Media File Project
Ten Current Event Articles and Analysis
Jeff Lippert
11/23/2013
American Public University
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Contents
Interracial couples now part of mainstream .................................................................................................. 3
Short life of Carter Scott marred by accusations of family violence ............................................................ 6
Kids Behaving Badly: When old rules of discipline no longer apply. .......................................................... 9
The 10m grannies giving free childcare:
Number of grandparents who look after their children's offspring jumps 60% in five years ..................... 12
Singapore bans Ashley Madison extramarital affairs website .................................................................... 15
Hawaii Passes Gay Marriage Bill; Ceremonies Set To Begin Dec. 2 ......................................................... 17
Elder Care: Sharing family resources without penalty ............................................................................... 20
Family: Adoption shows love for children ................................................................................................. 23
Here's the story of a blended family ........................................................................................................... 26
Bisexuality Not Deemed A 'Legitimate Sexual Orientation' By Heterosexual Men, Women: University Of
Pittsburgh Study .......................................................................................................................................... 29
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Interracial couples now part of mainstream (Topic #2) http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/ct-met-interracial-relationships20131023,0,7185001.story This article identified many facts about interracial dating and marriage. The author identified that mixed race relationships are still rare, but are on the rise. A study by the Pew Research
Center found that in 2010 about 15 percent of all new marriages in the U.S. were between spouses of a different race or ethnicity. This was more than double the 6.7 percent in 1980.
(Trice, 2013) Racial “mixing” has become more popular on television; the article points out that many shows depict interracial couples and families as the norm. They hardly ever discuss race in these sitcoms and drama anymore, she points out. Dating websites are including blogs on “how to swirl” a relationship. (Trice, 2013) And in politics interracial relationship has also become more common, where for many years it was considered a drawback to be in an interracial relationship, there's been a shift of acceptance, Trice indicates. She also alludes to the fact that interracial couples face many hurdles, more than non- mixed race couples. The article also included information from The Pew Research Center study that showed, Asians were the group most likely to intermarry, at 27.7 percent. Hispanics were next at 25.7 percent, then blacks at
17.1 percent and whites at 9.4 percent. (Trice, 2013) The article also quotes Erica Chito Childs, an associate professor of sociology at Hunter College/CUNY Graduate Center. She says, "When
I research in white communities across the class division and the country, people say they're fine with interracial relationships, but they also say, Why do it? Marriage is difficult enough. Why make it more difficult?”
Interracial marriages reveal exogamy or marrying outside of one’s particular group. (Benokraitis,
p.101) The article parallels with the trends noted in our book. It shows trending acceptance of
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interracial couples. While this is become more prevalent in America it is difficult. Benokraitis points out that 95 percent of all couples marry someone of the same race. (Benokraitis,p. 101)
This minority status within marriage makes these couples even more subject to prejudges. Our author also points
