I think there's a classic nature vs. nurture question here. Is there inherently something that causes people to be attracted to people who look like what they

I think there's a classic nature vs. nurture question here. Is there inherently something that causes people to be attracted to people who look like what they see in the mirror; or is it influenced by the media, your peer group, your parents, etc. Personally, I suspect the latter plays a much larger role, but I don't have any solid evidence to back that up. And, let's face it, there's probably some degree of it just being easier. Your friends and your family are never going to give you any hassle about dating someone of your own race (). You're never going to have to worry about some bigot yelling at you, or worse, walking down the street. Is that sort of calculation racist? Probably a little, although of a mild sort. In my mind, though, these sorts of mild racisms help to perpetuate the more serious manifestations. They limit interracial interactions; they perpetuate the myth that there actually is significant genetic basis for the concept of race; and they give comfort to racial-purity bigots. The delicate thing here is to recognize this sort of feeling without beating yourself up about it too much. But, to start, just try to make the transition from thinking "I'm just not attracted to people who aren't the same race as me, and there's nothing wrong with that" to "I'm not attracted to people who aren't the same race as me, and I'm not really sure why that is". () This probably applies to religion too.