Thursday
Sep092010
OK Cupid Survey Reinforces Stereotypes
Man, do black people love Jesus! (Jesus, be a reply to a wink!) But I didn't need OK Cupid's survey to tell me that. I also didn't need them to tell me that white dudes like Dave Matthews Band and The Big Lebowski. I would have been more interested in how many people defied stereotypes. Like, how many black women love Dave Matthews who aren't my sister Denise? How many Asian dudes quote The Big Lebowski? How many white guys read Harlem Renaissance fiction? How many black guys like Rage Against the Machine and The Killers? And once they find those menfolks, could the nicely send their contact info to my inbox? I'd like to ... um ... talk to them about something. (Source: OK Trends)
tagged 
OK Cupid, dating, race, stereotypes
OK Cupid, dating, race, stereotypes 
Reader Comments (22)
BlackSnob, I've loved having you in my Twitter stream, and I finally can say something relevant to introduce myself. I covered this in my semi-private newsletter this morning. I said:
I applaud your righteous take, but caution that the answer to your "how many" questions is: More than none, but not a lot.
I've found that most people just accept whatever is put in front of them without much question. A few people ask whether or not they really like this or that, believe this or that and, most importantly, challenge themselves to find real answers. "Am I really this person or is this just the person I turned out to be?"
The fact is that, as I'm guessing you know already, answering these questions in a meaningful way is a hell of a lot of work. And most folks aren't up to the challenge. (Yes, I am a massive snob.)
Thanks for your awesomeness. Hope I added some value. Cheers.
you can add me to the list of black girls who love dmb.
also, i'm kind of sad that justin timberlake rated high enough on black female profiles to actually be listed. D:
I didn't even know that Ok! sponsored a dating site until I saw this yesterday. One question came to mind: If I'm in the market for and online dating service, why would I choose one that's connected to a celebrity tabloid? After that pretty much all of my other thoughts about the "piece" were nullified. Pretty lame on Ok's part if you ask me.
@ Olette
Actually, OK Cupid is owned by an independent firm and is not affiliated with OK! Magazine. I actually kind of enjoy the site (it's free!), but hate the endless quizes they toss out to collect data on users.
Um...I'm a black guy and I like The Killers....*raises hand sheepishly* And I like how "tryna" is one of the things black people like. It's a verb, not a thing. And "a good woman" is almost at the bottom. Do they really quiz people for stuff like this or do they just compile a list of most popular words/phrases?
LMAO, can't make everyone happy.
See, it's stereotypes like this that make me protect my iPod:
Dave Matthews Band? Check.
The Killers? Check.
Acceptance? Check.
The Flaming Lips? Check.
Rufus Waingwright? Check.
Whatchu lookin' at?
I like Dave Matthews Band too, and only now freely admit to going through a bonafide grunge n' heavy metal phase, which I've nostalgically tapped back into as I download more songs to my iPod.
*BOOOOOOO* to Justin Timberlake.
Hello, I'm lamh33 (raises hand in greeting) and I like Dave Matthews Band. One cause you could go to a predom white college like I did in the late 90's early 2000's and not hear more than one DMB song. Plus, Dave Matthews is a dead ringer for my Uncle Keith. As per usual, my family members are varied shades of "black", so that my Uncle Keith is just pale enough, and "rosey cheeked" enough, that he could def pass for a taller Dave Matthews, and a "fuller" Tom Hanks
another black guy checking in:
I like some DMB tracks, but I heard they were much better in concert. I can buy that since I have been to a roots concert and feel the same way about them. If we are talking David Lee Roth Van Halen, I can get into some of their tracks. Of course I am into RATM. Not too crazy about the killers, would the White Stripes make a good substitute?
God heavens; by those lights I'm not really a black woman after all. I
s that why I can't get a date (who is not crazy, married, polyamorous or all of the above) from OKCupid?
All of these tanned DMB fans. Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. So for all you DMB fans, what's your favorite album? I'm actually very fond of Busted Stuff and of course Crash and Under the Table and Dreaming.
"Whoever loved that loved not at first sight?"
I have never had to have anything in common with a soul mate, and they do not have to have commonly recognized beauty, just the spiritual connection was necessary for me to fall in love. Strangely men I have had everything in common with while I may have loved them in a brotherly or “We Are The World” type of way I never felt that deep in love and lust feeling that you have when you are with a soulmate.
I think that once you have experienced being deeply in love you don’t want to live without that feeling and you will restlessly search for it until you find a soulmate.
OMG! Alot of black women mentioned "Maxwell". Yessss!
Another DMB fan, but I also like Alice in Chains, STP and seriously rock out to the White Stripes. Not a JT fan, but then I don't care for pop or most new-school R&B. DMB is awesome in concert. Is it wrong that I've probably seen them and Maze an equal number of times? Bet that would fuck up OkCupid's algorithm.
It's funny that you would mention the Big Lebowski, Snob. Lately I've been wondering the same thing. I get Dave Matthews. He's cool.
there's a lot more to a stereotype than liking or not liking one band.
Apparently, based on those factors, I'm a not/black, not/white, not/male, not/female kinda human. I like a little bit from each list. And I do pilgramages to DMB every summer. Why can we just be?
Piss on Justin Timberfake!! He's just a MJ retread and not even a GOOD one at that and isn't even that cute. The only reason that jerk is popular is so little white girls can drool and whine over a white guy trying to sound like Usher. DMB is okay but I prefer old school rock like Van Halen and Zeppelin and Stevie Ray Vaughn but that's just me. And I'm probably the only one rocking girls like Tori Amos,Aimee Mann,Natalie Merchant,Jewel,and Sarah Mclachlan in their MP3
Can I just say, more black guys SHOULD like Rage Against The Machine. Hell more EVERYONE should like Rage Against the Machine. Can OK Cupid find me a dude that liked Rage Against the Machine, watches Big Bang Theory and will play Left 4 Dead 2 with me all day?
De, a lot of black guys are into Rage, including myself. I don't know any black guys that aren't into RATM. I'm with you on Left 4 Dead 2, but Big Bang Theory comes off like a bunch of hipsters rather than actual geeks, so I don't care for it.
Black female here raising her hand for:
Rage Against the Machine - yes
Primis (Les Claypool went to my high school) - yes
Nirvana - yes
Gershwin - yes
Mana - yes
I was raised in a house with 505 records and heavy on rotation was Gershwin, Diana Ross, Stevie Wonder, Derek and the Dominoes (Erik Clapton before he went solo), and Paul Simon. A lot has to do with what you're exposed to. I learned at a young age to appreciate good music of many genres and languages - so you never know what might be playing in my house!