So, the little girl saw 'light/white' as good and 'dark/black' as bad. N0w, sure, that's how they do it in the movie world. The pretty little angel dressed in white is 'good' the bad villian is in all black.
NOW- did this little girl use that logic for her answers? OR did this lil girl exhibit what I like to think of conditioned subconscious unintentional racism?
*so, I just came up with that phrase, but it works right? LOL*
I'd like to think that little girl doesn't have a full grasp of the concept of what a 'white person' and a 'black person' and/or the negative stereotypes that accompany the color.
What I'm SURE she has seen and learned... is that traditional 'grab the purse with a 'dark skinned person' come near. Or the stereotypical, 'protect that kid when the 'dark skinned people come by'. Or 'quick- lock the door, dark people are coming by'. The mom claims they've never had the talk about 'races' but communication involves more than just verbal communication. A child soaks up information both positive and negative. They soak it up in all forms. They may NEVER say anything, but pay attention to their actions! From the mouths of babes... I tell ya.
So some people tend to think that silence is the key- that 'what they don't know won't hurt em', but clearly in a situation like this- what they don't know is wreaking havoc on society. Talk to your kids. Teach them what's right! Let them know that a person's skin color has NOTHING to do with being good or bad, dumb or smart, pretty and ugly.
Hell, if it helps, make some picture flash cards to drive home the point! How about a flash card of Michelle Obama to portray good with dark skin -vs- Amy Winehouse to show an example of bad with light/tatted/often dirty skin. How about one past president -vs- a current one for examples of dumb and smart? (OKAY OKAY OKAY- that was too much...LOL let me give another example for that one. BUT- keep in mind, this is MY blog, MY opinions). For 'Dumb -vs- Smart' use a pic of the All boys' school
ANYWAY-
consider this 'vent' over now...
HOWEVER, I am going to work on another post concering a show I saw called 'What Would You Do'....ever heard of it? if not- stay tuned!
Very interesting post and one that really made me think. You are definitely correct in saying that communication involves more than just verbal communication.
ReplyDeleteFascinating post. I wonder what the results would be if the same test were to be carried out on a black child of a similar age. Nevertheless, intriguing stuff.
ReplyDeleteMichelle Obama vs. Amy Winehouse - lol ;o)
Thanks guys. I think a WHOLE lot of our 'race issues' is due to that lack of communication. Some comes from plain ole stupidity, and some from 'ignorance'.
ReplyDeleteGood Question Cheyelle- I think, sadly, the results would probably be the same with black kids... especially dependent upon the area the 'subjects' are from. by that, I mean, I think (and this is just my opinion), if they pulled a young black kid from a VERY poor, horrible inner city area, they probably DO see the 'light skinned' as better and the 'darker skinned' (like them) as inferior because typically in those areas, self motivation, self love isn't taught very much. If they pull a black 'subject' from a middle class/'well to do' family, I think the results would be a bit different. In my mind, I just imagine families like that may 'teach' more self positivity and truth about 'self'... (**shrugs**) I don't know though, but that's just how I see it in 'my mind's eye' LOL
that's true, and the girl really needs to umm... realize some stuff.
ReplyDeleteAnd could someone please like read my blog? I'm kinda newww..... and it must suck because no one reads it. Well it DOES suck but help me!!!
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