Here’s something interesting (via Pew Research Center):
My first thought was: I wonder how people are defining “friend?” If we’re talking about friends in the casual sense – someone you work with, someone you occasionally chat with – then these results are basically on point. Most people interact with someone of a different race on a fairly regular basis (if not daily), and accordingly, people build relationships of varying degrees. But, if you’re defining “friend” as something deeper – someone you invite over for dinner, a close confidant, or even a lover – then this survey probably exaggerates the extent to which most people have those relationships with someone of the opposite race. Indeed, if you’re defining “friend” in the latter sense then judging from most American’s inability to discuss race in any rational way, these survey results can’t be correct, since they would suggest that most Americans are very comfortable with people of other races. Which, you know, isn’t really the case.
I don’t really have much else to say, I just thought this survey was interesting.
By friend they mean “we talked once. at school.” or “i loaned said person a pencil.”
Just sayin’…
I’m not sure the inability to discuss race necessarily precludes the ability to have friends of other races. Cross racial friendships happen in societies more xenophobic than our current ones, they just tend to consider the person a special case. That said, there’s such friendship probably are typically not as close.
That said, our fear of discussing race probably limits the extent to which cross-racial friends can expand our world view.
I define friend as someone I respect and would sleep with.
In this way you are my friend Jamelle.
Another interesting factor to me – why is this survey limited to Whites, Blacks, and Hispanics? What about Asians?