I've only been on a brief visit to Ireland, so don't know if this issue is about the culture there or what. In the States I had a couple of long term relationships with black men, one three years long. Some people look, but I don't think most were staring or had looks of distaste. Anyway, I just ignore it. I got used to it early on as one of my first boyfriends, in high school, was a black guy. Maybe in the States we're more used to seeing interracial couples. Anyway, in the long run, it shouldn't matter at all what other people think--different culture, race--whatever. It could be a problem when/if there are children, but my observation is that strong, thoughtful parenting can overcome that, or anything else.
What’s the deal? On this singles site and others, I see a lot of profiles of men in their late 40’s and over 50 looking for women 20 or more years younger than themselves. On the other hand, women in their late 40’s and in their 50’s complain when they get a lot of attention from men 20 or more years younger than themselves, stating that these guys are ‘young enough to be my son.’ People say ‘age is just a number,’ but I don’t agree. To me, a man who is interested in dating a women young enough to be his daughter has problems—maybe he is too immature to appreciate a woman his own age, or maybe he is unable to face that he is no longer young, don’t know. If women in their 20’s and 30’s are interested in men twice their age, I don’t know any and I can’t understand why, other than the obvious of looking for money/security, but a woman who is emotionally strong and healthy doesn’t need that. I’m trying not to be too judgemental here, trying not to offend anyone. So the question is ‘what is the deal?’ Enlighten me. Are there really lots of women who want to date men 20 or more years older, or are these guys just not in touch with reality?
Okay--serious and honest answer. If you ask a woman out, and she likes you and wants to go out, and she isn't playing games, she's going to say yes. So if she says no, she probably doesn't want to go out with you. Or, she does but she plays games... are you interested in women who play games? --like the 'try a little harder cause I don't want you to think I'm an easy touch'? That's game playing, as far as I'm concerned. Not all women play those games; in fact, probably most don't. Does that answer the question? I agree with your sister. Ask once, if you get a negative answer, move on.
No, I wouldn't date you. You are 53 years old, I am 31. You are old enough to be my father. You have listed on your profile that you are looking for women from 28 to 53. I can't imagine a 28 year old woman with a healthy mind and heart seriously wanting to date a man your age. And I don't think a man of your age who is looking for a woman that young has a healthy mind and heart. So, no, I would not date you.
Yes, it is only an accident of birth that one's citizenship is American or European and another's is a struggling 3rd world country. We all inhabit the same planet and all have the same rights to it. I didn't create the prosperity and strength of America. I have no special right to it. It is time in the world today to think more globally. We are really in a position where we must. If we don't start thinking and acting as a world population and as world citizens, we are going to lose what is really necessary, not current political regions and boundaries, but the planet itself--wars, pollution, mismanagement of resources, over population--we are destroying the only thing we really have, this life giving planet.
I've always wondered why America, a very rich country with so much talent and power, can't do more to assist the Mexican people and their government to prosper. Most Mexicans, as well as most economic immigrants around the world, would prefer to stay in the country and culture into which they were born, if they could survive and life in peace and prosperity there. Surely America is capable of, if the will were there, doing more to solve the problem at its source; it would be better than having to deal with the result of the problem.
Thanks. I wanted to make one more comment about the original post. This is a false analogy. It is not your house these people (illegeal immigrants) are "breaking into." It is not a house at all. It is not a privately owned space. No body owns America or any other country.
This is a very good point and not at all irrelevant because it is an historical point. People 'born' in America seem to see being a citizen as a deserved right rather than as a gift and a responsibility. Living around the the world and traveling has made me appreciate my luck in being born American, it also helps me see America in a less provincial light. Actually refusing to lean another language because it is the language of immigrants? Sad. Really sorrowful.
Europeans took over the North American continent without any consideration for the indigenous population--yes it happened a long time ago, but it went on for hundreds of years and the negative attitude toward Native Americans, whose cultures the Europeans destroyed, continues to this day. It is more true of America than almost any other country that we are a nation of immigrants, yet those who are 'born' here seem to forget their parents, grandparents, etc. were those very immigrants, many of whom were 'illegal.' If you look at the accomplishments of Americans, many of the most important have come from immigrants not born in America or first or second generation Americans.
It may be that so many Americans do not have a broad vision because they don't travel. Traveling, not just tourism but spending real time in other cultures, leads to a broader understanding. It also shows that other countries are also not welcoming to foreigners. Many Germans are wishing the Turks would just go home, though many of them were born here too. That doesn't mean it is okay to think that way. In fact, Americans, of all people, should be more understanding about immigration, not less understanding.
It really is sickening to hear all this moaning and groaning and whining about how immigration i(legal or illegal) is ruining the country when, in fact, it is immigration, both legal and illegal, that built this country. The American economy is currently in recession, but this is due to the current policies of the current administration, not to immigration issues. Short term memory, narrow and limited vision, this is what I see in many of the comments here.
Portiea Forum Posts (4,000)
RE: Interracial relationships
I've only been on a brief visit to Ireland, so don't know if this issue is about the culture there or what. In the States I had a couple of long term relationships with black men, one three years long. Some people look, but I don't think most were staring or had looks of distaste. Anyway, I just ignore it. I got used to it early on as one of my first boyfriends, in high school, was a black guy. Maybe in the States we're more used to seeing interracial couples. Anyway, in the long run, it shouldn't matter at all what other people think--different culture, race--whatever. It could be a problem when/if there are children, but my observation is that strong, thoughtful parenting can overcome that, or anything else.