it's foolish and completely irrational to think that all children are completely oblivious to race and difference, and must be "taught" race or racism. regardless of what you may try (such as diversity classes, preventative discussions, or whatever), your child is still receptive enough to their environment to see that there are differences between themselves and others, and that these differences can be both hated and loved. research has shown that even in schools that actively fight racism at the preschool level, children as young as 4 have been seen using negative racial slurs in ways that clearly show a fair amount of grasp of meaning for the term (see "the first r - how children learn race and racism" by debra van ausdale, year 2001). The worst thing that we can do is react foolishly by seeking out “who is as fault.” at that point it doesn’t matter, since the child has already done the deed. What we need to do is focus on shaping the meaning they attribute to race so they do not use it harmfully.
to sum up what im trying to say, children do not see themselves as equal any more than adults do. they are perceptive in ways we make a point to ignore because of their "innocence". race is currently a part of human society and it cannot be destroyed as easily as people believe. the important part is making sure that children don't use race as a weapon, not to condemn the person who "taught" them.
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it's foolish and completely irrational to think that all children are completely oblivious to race and difference, and must be "taught" race or racism. regardless of what you may try (such as diversity classes, preventative discussions, or whatever), your child is still receptive enough to their environment to see that there are differences between themselves and others, and that these differences can be both hated and loved. research has shown that even in schools that actively fight racism at the preschool level, children as young as 4 have been seen using negative racial slurs in ways that clearly show a fair amount of grasp of meaning for the term (see "the first r - how children learn race and racism" by debra van ausdale, year 2001). The worst thing that we can do is react foolishly by seeking out “who is as fault.” at that point it doesn’t matter, since the child has already done the deed. What we need to do is focus on shaping the meaning they attribute to race so they do not use it harmfully.
to sum up what im trying to say, children do not see themselves as equal any more than adults do. they are perceptive in ways we make a point to ignore because of their "innocence". race is currently a part of human society and it cannot be destroyed as easily as people believe. the important part is making sure that children don't use race as a weapon, not to condemn the person who "taught" them.
August 1, 2010 - 12:24pmThis Comment
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