A few weeks ago I got the privilege of seeing Jordan Peele's Get Out, a satirical horror film, which centers around a black man who is meeting his white girlfriend's family for the first time.
Skeptical to meet the love of his life's family, Chris asks his girlfriend Rose, "Do they know I'm black?", to which she responds "no" and later goes on to mention that her father would have voted for Obama a third term if he could have. Rest assured, Chris goes to Rose's family's estate and notices many strange occurrences, such as having two black servants (one for the yard and one for the house), both of which act out of the ordinary.
Without giving too much of the plot away, I will just sum up the rest of the film by saying Rose's family is definitely NOT okay with their daughter bringing home a black man and they are certainly not ready to call him son.
Of course this film is fiction; but it centers around many real-life prejudices African-American men are faced with, and although Peele tackles these issues at times with humor, they are non-the-less relevant and important topics that need addressing - even in 2017. The film also centers around the challenges of couples that aren't considered 'traditional'.
Similarly, the animated Disney monument Beauty and the Beast was turned into a live-action film and released in theaters worldwide last week. For those of you with no childhood, this story revolves around a girl named Belle (played by Emma Watson, who played Hermione in the Harry Potter series) who falls in love with a young prince imprisoned in the form of a beast, creating drama amongst townsfolk as they view the beast as evil continuing the current box office theme of outrage towards non-traditional couples.
What is a traditional couple?
Delving away from the plot-line of Peele's movie, as well as one of Disney's most beloved stories, why is it not acceptable for two people to love each other? Why is it not okay for a white person to love a black person, so as long as they make each other happy? Why is it okay for two people of the same race to date each other, but wrong for two people of the same gender? Why should a black person be scared to meet his white girlfriend's parents?
Of course times have changed and great strides have been made, but there is still so much work to be done and why stand still?
Many times in our life, especially in our youth, we are asked to explain ourselves. Although, I do believe you should have to answer people of authority such as parents, teachers, coaches, bosses and people who just outrank you both in wisdom and maturity, I am a firm believer that who you chose to spend your time with offers absolutely no explaining so as long as you are happy. You don't have to explain why you once dated a white person and now date a black person just like you don't have to explain why you fell in love with a imprisoned Prince in the form of a Beast (okay the latter might be a little more tricky and I don't have any solutions momentarily).
You really, truly don't.
Happiness is really all that matters in relationships. If you are in a traditional, happy relationship that is fantastic and if you are in a non-traditional relationship that is fantastic too. Both deserve acknowledgment.
We are all in charge of our own happiness and we as people should surround ourselves with people who make us better, people who challenge us to be our best selves, while also helping us during the tough times. If you are white and the person doing all of this for you is black, keep them around and forget society's expectations of what love is. You can't control who you fall in love with, but you can control your happiness.
Always choose happiness and once you're that double check the person you are in a relationship with isn't a psycho murderer.
