On the one hand, yes it can be a bit racist.

But a lot of people would prefer their kids marry "one of their own".

I do think some people get more flack for it, but it is pretty common for immigrants of any ethnic to kind of want their kids to marry someone familiar rather than go straight for another minority or the majority ethnic.

A lot depends on how insular they have been, and often immigrants find an area where they can be surrounded by other people that eat the same things, and speak the same language.

Even when people are fully invested in "everyone gets paid the same, and can live where they want, work where they want, go to school where they want" there can still be residues of "just as long as my kids don't date/marry them.

I do think that sentiment is as prevalent in the minorities as it is in the majority.

Not to excuse it, but it isn't something that surprises me with her being the first in her family to be born here. Somehow it surprises me more from people who have been here many generations.

Oh, you really don't want me commenting on this...

If either set of parents doesn't like it, I believe they know where the airport is.

It certainly could come off as being racist, but they might also be just more comfortable with Chinese Americans than with white people if Cindy's parents are immigrants. Also, they might worry that the ethnic differences between Ernie & Cindy might be insurmountable.

Isn't being "comfortable" just a nicer way of saying racist? We can't have a double standard.

Cindy worries about everything else, so why shouldn't she fret about her parents' approval of Ernie?

Keep this in mind - it's entirely possible that the quote was either edited or taken out of context. Production has a way of doing that. Look back to Brian and Ericka four seasons ago, in which Brian was edited to appear to call his mother-in-law a racist...however, he later explained that the quote was butchered and that Ericka's mother's issue with Brian had nothing whatsoever to do with race.

Also, keep in mind that this is the first time all season that either of them has even made mention of being an interracial couple, a fact Brian and Ericka didn't seem to shut up about. And maybe if Cindy's parents have a problem with Ernie, it has less to do with him being white and more to do with him being a total doofus.

I don't want to get flamed for this, but I don't think their marriage issues would stem from being an interracial couple. I think Cindy might be his beard. I just got a different impression of Ernie during and directly following the body building challenge. He was skipping gaily out of the room, and I mean that in the most joyous of meanings. A little too joyous, I would say.

And fortunately this show isn't The Amazing Racist. They all get along.

Not only was he skipping out of the room in a speedo, the quote "I even locked eyes with one of the men in the audience a couple of times....' did not go unnoticed at my house.

I guess what I don't understand is why would someone who wants their children to marry one of their kind, move 6000 miles away from where most of their kind lives before they have and raise said children? At the very least they should no be surprised if/when their kid falls for one of the locals.

cindy sucks

Well, I'm sure Ernie would be the one who could verify that!

LAST EDITED ON 11-27-11 AT 11:22 PM (EST)

LAST EDITED ON 11-27-11 AT 11:41 PM (EST)

>cindy sucks

ITA!!!

Is a preference really racism? I think that we have plenty of important issues where racism comes into play that we don't have to raise the issue when it's a question of parental preference. If the parents were to disown their daughter and refuse to love their grand-kids then it could be an issue but a preference? Not only is it normal but I'd say it's none of our business.

I know nothing of this subject.

sig Syren, bouncy by IceCat, bobble head by Tribephyl, and snoglobe by agman

Cindy didn't say, "My parents hate Ernie because he's white." What she said was way more ambiguous, something along the lines of, "I'm sure they'd rather..." They may or may not "rather", but apparently they haven't said so out loud to her.

Thanks to tribephyl for the sigpic!