Rose Colored Glasses, Post Racist Thought and Dating

Race isn't something that I'm usually conscious of; I've had on rose colored glasses concerning race for most of my life. I'm blessed to have parents who have always encouraged me to judge and love people based on character and integrity instead of something silly like skin color. I definitely remember being a younger and having crushes and my parents letting me know that their only requirement in my choosing to date someone had to deal with how they treated me. 

Being older, this conversation has morphed from who I choose to date to who I will choose to marry but the thread has been the same....who I choose. This weekend I was confronted with someone imposing their opinion about said choice in a backhanded way and frankly, it both jarred me and pissed me off. 

The Backstory: A friend, who I have an on-again, off-again crush on came to visit me for the holidays. Said friend happens to be white; I, as you know, am not. Well an acquaintance of a friend, who happens to be a black male, must have picked up on my interest in my friend and made a few comments that I honestly could have choked him for because I perceived that they were meant to make me and my friend feel some kind of way about our relationship were unnecessary. I was ticked because I feel that dude only saw it as me, a black woman, being interested in a white male. What he doesn't know is why. No questions were asked about how we got to be so good of friends, that would have resulted in us sharing anecdotes from over 4 years of friendship. No inquiry made as to why this man piques my interest - I'd have to note his integrity, thoughtfulness and how he makes me smile. Instead someone who barely knows me and only just met him spoke from his hind parts and sounded like an ass (pun intended). 

Is this the worst situation that could have happened? Of course not...however, it did serve as a reminder that we, as people, are not as post-racial as we like to pretend to be. There are people who still take issue with seeing two people from different backgrounds show that they care for one another, whether that caring be based in platonic love or be of the romantic sort. 

End of the day, love should be given with no respect to color, creed or whatever other form of labeling we try and implement. And folks need to stop judging interracial friends, lovers and whatever falls in between cause you don't know who they are, what they're about or their story.