[Hermann the Cherusker]

America would not be better off if everyone was segregated and "among their own".

Ummm ... actually, that is the America of today as we know it. Blacks living over here, whites living over there, Hispanics living back there, etc. Or did you somehow fail to notice that?

This failure to mix breeds a lot of nonsense in people's minds in ther feverish attempts to proove that they really aren't racist. Thus forced busing, affirmative action, minority set-asides, reparations, white refusal to even travel through minortiy nieghborhoods, red-lining, "see here's my one black friend how can I be a racist", etc.

If everyone would be more honest and open and simply state forthrightly with their mouth what they have already acted upon with their feet, America would be better off, and we would have a much better handle on the mixed ethnicity issue and its effects on us as a society.

Instead, everything is done in euphemisms and silently for fear of the race police. So instead of de-racializing society, this attitude breeds the exact opposite - everything must be passed through the race prism.

[Skywalk]

I'm multiracial.

I make all kinds of generalizations about groups without neglecting the role individuality plays. Far more people intermarry than you suggest and are quite comfortable with their choices. The numbers vary depending on the race/sex coupling, but it is obvious that large segments of the population agree with you not at all.

Preferences are not a bad thing to have, not necessarily a good thing either, as it can blind us to the beauty of a more suitable mate because of skin color or nose shape. Some men and women prefer something a little different than what they are, for whatever reason. Others, like me, are fine with any kind of ethnicity, provided they are attractive, compatible and good.

[mfreddy]

That may be a portion of America, obviously the part you prefer to be in. I find it interesting that you close with the race prism, since that is what you use to judge whether or not you want to have anything to do with them.

I prefer to judge a person, unless they are coming at me with a gun or a knife, by the quality and depth of their character rather than the color of their skin. You would not.

Sonny M, mind your own freaking business. I am an American of German and Czech descent. Hermann does not need your assistance, he has defended his opinion with a considerable amount of vigor. He has also made it crystal clear where he stands on this issue. He and I disagree. We are on opposite ends of the spectrum.

If you are offended by what I said, there is an opportunity to report me for abuse and the moderator will decide. If not, shut the f%$k up.