So much of what children learn is through imitation. Repeating things that are said and done on television, in movies, through books and simply from observing society. I've always felt that as long as we have thrived on earth it has been ingrained in our genetics to classify, separate and construct groups. Children, at a young age, learn to recognize difference and categorize accordingly. Keeping all of this in mind, do children develop a solid understanding of race and diversity through a combination of the media, education and their parents? I would think that children would learn how to positively or even negatively interact with different races according to their daily observations. So, I ask myself, are children really oblivious to racial difference?
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I definitely think that children learn how to interact with people of different ethnicities based on their upbringing. However, I feel that children are much more open and accepting because they honestly do not see the differences until they are pointed out to them by adults. For example, I've seen television shows where they depict gay couples adopting children, and those children only see loving parents and do not judge them for not being a man and a woman. The older kids get, the more pronounced that their parents opinions are shown through their actions. But I feel that if kids are taught good morals, then they are most likely not going to see the difference between themselves and children of different races. I do think that we need to keep telling our kids to be open and accepting individuals which will teach older generations to be the same.
ReplyDeleteI feel that children arent oblivious to race, but I do feel that for every generatin that comes, they become less and less prejudice. I mean look back a couple generations. Peopelwere almost all racist towards some races. Now a few generationslater racism still exists but much much less. Maybe in like 4 or 5 more generations, there will be no racism at all. Thats if were are all alive
ReplyDeleteChildren, in their ignorance, are oblivious to nothing. But, also, in their ignorance, see nothing wrong with anyone who looks different than themselves... I think they are more intruiged, and search for answers. It's the reaction of those they trust and look up to that forms their ideas. At least, this is how I look at it. If a parent tells their child to be afraid of the white family down the street, then the child is going to be afraid of the white family down the street. It also doesn't have to be that explicit... A child will see how a parent reacts around other people. Also, children may hear what their parents say even when the parent's don't even really know they are.
ReplyDeleteSo, yes. I think it's a combination of education, family and media.