  It is not uncommon, e.g. in the media, that specific groups are categorized
as being racist. Based on an extensive dataset of intermarriage statistics our
study questions the legitimacy of such characterizations. It suggests that, far
from being group-dependent, segregation mechanisms are instead
situation-dependent. More precisely, the degree of integration of a minority in
terms of the frequency of intermarriage is seen to crucially depend upon the
the proportion p of the minority. Thus, a population may have a segregative
behavior with respect to a high-p (p>20%) minority A and at the same time a
tolerant attitude toward a low-p (p<2%) minority B. This remains true even when
A and B represent the same minority; for instance Black-White intermarriage is
much more frequent in Montana than it is in South Carolina. In short, the
nature of minority groups is largely irrelevant, the key factor being their
proportion in a given area.
