I first thought about this when visiting Japan in 1985. Huge changes were rumbling, as the kids in Harajuku openly rebelled against the polite (umm in some cases rigid) practices of Japanese culture. I loved the experience of walking down a thoroughly modern Tokyo street, passing elegant women dressed in traditional kimono. I sensed this would not last much longer.
“Intermarriage” (what a strange, cold term) was ineveitable, as people travel to other places, fall in love, and decide to make it legal.
Then many of them go the next step, of course and have babies.
Dilution occurs. The purists are saddened. Some fear a loss of their culture.
This morning, I saw an absolutely gorgeous Hawaiian man running on the beach. Much as I wanted to co-mingle, I did not want to dilute. And it got me to thinking.
So here is the wacky idea. (And thanks for waiting.)
What if haole woman were to make babies with friendly haole man, and Hawaiian man were to make babies with friendly Hawaiian woman? Surrogacy taken in a different direction I suppose, for the express purpose of maintaining a linneage of physical and cultural type, while allowing all the juicy comingling and love affairs.
Most p[eople I know who couple and have babies, also feel somewhat territorial over their mates, so this would take some attitude adjustment. And those who offer their genes would accept that they are not necessarily the parents – details to be worked out by the individual people.
Besides, isn’t there a book somewhere that says “It Takes a Village to Raise a Child?”