Content Assignment #6- Do opposites attract?

10 points

Purpose: The purpose of this is to get students to examine and make note of some patterns (endogamy/exogamy) found in
their families and among other relationships.

Endogamy or Exogamy?

Relationships Race/Ethnicity Age Social Class Education Religion Political

(years or Affiliation
degree
completed)
You Nikolai White 19 Upper middle class H.S. diploma Christian Republican

Chloe White 18 Upper middle class H.S. diploma Christian Republican

Your Parents Mom White 49 Upper middle class B.A. Christian Republican

Dad White 51 Upper middle class Master’s Christian Republican

Your Grandma White 76 Upper middle class B.A. Christian Republican

Maternal
Grandparents
Grandpa White Passed Upper middle class Doctorate Christian Republican
away 5
years
ago (72)
Your Paternal Babushka White 75 Upper middle class B.A. Christian Republican
Grandparents
Diedushka White 86 Upper middle class Doctorate Christian Republican
Your best Grayson White 18 Upper middle class H.S. diploma N/A Democrat
friend
Gabbi White 16 Upper middle class Still in high N/A Democrat
school

Which norm do you see at play? Endogamy or exogamy? I definitely see endogamy at play, since everyone here is attracted
to the same person in terms of class and education, even religion.

Based on your own data would you say that “opposites attract”? I would say no, since everyone in my own life seems to be
attracted to someone very similar to them. That’s not to say that opposites do not attract, but in my own life, this is
certainly not the case.

Why do you think this pattern exists? I think this pattern exists for me because of where I live – we’re all pretty much of the
same social class and race. My grandparents were both missionaries, and they all met in South America, so they are very
similar to each other because they grew up in the same setting. Same with my parents, both were missionary kids. There
hasn’t been a lot of diversity within my family because they all grew up in the same setting with similar people. As for me
and my best friend, like I said, we live in a very white dominated/upper middle class area, so we haven’t had a lot of
diversity within our own lives.