So, unless you say "white women are inherently better at attracting me on dating sites" I'm not sure how it could be shoehorned into racism.
What if that belief were true? Would it still be racist?
Concretely (since a reply brings up biology): I believe African women are "better" (taller, have larger asses, and less body hair) than White/Asian women. I believe these differences are primarily biological, likely genetic, in origin.
I do discriminate on the basis of traits correlated with race - I am more attracted to tall, dark women with larger asses. I've dated more women from Africa in the past 6 months than from any other continent.
Am I racist?
(Note: I'm not African, nor will I be offended if you call me racist, so don't hold back. I'm simply attempting to understand the viewpoint expressed.)
Edit: You must also use it as a justification for discrimination.
But it doesn't matter. What does it matter to a 4'11" black woman that on average, black women are taller than women of other races? What does it matter to you? Unless you love a woman with a large ass and you have to pick a random woman out of a hat filled with the names of women from only one race, then your best chance might be to select from the hat for black women.
If I could persuade you that I were accurately measuring every woman's height (perhaps by making observations like "she's up to my shoulder" or "she's up to my jaw"), would you be convinced I am not racist?
http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2014/04/okcupid_and_race_is_it_racist_to_date_only_people_of_your_own_race.html
http://www.racialicious.com/2009/10/09/of-okcupid-and-denials-of-racism/
http://everydayfeminism.com/2013/11/racial-preferences-are-racist/
http://www.rolereboot.org/sex-and-relationships/details/2013-11-if-you-wont-date-people-of-a-certain-race-youre-raci
> In a somewhat similar vein, one of OkCupid’s questions reads as follows: “Would you strongly prefer to go out with someone of your own skin color/racial background?” I was struck by the not inconsiderable number of people who answered “yes”—including some people I know “in real life,” many of whom are hilariously self-righteous about their enlightened political views.
I don't see why that's surprising. Marriage stats in the U.S. still show that people (even minorities) generally marry those of the same race. Is it really surprising that people have a higher preference to connect with those with a similar culture and appearance?
So the articles you've linked are fine, IMO.
However I do get the sense and agree with you, that for a great many people it's only racist if you're white, and that for other ethnicities racially-exclusionary dating is fine. Mainly I think that's because most people haven't given it much thought.
The reason that this can be true and decidedly not wrong is because of white privilege[0].
0: http://racismschool.tumblr.com/post/55307010922/what-is-whit...
> racism is the belief that one or more race is inherently better or worse in some regard
does this mean that a belief is only racist if it is one that has been consciously considered? What about unconscious/subconscious thought (e.g., preference)? It seems difficult to completely reconcile human instinct with true egalitarianism.