Bigotry, Stereotypes, and Closed Minded Purists:
             In the United States, forty-five percent of parents say that they would prefer that their children would not date someone outside of their race. Another survey states that twenty percent of parents would not permit their child to date outside of their religion. When dealing with the issue of their child's dating life, this would leave a combined amount of thirty-five percent of parents unbiased to race or religion. Being from the African and Caucasian decent, as well as a member of the Methodist religion, I have come across bigots, stereotypes, and close-minded purists.
             The current bigotry that I have dealt and am still dealing with is the worst. In the beginning of my current relationship it had come to my attention that when going out with my girlfriend, I always had to meet her and her friends at a certain location. I had never picked her up at her house, met her parents, nor any other family member. When this matter was mentioned, she revealed that her father did not approve of interracial relationships. Her father had grown up where he was not exposed to black people. He had automatically placed this label of no interracial dating upon his daughter due to the stereotypes placed on black men in society.
             The common stereotype that is placed upon black males is that they do not treat women with respect. This being the downfall of many of my relationships. For privacy rights we will call this girl "Mary". While "Mary" and myself were dating we had made arrangements to meet at the movies. While meeting her there, her father greeted me with a firm handshake and said, "If you are like all those other black guys who just go out with girls to get them pregnant and leave them, then I want you to have nothing to do with my daughter." That was the first and last time I ever met her father. "
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