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24HourForums.com > Supported Forums > Britt's Child Education > REPORT: Racism Seen in Three Year Old Children (UK) |
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Britt Forum-Blogger© Original500© Member  Learning Contentment
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 Hello! This 2006 report is a synopsis of an article from Race Equality Teaching from the United Kingdom. Most of us have observed very young children noting different skin tones and religious dress among people. There is nothing inherently wrong with noticing differences, of course, as all human beings are unique. It is simply an observation.But when does "noticing differences" develop into "classifying people" and outright racism? What do you think of Lord Herman Ouseley's opinion that children need to "play together right from day one"? Is it possible to be raised free of racism without exposure to people different from ourselves? Do you believe racism is even a problem? I look forward to reading your thoughts. Racism Seen In Children Only Three Years Old May 7, 2006 5:01 p.m. EST Matthew Borghese - All Headline News Staff Writer London, England (AHN) - There may be evidence to suggest that children as young as three years old may already be "classifying" people. According to Lord Herman Ouseley, the former chairman of the Commission for Racial Equality, children need to "play together right from day one," to avoid becoming racists. Lord Ouseley believes, teachers should "discourage separate play" and "help children to unlearn any racist attitudes and behavior they may have already learn." "It is important to consider whether patterns of play are consistently based on racial or cultural grounds." According to Lord Ouseley, "If, for example, Muslim children nearly always play together and seldom play with other children, the question needs to be asked, 'Is there a reason for it that may relate to culture? Or apprehension? Or prejudice?'" The advice comes in the latest issue of the journal, Race Equality Teaching, where Jane Lane, a co-author of the article and an early-years equality adviser adds that the conventional wisdom that toddlers were "color blind" was wrong. Jane says, "There is a view that children do not learn their attitudes until they are about five. "But people in the early years know that children at a very early age - at the age of three - are categorizing people. I am not talking about white children; I am talking about all children. Many, many are racially prejudiced, for all sorts of historical reasons."
 "All that you have is your soul." --Tracy Chapman |
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24HourNut Administrator  Body pillows rock!
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I believe racism stems from our natural tendency (from evolutionary survival mechanisms) to dislike or distrust what is different from our group, tribe, or type. It also is connected to our need and tendency to label and classify things quickly. So, I think conditioning or training from a young age is the most effective way to neutralize that.
The best human beings start good new topics and vote on the better posts. |
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Britt Forum-Blogger© Original500© Member Learning Contentment
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Yes, it seems to be a natural human tendency to compartmentalize things and people as a way to understand them more successfully. The world is a place of sensory overload; to make sense of it, we tend to pull it into discrete parts. Like you, I believe early intervention is important. As much as possible, it is important to give children exposure to people different from themselves. It always interested me, however, that my great-grandmother was raised in a very homogeneous society yet never appeared to be the least bit prejudiced when meeting people of different cultures, religions or skin tones. I credit her parents for having given her a loving heart.
"All that you have is your soul." --Tracy Chapman |
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Hamster Guest
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When I lived in London my eldest joined a nursery there for 3 year olds. She was the only child in her class that spoke English and she was treated as a second class citizen by the other kids, mums and teachers there. She didn't stay there for long and I had to peel her off me before I could leave. I am not racist and I teach my children to be loving and accept everyone. But I do believe we should be treated equally by all people and that English should be the language spoken n our classrooms here regardless of the ethnic make up of the children and teachers.
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Britt Forum-Blogger© Original500© Member Learning Contentment
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Hamster wrote: When I lived in London my eldest joined a nursery there for 3 year olds. She was the only child in her class that spoke English and she was treated as a second class citizen by the other kids, mums and teachers there. I experienced something like that with my son. It took repeated visits with the staff to convince them that racial slurs must not be tolerated, even from children of minority groups whom are often the recipients of racial slurs themselves. There should be no double standard. Racism is racism, no matter who expresses it and what color they are. Your comment about English is also right-on, in my mind. Of course we must value everyone's right to speak a second, third, or fourth language. In an educational setting, however, it is better to have one language of instruction. In English-speaking countries, I think we do kids a real disservice when we introduce bilingual education. Where I live, we have a new classification called "English Language Learners". These are children with limited proficiency in both their home language and standard American English. Such children suffer huge setbacks in the first years of school. Language is an integral part of culture therefor I support speaking other languages in the home, even on the playground. But in school? Well, unless it's Español 101, speak English. Oh, but that's another thread! (And a big can of worms, ha-ha.)
"All that you have is your soul." --Tracy Chapman |
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foxglovepress Forum-Blogger© Original500© Member  NON-PC!!
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Hamster wrote:
 Boy do I agree!
Justice for Mark.....Imprison Employers Who Hire ILLEGALS! |
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Hamster Guest
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Britt wrote: Hamster wrote:When I lived in London my eldest joined a nursery there for 3 year olds. She was the only child in her class that spoke English and she was treated as a second class citizen by the other kids, mums and teachers there. I would be the same in any country too..if I lived in Spain I wouldn't expect my children to be taught in English! And yep a huge can of worms!
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Outré Original500© Member  Red-headed stepchild
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The thread title immediately reminded me of a story an African-American friend once told me. The story is... She was in a grocery store waiting in line to check-out when the little boy sitting in the basket in front of her turned to his mother and said "Look Mommy - it's a n****r." The point being that children are very perceptive. They not only listen to their parents words, they watch body language and notice attitudes. Children see adults congregating away from adults who are different - it's natural that they will mimic this behavior in a child-only environment. They see adults talking in a condescending manner to one of another culture or race, and they will shun other children of that culture or race. Until countries who claim freedom and tolerance for all insist that immigrants be taught these values BEFORE being granted asylum or citizenship we will continue to see prejudice in the children. The only bright outlook is that in four generations of those children's children getting exposure to others and a decent education the prejudice has a chance to get diluted somewhat. Just my point of view. Outré
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Britt Forum-Blogger© Original500© Member Learning Contentment
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Outré wrote: The point being that children are very perceptive. They not only listen to their parents words, they watch body language and notice attitudes. Awesome post, Outré! I was raised in an interracial family. My step-father has been my parent since the age of four. He is a Black man (his generation often prefers the cultural designation "Black" to "African American"). My sisters are he and my mother's biological children, but all of us kids - my brother and I included (our bio father is Dutch) - are his kids. Our family lived in the most racially and culturally diverse pocket of inner-city Detroit. Most of Detroit is quite segregated thus we were fortunate. I grew up with immigrant families from all over the world and interracial families similar to ours in a neighborhood that was 50% African American. The schools I attended were 98% African American and I was a minority. There were many incidents of prejudice and slander against our family or individual members, including myself and my brother. It was made clear to us as children that racial slurs are wrong, no matter who voices them. Of course, the "n" word was a huge taboo. If more American students understood the history of that word, they would be less inclined to use it. Ignorance fuels the use of such awful terminology. I agree with you: "The only bright outlook is that in four generations of those children's children getting exposure to others and a decent education the prejudice has a chance to get diluted somewhat." The solution is education, both material and spiritual. My mom works as a teacher on the Navajo Reservation. A lot of Navajo young people feel great affinity for rap music but have little knowledge of the cultural context. When my sisters were students there, one of their classmates called them the "n" word. My mom looked at it as a "teachable moment" and gave the students a long lesson on the history of that word and why it is so negative, even when sung by African American young people themselves. My sister's classmates were surprised. They did not know. From that point on, they stopped using the word in their daily speech and they questioned the rap music they adored. Education solved the problem. I also agree with your statement that children segregate because they see adults segregate. We are their models. If we befriend only people who look like us and share a similar cultural background, our children will likely follow suit. Most English-speaking nations have diverse populations of people representing nearly every culture and nation on earth. To insist on "sticking with your own kind" is a recipe for disaster, in my opinion. It is easy to live in a homogeneous society like Japan or Egypt where nearly everyone is exactly like you, but living in a diverse society of many different backgrounds and opinions takes work. Seeking out people unlike ourselves is key. You raised some very good points.
"All that you have is your soul." --Tracy Chapman |
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Outré Original500© Member Red-headed stepchild
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Britt wrote:Awesome post, Outré! Thank you!  I was raised in an interracial family. My step-father has been my parent since the age of four. He is a Black man (his generation often prefers the cultural designation "Black" to "African American"). See, this is interesting to me. I was raised in Detroit also - Six Mile and Mound Road. The friend I referenced telling me the story worked with me in a Detroit/Hamtramck hospital - North Detroit General Hospital and told me she was "African-American" when I once referred to her as Black. Most of Detroit is quite segregated thus we were fortunate. I grew up with immigrant families from all over the world and interracial families similar to ours in a neighborhood that was 50% African American. The schools I attended were 98% African American and I was a minority. Well, it was segregated. At least much more so than what I experienced during my last visit in 1999. I remember the schools. I attended a year at White School and a year at Cleveland Junior High. I remember some racial issues, but mainly I remember that drug abuse was rampant. That's why my parents insisted we attend Catholic Catechism every day after school and on Saturday. I also agree with your statement that children segregate because they see adults segregate. We are their models. If we befriend only people who look like us and share a similar cultural background, our children will likely follow suit. I agree. When I got older and went to work I was surprised to find out that Poles, Czechs, Ukranians, etc., are prejudiced against each other - sometimes irrationally. Seeking out people unlike ourselves is key. Agreed. I still recall the complete enjoyment I got from visiting the ethnic festivals downtown. Later Hamtramck started having that mile long festival down Joseph Campau street and everyone was there - Poles, Ukranians, Czechs, Arabs, African-Americans, Germans, Filipinos, Puerto Ricans, and others I am sure I'm forgetting. I dislike referring to myself as "white" or Caucasian. I don't think that it's anything but an odd label. I really don't see any reason for racial distinctions at all. Religious prejudice is silly - imho - as most organized religions believe in a supreme power responsible for creation no matter what they call it or the content of their creation mythology. My observation is that many religions disagree on practice, not faith and I think it's self-defeating behavior in the long run. Cultural is a harder nut to crack only because - at least it seems to me - to be multi-faceted. By definition "the term culture denotes whole product of an individual, group or society of intelligent beings. It includes, technology, art, science, as well as moral systems and characteristic behaviours and habits of the selected intelligent entities. In particular, it has specific more detailed meanings in different domains of human activities." - Wikipedia When you are dealing with moral systems co-existing with science and politics with a dash of tribal/clannish behavior and money-making concerns of those involved it become harder to resolve prejudices that have existed for centuries and may be based on a conflict significant to only a small portion of that culture, but which they use to inflame the sensibilities of the remainder. Okay...I blather on and on, I think I should let someone else talk for a while. Sorry for bending everyone's ear... Outré P.S. I see that you say Ground Zero, New Mexico. Another thing we have in common. I was born in Roswell and my dad served at Walker AFB. Last edited on 04:40 pm by Outré |
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Britt Forum-Blogger© Original500© Member Learning Contentment
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See, this is interesting to me. I was raised in Detroit also - Six Mile and Mound Road. The friend I referenced telling me the story worked with me in a Detroit/Hamtramck hospital - North Detroit General Hospital and told me she was "African-American" when I once referred to her as Black. Wow! Another Dee-troiter! I grew up near Warren Avenue and Chalmers on the Eastside. My best friend Abdul grew up in your neighborhood. You're right about the Black / African-American issue. It depends on the person. I agree. When I got older and went to work I was surprised to find out that Poles, Czechs, Ukranians, etc., are prejudiced against each other - sometimes irrationally. Isn't that crazy? People seem to find any reason to divide themselves. In my town, there is a huge divide between descendents of Spanish conquistadores and Mexican immigrants. God forbid if you mention they both have Spanish ancestry! Agreed. I still recall the complete enjoyment I got from visiting the ethnic festivals downtown. Later Hamtramck started having that mile long festival down Joseph Campau street and everyone was there - Poles, Ukranians, Czechs, Arabs, African-Americans, Germans, Filipinos, Puerto Ricans, and others I am sure I'm forgetting. I miss those festivals! Heh, but I make awesome Lebanese food. Want some homemade tabouli, falafal, dolma, hummus and babaganoosh?
Me, too. Even the language of race is divisive. Now I am blathering! Peace! 
"All that you have is your soul." --Tracy Chapman |
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Amy Original500© Member  ...going with the flow...
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Outré wrote:
when someone asks my ethnicity I tell them I'm a Heinz 57. 
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Hamster Guest
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Amy wrote: Outré wrote:  if only we could all think like you!
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Amy Original500© Member ...going with the flow...
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Hamster wrote: Amy wrote:Outré wrote:  well, we are all something like 52nd cousins afterall. Sometimes I wonder how I didn't succumb to racial prejudices. My father was quite prejudiced (based on some personal experiences), but even from a very young age, I did not agree with his stance, somehow I managed to maintain my own perspective. _________ I remember seeing a skit several years ago called "Send them back where they came from!", that a youth group performed, which really hit the point well i thought. It started with some guy ranting about all the foreigners.  and that if he had one wish his wish would be to send them all back where they came from....*poof* Then it shows how this apartment bldg has no heat cuz the janitor had to go back to Norway...and no food or coffee, cuz the families that owned the grocery store and cafe went back to Vietnam and Israel. Long story short...all of the things we take for granted were dismantled because no one was left....fast forward....an ambulance pulls up in front of the initial guys house, they go in his house and spread a sheet on his table and make him lay down on it, he's complaining  "what are you doing?!" as they pull out their scapels. They proceeded to tell him that since everyone must go back to where they came from, that included him, and since he was part German, Swiss, French, Danish, Irish, Scotish and Greek, there was only one way to accomplish that goal....Surgery! moral of the story...be careful what you wish for.
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Britt Forum-Blogger© Original500© Member Learning Contentment
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