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Follow on Google News | Searching for Secret Love? Chalkboard TV Wants To Hear From YouBy: GOLDENROOM For cross cultural couples- be they Mixed ‘race’, Inter Faith, Dual national, for instance- sometimes it seems that the only place where such Mixing is acceptable and possible is fiction and fairytale. For those individuals whose love crosses cultural boundaries, the banal realities of day to day life would be a welcome distraction from their frequent experiences of opposition, marginalisation, and being labelled as traitors and foisted into roles as mediators and cultural ambassadors. Alongside the opportunities for two weddings, for travel and amazing food, sit the demands of balancing two cultures, emotional blackmail and fetishism. In the past twenty years, Census taking from a range of countries, such as the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada and others has revealed a rapid increase in the most intimate of Mixing. The overall global trends reveals the number of people who identify as belonging to the Mixed ‘race’/ ethnic group has nearly doulbled each time the Census is taken. In the United Kingdom the combined Mixed group is now larger than any other ethnic group, in essence revealing that twice as many adults have entered a Mixed ‘race’ relationship. Although just 2 % of all marriages in Britain in 2001 were inter- ethnic, this nevertheless comprises a group of nearly one million couples, plus implicating their families and friends in a cross cultural relationship. Other research has demonstrated that nearly one in ten households is either headed by a Mixed partnership or otherwise includes children of Mixed ethnic heritage. Mixed relationships have often been viewed as more fragile than endogamous marriages that have the same cultural foundations. As potential proof of this, children of Mixed ethnic backgrounds are for instance, overrepresented in the care system. Even in recent and contemporary history, Mixed relationships have been illegal in some societies, and the courts do see couples seeking asylum because they have been persecuted for being in a Cross Cultural relationship. In the 1990’s, 40% of Britons were opposed to marriage across ethnic lines. Today just 15% would be opposed. Approximately one half of cases of honour related violence involved the victims transgressing group boundaries of some form. Heated debate also continues concerning freedom of religion for Mixed faith or Intersectarian couples, who almost universally face considerable pressure –and even force- to convert. On the opposite side of the spectrum, people of Mixed ethnic heritage and in cross cultural relationships have also experienced fetishism. Aided by celebrity actions, the uniqueness of their blended ethnic heritage means that some children are made into desirable accessories to aspire to have, known as ‘the Chanel baby’ or 'Brangelina baby'. Pseudo science has been used to ‘prove’ that hybridisation has led to superior human beings and so advocate dating outside of one’s tribe. Recent research from Cardiff University suggested that Mixed ‘race’ people are "over-represented at the top level of a number of meritocratic professions" So too, having a partner of a different ethnicity or faith can be encouraged as a means of showing exotic or worldly credentials. Many Cross Cultural relationships do in fact, serve as a bridge between cultures and often have an effect of assuaging deeply entrenched tensions between groups. Yet equally, many people in Cross Cultural relationships have this diplomatic ambassador role thrust upon them, and they may feel ill equipped to fulfil it, or simply wish to enjoy equally the same everyday lives accorded to people in same ethnic or same faith families. On the extreme end of course, many cross cultural relationships exacerbate communal conflicts, inflaming prejudices and stereotypes, leading to family estrangement and even threats to life and limb. Yet, even a cursory glance at history, shows that the Mixing of ‘races’ and ethnicities’ If you are in a Cross Cultural relationship and especially if you have had to keep this secret from parents, family and friends for fear of meeting disapproval, then Chalkboard TV really want to hear from you. They are also keen to film inter-faith marriages and the process of bringing together a wedding party from two different cultures and backgrounds. The project is in the early stages, so even if you didn’t want to be on film, but still felt your relationship had something valuable to say about Cross Cultural love, the Chalkboard TV would like to hear from you. Explains Mike Benson, Creative Director for Chalkboard TV, ‘At this stage we are just looking to speak with couples or individuals with experience of the above. We'll of course use complete discretion and at this stage won't be filming anything. If you're interested please contact e-mail me on mike@chalkboardtv.com’ This film project from Chalkboard TV is an opportunity for people in Cross Cultural relationships, whether this be Mixed ‘race’, Mixed ethnicity, Dual National, Inter faith, Inter sectarian, bilingual, etc.-to have their experiences represented in a genuine and empowering manner. With Chalkboard TV established as independent filmmakers, this documentary will be a powerful antidote to Hollywood’s versions of Cross Cultural love, ultimately showing the ways in which the Cross Cultural relationships of ordinary people are nevertheless changing the world. Chalkboard TV mike@chalkboardtv.com End
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