WM trying to educate himself before a first date
Thank you for your time, articles online have been of limited help. I don’t know if this counts as male centered, but I’m afraid that if I post this in an interracial dating sub it will be mostly answered by white men.
I’m an autistic 23yo bi white guy from middle of nowhere Ohio who’s recently transferred colleges into a large metropolitan city. I’ve only really came into my confidence in the last year and am late to the dating game in general. Despite this, I’ve been able to develop a fairly functional social script and have had reasonable success on the apps with flings and casual stuff. I study the sociology of gender in school and really do try to put a concerted effort into being considerate and attentive while communicating my intentions are not long term commitment at this time.
Recently I’ve been hitting it off with a lovely Black woman on Hinge and I’m very excited for our date in the next few days. But I’ve never dated a BW before, nor have I really been in racially diverse environments for a substantial amount of time. I’m well acquainted academically with Black feminism and critical theory, but it’s not typically geared towards micro-interaction and social intuition simply doesn’t come naturally to me. I know I’m overthinking this, but I’d much rather overthink than be another bumbling fool ruining a woman’s perfectly good night.
The articles I’m reading basically just say be yourself, don’t be racist, and treat her like a person. This advice is all well and good, but still doesn’t provide much to work with practically speaking. I’m also not necessarily looking for a long term relationship, so the many advice threads about meeting the parents and alike won’t be useful for some time. I guess my question is, for those who have dated white men in the past, what do you wish the “I’ve never dated a BW before” white guy knew before going on the first date? When you’re hanging out with friends the next day and venting about a repeated pattern of behavior, what knowledge would reasonably prevent that uncomfortable question or comment?
Thank you again for the consideration, and of course if mods deem this to be better suited to another subreddit, I will take my leave