Obama in the White House means racism is near its end, but I doubt it. I do think his election has brought racism out in the open, where it was hidden more before. This could be a good thing if only because it is much more difficult to ignore something that is out in the open.

@Darwin Racism will never die. As long as there’s a human need to feel superiority, racism and prejudice will live on. We can only hope that it’ll rear its ugly head less often.

@Darwin you should see the racist emails I get from a select group of Republicans, showing Obama and Michelle dressed as a pimp and a prostitute and other such things. The old white goats don’t understand black culture, and don’t want to understand it, its easier to just ridicule it. There’s plenty of racism in the Midwest, especially out here in the sticks, and when you see some dumbass with REDNECK tattooed across the back of his neck you know you have entered the ‘racist zone.’

I’ve been accused of being a racist, but in reality I am a swearist; I judge people by how much they swear and curse.

@derekfnord

You just provided the perfect argument for people who argue against gay people from having children because of mean kids.

@Alek2407 Is there anything to sue about?
I’m fairly sure that they are allowed to decide who they do, and don’t, wish to marry, for whatever criteria they choose.
Yes, it’s highly disturbing, but I don’t think it breaks rules.

I think it should be illegal since the Justice of the Peace is really a public servant and should uphold the constitutional rights to marry an interracial couple , aka, doing his job. A priest , however, would be allowed the religous freedom to not marry an interracial couple or a gay couple.

Correction for my previous post: Judge to Justice of the Peace. Huge mistake.

I don’t think it breaks rules.

Miscegnation is no longer considered to be unlawful. As long as the two people are 1) of age and 2) of the opposite sex and 3) not married to anyone else, the law allows for them to marry. As of 1967, thanks to the Supreme Court’s ruling in Loving v. Virginia, anti-miscegnation laws have been classified as unconstitutional. In other words, his reason for refusing to marry the pair was not lawful or valid.

A nice discussion of miscegnation laws can be found here.

That’s easy: because blatant ignorance still exist in 2009!

“in Sudan it does.”

It exists right here in the good old USA.

These people just use the system, to their advantage.

From foster parents using their foster child for their own needs; money, house worker and even sex.

To the extreme (as we are seeing in the news) of people like the ones that kidnapping children and keeping them for years.

Do not get kidnapping and slavery confused. It starts with the first.

@DarkScribe Saw that – couldn’t believe it – then chalked it up to the “law of Averages” in the great U.S. of A. There’s gotta be one of everything – even a racist civil servant Judge. Maybe he was off his meds?

There will always be racism, just as there will always be those who believe killing themselves and a whole bunch of people at the same time is what God wants them to do, just as there will always be those who will murder a store attendant for the $30 in the cash register, just as there will always be people who think it’s fun to starve and beat animals… etc. etc. because there is always going to be some asshole out there who should never have been allowed into the gene pool.

The asshole should read this

Ugh. That is an outrage. Here is my prejudiced statement…“again the south shows it’s ugly racist head.” Let’s just say it’s true the child will have a tough time in that particular community because of the racism that exists there. It is more than just this one person refusing to perform the ceremony it is a commentary on the city he lives in I think. Still, I agree with what most have written here, he should not be able to refuse if he is a public official.

When I saw @DarkScribe posted the question I was curious to see what made the news in Australia that was so racist, and of course it was about America, sometimes I am so dissapointed in my country.

There are no perfect societies (yet). Neo-nazism exists in every country in the world. Rape exists in every country in the world. But very very slowly it will get better. A better future is possible.

@mattbrowne The eternal optimist. Lurve.

Because the ‘victims’ of racism intend to continue using it to gain special rights.

‘Equal Justice Under Law’ isn’t enough for some.

Sad.

As long as there are ignorant neanderthals( scratch that, just realized that’s an insult to neanderthals) Ignorant Jackasses like this out there, Sadly, it will exist.
@Leanne1986 I hope he actually does procreate, and his children enter into mixed marriages. My father in law was a bigot until my sister in-law actually married a black guy. He had no choice but to actually have to interact with him especially when they had a child together.

Hey, that’s an insult to Jackasses!

Unfortunately racism does still exist. The apartments we used to live in had a real racist man living there. The people above him were black and he called the cops on a 2 year old for shutting the door too hard, he also called the cops on the kids above him for running around their apartment.

Was told later on by a different neighbor that she was on the bus with him and didn’t even know it, when this family with 2 girls who were black got on the bus when they got off the bus at the same stop he said to her some nasty things about them and said they probably haven’t had a bath in a week or something.

He was just a real nasty person. Racist people make me sick and it is a real shame that it still exists anywhere in any form.

I am in a ” interracial relationship.” I DO NOT IDENTIFY PEOPLE by the color of their skin! There is NO excuse in this day and age for anyone to harbor any racial issues twards anyone. If anyone does it is because their parents are ignorant and trained them to be as such! My soon to be wife is Black and I am White Irish and the color of her skin never evan crossed my mind untill some jack ass started making comments on a NYC street! This ass told me that I was personally responsibile for stealing all the Black women from Black men( btw this statement was coming from a Black man.) At christmas every year at my ladys family’‘s home we watch Hairspray (if you have seen the movie you will understand the reference.) There are so many ignorant people walking among us. My parents never once brought up a persons skin color to identify them when I was growing up! There is never a reason to poison a new generation of youth with this racial garbage!!!!!

@bklynbberry25 If you do not identify people by the color of their skin, how do you know you’re in an interracial relationship?

@bklynbberry25 A while back I had a question on fluther asking if there were people out there who were raised very liberal, without reference to race or stereotyping, and then once they were older, in the workforce, and interacting in the world as adults, if they developed some racist generalizations in their heads. Several people admitted to it. I don’t know if you consider this racism? Pretty much everyone agreed they never judge someone as an individual, they get to know that person without prejudice.

Mostly I think differences between people have to do with socio-economic class rather than race, religion, etc. Growing up outside of NYC and Wash DC I had many minorities in my school and no one thought twice about it. We were all freinds from everywhere in the world. But, now living in the south there is much more racial tension, I mean it is shocking to me. There is also an obvious division of education and social class between the races here. Honestly, it is very dissheartening, but I can understand after living here why racism is alive in the south in both directions.

@filmfann @JLeslie I made the point of the interratial part due to the nature of the discussion. I do not refer to my relationship as anything other than what it is a relationship, but I can see how you may think that because of the way I worded it.

It would be easy if the South won the Civil War and slavery had continued until 1960. Heck, the Civil Rights Bill wasn’t signed until 1964. Hatred dies hard!