Is this racist, does my teacher have a right to punish me for this?

[Nargleblarg]

In situations like this it is thrown around that racism is involved when it is clearly not. My own preferences of attraction is not skewed by some deep seated racial hatred but instead by human nature itself.

The human brain is wired in support of sticking by others looking like yourself for survival and in the case of attraction/mating as well.

For some added hilarity even you can find many blacks or Hispanics or many others that do not have preference for white skin, this is just the way it is.

Also I keep this link below around because I use it quite often. In short it explains that babies who can't even speak let alone decide ethnic preference feel more comfortable around people of the same race through their body language.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2009/09/04/see-baby-discriminate.html

Yes, the teacher has absolutely no academic or moral right to make any of these claims.

 

[DarkRyter]

If there's a body part that's allowed to be racist, it would be your penis.

 

[itsausernamewhatofit]

That is the dumbest accusation I've ever heard. You are not racist, only human. What the hell kind of qualifications does she have to teach psychology?

 

[Corven]

I doubt this'll be read but, was your teacher offended because they themselves have a varied skin tone? Or is it a person getting offended in someone elses honor.

Either way they're still in the wrong, and it just adds another example to the pile of people who don't know what the meaning of racism is.

I also wouldn't let this go down without a fight. Bring it up to higher officials, some may say take your licks and move on with your life, but I say stand up against unfair persecution and make your own thoughts heard, don't just meekly accept your punishment.

Hell I'd go so far as to write a paper on how your teacher themselves is racist for believing the very notion that having a sexual preference towards a certain skin type could be considered racist. The key word here is preference, you prefer it over other but that does not mean that you wouldn't take alternatives if no other options were available to you.

 

[Nargleblarg]

That is the dumbest accusation I've ever heard. You are not racist, only human. What the hell kind of qualifications does she have to teach psychology?

'Nuff said

 

[The Last Nomad]

Nah, not racist at all, I prefer white to black skinned women too (in terms of attractiveness, not how cool a person is or whatever). I don't think that makes me racist, but I'm with you all the way here brother.

 

[Girl With One Eye]

Also, call her out on her blatant homophobia for not asking what you find attractive in the same sex.

Haha I think that's the best reply so far!

But I agree with what most people are saying, it wasn't racist of you at all. If I were you, I'd write the paper as your teacher asked you to and then talk to someone with more authority than her. If you don't write the paper it just looks like your trying to get out of your punishment (yes I know even though it's not your fault) and not because you actually want to be taken seriously. I doubt your principal or whatever will do much about it though if it's anything like the school I went to, it will blow over by tomorrow anyway.

 

[Hitokiri_Gensai]

id be upset, and i would talk to the school counselour or the principal. There is no reason that should be taken as racist. At all. Your teacher is out of line, calling that a racist expression by any means.

Im asian, and i FAR prefer caucasian women. In fact i rarely find other asian girls attractive, does that make me a racist? hell no.

 

[DJDarque]

You're not racist for having a personal preference to skin tones. Everyone does. Granted, not everyone lists such things when it comes to what you're attracted to. Your teacher reacted to something they shouldn't have and, if what you have said is correct, called you out in front of the entire class. Go to your school's higher-ups about it and do not write her stupid paper.

 

[Vausch]

Well, ask what would have happened if you'd said "caramel/mocha skin". Your teacher will be called out for a double standard and you will be easily able to call BS.

 

[Calbeck]

Just another case of someone looking for racism where it doesn't exist, in order to make themselves feel or look morally superior.

 

[CrazyGirl17]

...from what I can tell, this is more an issue of wording something wrong. But hey, there's nothing wrong with having preferences...

 

[aegisadin]

The teacher is wrong in this, it could be discussed for days, but the short answer is simply that your teacher is a coward and wrong.

 

[Beryl77]

You should ask your teacher, that if you had said, you find black people more attractive, would she have reacted the same way?
Because I have my doubts about that.

 

[funguy2121]

We were discussing attraction in psychology today and we did a worksheet, one of the questions being about what we find attractive in the opposite sex. When it got to which physical characteristics we find most attractive, I listed:

somewhat tall
healthy-looking, ie in good shape but not too skinny
dark hair
white skin

and some other things, but that last one was what got me in trouble. Now, at no point did I say I find other skin colors unattractive, and I did not say that I find colored people unattractive, just for their skin color. All I said was that it was one of many physical characteristics (saying nothing of personality and intellectual traits) that I find attractive. And also, it's not like I'd turn down a girl just because of her skin color, to me it's just one trait that I notice, and there are many more (saying nothing of intellectual and personality traits). To me, dating a black or asian girl would be no different than dating a blonde, yes I prefer dark to blonde hair but I can still find her attractive and nice (hopefully). I thought I was being honest about a personal opinion in a mature discussion about a mature topic.

In short, it's no different than my finding dark brown hair more attractive than light blonde hair. It's only a superficial thing.

Anyway, she didn't even give me a chance to explain what I meant by that, and wouldn't hear a word of it when I tried. Now I have to write a paper about racial tolerance. Is this right? Am I a racist, just for finding one skin color more physically appealing than the others?

EDIT/UPDATE: Okay, so the term 'colored people' comes off as racist. Just a poor choice of words on my part, sorry. I'd actually been told it was the politically correct term.

Not to keep harping on this, but I was going to comment on "colored people" when I read your edit. Where did you hear that this is politically correct? It's a racial epithet.

This isn't clear to me. Are you only attracted to people who are pale? If that's the case, then why aren't you attracted to Asian women as you said above? And really, what's the difference in skin tone between a tanned caucasian and a latino?

 

[2xDouble]

This is a psychology class. What is the lesson behind the lesson? is there a subtler point being made, perhaps about preconceptions?

 

[NotSoLoneWanderer]

Nope not racist I'm black and I only really find Caucasian girls attractive. They also tend to not be superficial and uneducated oops was that racist? Well whatever.