Sure, making an effort not to be completely clueless about someone's family life and culture can go a long way. But saying "most Asians are very label and brand conscious" or "many blacks have a significant level of distrust of others, especially 'whitey,' " as Davies does, simply encourages us to see a person solely as a member of a particular race and make judgments based around that fact.

I'm not trying to claim that I'm the perfect white girl, that I know everything there is to know about dating someone of a different race. But what I do know is that if you approach another person as a fetish object to be discovered, you're doing both yourself and that person a disservice. There is a lot to be said about interracial dating and how it plays out in real people's lives, but I Got the Fever, though purporting to break down stereotypes, only perpetuates them.

Rachel Kramer Bussel is a New York-based author, editor, blogger and event organizer. She writes about sex, dating, pop culture and books for a variety of publications. She is the editor of more than 30 anthologies. Visit her at rachelkramerbussel.com.

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