The race is on

A fascinating look at interracial dating, who is interested in it and who is not:

Some of you did get it right, like Dan, who hypothesized that Asians are relatively more willing to date outside their race. David predicted that black men are more likely to date white women than white men are to date black women — which is right, although not for the reason many people think. It's not that white men are more reluctant to date non-whites; it's that black women are less willing to date someone of another race.

At least that's the picture that emerges from studies of online daters and speed daters. Men are generally willing to date someone of another race, but women are more reluctant, especially African-American women.

So, men may be the insensitive sex but are apparently more willing to date outside their own race. And black women, who, if we are to believe the current wisdom, are the least likely to find good partners of their own race, are the least willing. Why that might be remains a mystery -- including to the author of the piece.

Dick Gregory, somewhere between when he stopped being a good comedian and became a bad social critic, said something that struck me as true: This country will never get over its racial divide until interracial marriage becomes common and accepted. There are signs that Gen. Y might be on the right track. But, then again, we boomers were supposed to be enlightened, too.