The shade of it all

This subject is a delicate one.  I believe stongly that people are people.  Race and culture influence us all.  However,  it's a small fraction of our true existence.  In the black community, Indian, and Hispanic we have gone as far as separating ourselves even further by the shade of skin.  Sounds ridiculous but it is very real.  It was a time that this seem prodominate in the black male with the women he chose to pursue.  But as we have evolved as a people and black women have adopted the skin tone theory as well.  We can turn on our televisions and see mostly black women who have a higher social status dating and marrying fair skinned men.  Even our own First Lady is among these women.  Before you chew me up and spit me out just think about it Oprah, the women on Alanta house wives, Star Jones and J Hud.  The men that these women chose weren't even their equals financially.  Arm candy is not just for guys anymore.  It could be that back women are tired of competing with women of non color.  Perhaps they have adopted the thought "can't beat em join them".  So our star of Scandle said light skinned?   Give me a white man.  Robin Thickes wife seems like a very happy women.  Women do the choosing and men do the chasing.  Are we choosing according to a lowered self esteem or our we being driven by the ego.  Or could it possibly be a matter of preference?