Boise St. star's wedding draws racist threats (Ian Johnson)

BOISE, Idaho (AP) - The Boise State running back who scored the winning points in the Fiesta Bowl, then proposed to his cheerleader girlfriend on national television, says he has hired security for their wedding because of racial threats.

Ian Johnson, who is black, and Chrissy Popadics, who is white, are due to be married Saturday in Boise. Since his Jan. 1 proposal, Johnson said, he has received phone calls, letters and some personal threats from people who object to their marriage plans.

"You take it for what it is - the less educated, the less willing to change," Johnson, 21, of San Dimas, Calif., told the Idaho Statesman for its Tuesday editions. "But we're not acting like we're naive to all the stuff that's going on. We know what's been said. We're going to make sure we're safe at all times. It's an amazing day for us, and we'd hate to have it ruined by someone."

"It's really sad because a lot of people that are probably doing it are the same people who were cheering me on," Johnson said.

The Jewish angle I was alluding to is from back in the 60s when several of the landmark cases involved white Jewish men and black women.

I knew of three personally and another was a white New York Jewish liberal and a “colored” Jamaican woman but they lived in England near Hastings.

Here on FR, I am aware of one but she is not “black” but mixed and appears to be culturally white.

I was raised Protestant. We were never taught that racism is a sin. I am not even aware of racism being anywhere in my Bible.

For us it is a modern construct.

The Catholic Spanish/Portuguese conquerors and later the same country of origin slavers and planters sure acted like they knew nothing of racism either or they ignored it.

I am not aware of anyone even using the term racist prior to the 1900s...

My own views on what constitutes racist or racism are far different than most young folks today. I grew up when true white supremacy was around and that was considered the benchmark for racism. Now even here on a conservative forum, it is considered racist to prefer to marry within one’s own group.

Nor do I consider racism to be the end all of bad behavior....even if directed at me which it has been frequently during my life from the late 70s on. I think folks latch on to it to finger point, make excuses, not have to defend their position and then preen about how open minded and compassionate they are. Blacks and other minorities who are racist to my group do so because they are angry at themselves for their own failures and are taught by their leaders and our popular culture that it’s ok to blame my group...so they do...lol...who wouldn’t. The few Whites who are actually racist feel their culture is superior...that’s not news....

I don’t believe that. Folks can do what they like either way. It’s not my business. These days if they bother to marry and be responsible is more the question than anything and failing to do that is exponentially greater in some communities than others.

I would say like you did on hunch that white man/black woman marriages are probably more common amongst conservatives....maybe...I dunno...I know down here that white man/white woman with kids and wife does not work and Christian household then betting money is they are conservative....get beyond that and bets are off

I think the region has more to do with culture and behavior than available minorities. I come from Jackson Mississippi....now a crime ridden tough place that is 80% black and interracial marriage is rare.

Yet here in Nashville, in the lower income white areas it’s very common...not marriage but serial illegitimacy and these are communities where the back population is less than 20%...outlying areas may be only 3% black but lots of serial illegitimacy ...in my view since these particular black males are seeking an untapped source..sorta....illegitimate culture regardless of race is a problem for all of us as a whole...

And in bucolic upper middle class areas where I live aside from the occasional pro athlete, black lawyer or doctor who has a white wife, then it goes back to white guy and black woman....and they are usually more upwardly mobile....and more like me behavior wise and I feel more at home with them.

It’s very interesting to observe, My Yankee friends who visit often comment on how many white girls they see with mixed baby in tow....or lol....they observe that Nashville has a lot of homosexuals...true sadly...damn sure lots of homosexuals here. So I know that to some up north it’s still not common.

I lived overseas for more or less for 17 years...some in completely black nations....very little interracial stuff. The key issue was the tribe...a deadly issue actually.

In Haiti and the Dominican Republic it’s about shades and they have fought horrific massacre style wars over this .

Folks here think Americans (or South Africans) discovered racial conflict...not true and rather presumptuous.

How anthropology and cultures evolve fascinates me but it’s so hot button today that hardly anyone is candid or objective in the research.

The Catholic Spanish/Portuguese conquerors and later the same country of origin slavers and planters sure acted like they knew nothing of racism either or they ignored it.

Pedophilia and homosexuality are sins, too, and, sadly, as we all know, some in the Church have ignored them as well. But the Catholic doctrine itself teaches against those sins.

I was raised Protestant. We were never taught that racism is a sin. I am not even aware of racism being anywhere in my Bible.

I don't remember if the term "racism" in particular was used. But the nuns drummed into our heads that we should treat all people kindly and that we shouldn't hate people because they're different from us. I'm sure any one of the Catholics here on FR could answer that question with more knowledge about its basis in Scripture.

Now even here on a conservative forum, it is considered racist to prefer to marry within one’s own group.

I have never heard anyone say that. Most people prefer to marry people with whom they share similarities. Marrying outside your group - whatever it may be - can bring outside pressures on a marriage. Some of us have chosen to do so, despite societal pressures.

I would say like you did on hunch that white man/black woman marriages are probably more common amongst conservatives....maybe...I dunno...

Maybe because more white men than white women tend to be conservative, perhaps there's just a higher number of white men here on FR. For the record, I'm only using terms like "race" and "interracial" here because they're brief and easily understood. Really, I see "race" as nothing more than a social construct.

Folks here think Americans (or South Africans) discovered racial conflict...not true and rather presumptuous.

I agree!

How anthropology and cultures evolve fascinates me but it’s so hot button today that hardly anyone is candid or objective in the research.

I find it all fascinating, too. The problem with research is that it puts people into groups, instead of treating them as individuals, and too many people are willing to believe the bad research when it supports a negative view of a group.

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