Well this short clip made me sad, surprised, and impressed. I was sad how many children said the black child was, ugly, nasty, unlike, wouldn’t want to be friends with, made fun of, and dumb. It surprised me how many of these comments came from black children. It was interesting that the first two black children didn’t even know why they wanted the white skin color, the just knew it mattered. I was impressed with how knowledgeable one of the white boys was on blacks and their history. I was impressed by the one black girl who said she thinks all the different colors of children are magical, because they’re not all the same. She said it doesn’t matter what’s on the outside, but on the inside. I think it would be interesting to have a study done on the families of the first two black children, and the black girl with the positive attitude. I would be curious to know if they get these ideas from their parents or from society. justagirl007
I think you have a really good idea with conducting a study with the families of the first black children and the black children with the positive attitude. It would be interesting to see what their parents are like because that is most likely where they got their own attitudes on race from. I also found it sad that the black children didn't know why they wanted white skin but they wanted it anyway. I wish they could be happy with their current skin color and not feel like there is any difference between people of different colors. -BeautifullyBroken007
The black girl in the blue sweater hit the nail right on the head. She's absolutely right, no one should look at someone and just see a color. It shouldn't matter, in society, what color your skin is, it should matter what type of character you have and if you're a genuine person. I was shocked at how many of the black children pointed to the picture of the black kid when asked which one was ugliest and how many of them pointed to the picture of the white kid when asked which skin color they would want. This study proved that a stigma towards different races still exists today. While none of the kids struck me as racist, they still thought that the pictures of the black kids were most likely to be ugly, dumb and disliked. It made me sad to see the black children saying they wished they had white skin. I wished we lived in a society where everyone could feel comfortable in their own skin no matter what color it is. -BeautifullyBroken007
You are right about the girl in the blue sweater. Her not judging anyone because of what they look like referring back to skin color should be how everyone sees the world but unfortunately that is not how todays society is. Her saying they are all look pretty nice and her friend next to her saying we shouldn't judge because we don't know them (along those lines) is typically how we should all act towards others. Living in a society with no judgments will probably never happen but we can only try and make it better. iCHEER6007
I agree with this statement completely. I found it very sad that these kids, at such a young age, were already judging people by the way their skin looks. Its terrible how some of the kids wanted to change their skin color to a lighter shade, just because of what society has already taught them. Its sad to see these kids already critiquing themselves as being ugly and stupid. BLUELIGHT007
This clip is very sad to me and I couldn't believe how many people said the darker skinned kid was dumb. Knowing kids at this age discriminate that bad is very surprising to me. There is no difference between any color of skin. Your skin color does not make you smarter, cuter, less scary, nothing. When the little boy about 2 minutes in talks about it being worse in the "olden days" yes for some it was but yet we still see this existing in todays society. Living in this society today is so hard because of peoples discriminations and how people treat others. I think we should all be treated equal no matter what our skin color is. It sickens me to see just because someone is not white judgements happen for no reason such as just being a dark skinned human being. iCHEER6007
I found this clip very sad as well. I agree with you that we should all be treated equal no matter what our skin color is. Just think how different the world would be if we would look at our differences as "magical" like the little black girl said. I think she was really onto something in this clip, and will go very far in life. justagirl007
Besides that sad, it was an eye opening video to me. I also think that we should all be treated equal. I still think that education makes a big difference and because we having the privilege of education ourselves, we should also try to educate our family about the topic.We might not change their opinion, but will definitelly make them rethink of how they have judge people based on their color. Elia007
I found the age of the children to stunningly young to have such a comprehension of the divisions of race. All of them knew that they were different, unfortunately some of them had already associated skin color with good, bad, pretty and ugly. Intelligence and friendship was associated with skin tone, which seemed to be too much of a mature judgment by children of that young age. That negative interpretation could have been taught at home. I was impressed with the comments about how they thought teachers attitudes towards color didn't matter. It what was on the inside that teachers admired. The teachers were held in neutrality status, only looking for inner beauty. This gave me optimism, in the depressing video. A girl described skin tone as being "magical", it makes you who you are. She is on the right track and I hope she gets to keep that attitude. The last child summed up what I trust was taught at home and school. He wanted all the children to be his friends. Wdwfan007
I also thought the children in this video were surprisingly young to already have a grasp on different races. Like you, I thought it was very depressing that many of the children were already making judgments about a person's intelligence and friendship based on the color of their skin. I wish more children in this video had the same attitude as the boy who wanted everyone to be his friend. Hawkward007
I remember being scared always associating trouble with dark places. I did not want to go into my room if the light was off and linking the color black to sad events like funerals. Therefore, I believe that at a young age a generalization took place along with the influence of other’s social views. Within time, I’ve learned to evaluate people after giving them a fair shake. This video shows exactly how we all start as a product of the social stratification were “inequality and beliefs” are exposed by correlating the words “bad”, “dumb”, “ugly” with the dark skin color . Another set of words were correlated with lighter skin color. The words “pretty”, “good”, desired were all used by the interviewer and were associated with white (or whiter) pigmentation. Recently there has been an experience in social mobility in this democratic country were we “celebrated the achievements” of a mixed descendant man. Mr. Barack Obama moved socially upwards when he was elected president of the United States of America changing his place in the society’s social hierarchy. For many decades we had associated people with power as being white. Looking back to the pre-civil war agrarian society whites were the powerful ones because they owned the land and powerless slaves simply worked as labor. In a postindustrial society we see a wide mix of race rising in power creating a new social hierarchy. Stereotypes no longer fit the shoe! As for the children in the video this is troublesome to see how they wish to be different in part because social stratification has being “carried over from generation to generation”. I wonder at the source of the children’s views of color. No matter if the child was white or black, what are their parents teaching them? Elise007
I think this video showed that racism is still happening in our society today whether people want to believe it or not. I was sad watching the first two children point to the white child when asked what skin color they wanted. Children should be confident in their own skin, and it is wrong that their society has made them feel otherwise. I was very surprised and troubled by the amount of children in the video who pointed to the black child when asked to point to the child that was unwanted and dumb. I thought our society had gotten past judgment based on the color of someone’s skin. Thankfully my faith in humanity was restored when some of the children in the video refused to point to the dolls. They had been raised to believe that it shouldn’t matter what skin color people have. They think people should be judged based on their personality, character, and actions, and I completely agree. Hawkward007
I completely agree with everything you said. I was also very shocked when the children were not confident in there own skin. It is really sad that any kids in America feel this way. We are suppose to be equal in rights and beauty. White is not the standard for beauty, but neither is asain or black. Humans of all kinds are beautiful and ugly at the same time. Kids need to understand this. Openmnd 007
This video shows the difference it makes to be educated on the subject. The smaller kids look completely confused when they were asked why they though that the darker doll was ugly and white one was pretty. I believe that the answers they gave were based on what they heard other people say. On the other hand, the answers given by the older kids reflected more knowledge about the subject. I love to see how the African American girls felt so confident about their skin color and how the felt about other people. Now, the white kid, I believe he was following stereotypes. Hopefully as he gets older, he will be able to understand diversity better. It is sad to see how the first girl thinks that her skin color looks ugly and even tasty. As I mention before, education makes a big difference, and it start at home. So based on what we learn at home is going to impact how we see other people. Elia007
I agree I do feel that kids believe what they here and see. I feel that we need to hold off on teaching our kids the about this subject matter till they are older the they can better understand. All kids no matter race should always be confident in their skin color and should let it know as well.redwings77
The video depicts a self-fulfilling prophesy when the young black children’s answers reflect “how they are perceived by others” and how they perceive themselves. It is troublesome to see negative feelings towards their own dark skin color. One of the younger children see themselves as “dirty” while the older children clearly stated their opinion based on their own interpretations. Amongst the four older children three of them showed impartiality for color preference but one child in particular with a very orderly appearance, had some distinct answers supported by historical facts clearly showing a higher degree of education. Not knowing whether this children belongs to the same school, I will risk saying that some of them did while others didn’t. It is interesting to see the white children expressing the same ideas as the black children did. So, I question were they are learning to be so judgmental? Elise007
Children are taught at a earlier what is what. So when children go home and ask their parents why they look like this or why they look like that... parents explains to them the difference and tells the children the good and the bad of being different. Leaving children with no option on what and how they are suppose to be in the society with one another. cancer80-007
Children were taught at home about color to like and what color not to like. When a child of a different color don't see no color in another child the parents make them see the difference. If a black child grows up in a all white school they want to fit in. They want the physically and material look of those kids. They want the hair the living atmosphere and they end up talking without a slang which is called proper talking. When a white child goes to an all black school its the same difference. They like the black guys talk with the slang and listen to the urban music. When a child goes to their own color schools they don't associate with each other to much. They end up not liking one another. They have their own circle. Blacks had and have it hard today in society. Blacks pay to have the long hair and whites pay to have darker color. That's what happen when society of all different types come together. cancer80-007
This video really showed the problem with our society. A lot of parents unknowingly put this way of thought into their children. Whether it is through actions, conversation, or even just how they avoid the opposite race. Children pick up on this and mimic how their parents feel and many times this is very hard to break as an adult. Whether the family is black or white the bias still remains with a lot of people. Although America has come a long way, we still have a long way to go; and I mean a long way. Although the actions of racism have mostly been irradiated the mindset has not, and I truly believe that even no one likes to admit it everyone feels a little bit of “loyalty” at some point or another to their own race. A mindset doesn’t change overnight, but if we start teaching kids young they change will happen sooner than later. Openmind 007
I agree with you that understanding begins at home. I have had to shame or guilt older family members into submission about racist comments. We all guilty of laughing at a sensitive topic from time to time, hiding behind a "That was funny" attitude. (But it's wrong to do so) You can teach young and old about being politically correct, but it starts at home. Wdwfan007
I found this short clip to be very disturbing and troublesome in a way. You can obviously see that there is still racism in our society and much of it. The thing that upset me the most, is the fact that these kids didn't just come up with what they were saying. They had to of been taught or introduced to this at some point of time in their life. The only way society can fight this, is by teaching our kids, starting at a young age, that skin color doesn't matter. I noticed that out of the kids that were against judging people by their color, that these kids were of African descent. I also found it very sad that the kids with the darker skin, wanted to change to a light skin color. These kids not only were taught this way of thinking, but now is setting themselves up to fail because they find flaws in themselves at such a young age. We ourselves are our worst critic.
While I agree with the sentiment of teaching your children that skin color doesn't matter, I don't think it's very good advice. Yes, I agree that it shouldn't, but the racism still seething in our society says otherwise. We should instead teach our children that skin color, unfortunately, does matter, and that many people get unfair treatment because of it. - manatee007
I agree completely with your ideas. I think it is so sad how these little kids feel this way. It definitely is a result of how they were raised. I think we need to be more mindful of what ideas we choose to put in the heads of children. We should be influencing them to be encouraging, open-minded, helpful, and kind.. not to be judgmental. -turtle007
I agree racism is still in our society, and this video helped prove that fact. Also I agree with the fact the kids did not learn this themselves, especially because when they answered they did not know why they answered it that way. I agree with the fact that the way to move past this is to teach our kids that skin color does not matter. -Jazzdk -007
As a psychology major, I'm very interested in this for a variety of reasons. However, I'm wondering if having somebody of a different race ask the questions would affect what the children say, as well as the fact that they have to speak their answers. Even with those methodological concerns, I think it's hard to refute that these tests are showing something. Some news publications and stations might declare that we're in a "post-racial" society, but I believe that's the most ignorant statement about race somebody can make today short of outright racist remarks. Racism is very much alive. It seeps into so many aspects of our lives, and yet it often flies under the radar of so many of us. Which probably has to do with the fact that the majority of Americans are still white. If you ask a black person whether we live in a post-racial society, they'll probably say no, whereas a white person is more likely to agree with that statement. It might be that some of the white children who associated the dark skin color with being "bad" and "ugly" will grow up to believe we've solved racism. - manatee007
Before I read your comment I thought this study was performed well. But i did not take in effect the Hawthorne effect, I now notice that adults that the children were talking to are white. So maybe some of the children changed their answers a little bit due to seeing the person who asked the question. I see what you mean that minorities are going to say racism is still alive because they experience it more. Maybe whites think racism is not a problem because they dont experience as much and they probably turn a blind eye to it too. Lucidity007
What I find is really crazy is how these kids at such a young age are learning this. I do know that there is parental influence. I also understand that kids that are influenced be parents share those thoughts with their friends as well. What I feel is happening is that kids at such a young are being taught about the history of America and what happened with slavery, segregation and the civil right movement, that the idea of race inequality is already being planted in their heads. I believe that the history of America should be taught but taught to an older group so they can full understand and comprehend what happened and why. The way these kids view the dolls is totally wrong and saddening.redwings77
I believe you are right. It is disappointing to see that these kids can see the difference that people make about others. Some of the people that lived in the era of segregation still live today and still live with those feelings about race and then pass it down to their grandkids. It is truly disappointing. Lake3194007
This video was really eye-opening to me and I thought it was extremely sad. This just shows how greatly parents and older people can be such an influence on children. I think the comments and reactions of the children has almost 100% due to how they were taught to think and behavior. It was really saddening when the researcher would ask the black kids "What skin color do you want" and almost all of them would point to the white skin color. One girl said that her own skin color was "nasty for some reason and i don't know that reason". This shows directly that she has heard negative comments towards her skin color but she does not know why people think that way. I loved when they children would respond to "Who would you rather be friends with or have as a classmate" with saying all of the children. Overall, the children's mindset of their skin color is evidently impacted by the people's mindsets around them as they grow up and learn. - turtle007
I agree that this video is very sad. Parents and adults don’t realize the affect they have on children’s minds and its really depressing to see how the mind sets that the parents may or may not have rub off on the kids and they didn’t even have a chance for themselves to get an idea for themselves except for the girls that said “everyone is the same on the inside.”-lordSWOLEdemort007
This video made me surprised, because I did not know that is what some children think. I think they got their ideas from seeing their parents stereotype and then when that happens the kids who did not see their parents stereotype are then influenced by the ones who did. This is wrong for young people to think this way but the reasons for them noticing it is because their parents grew up around segregation and so it is hard for them to just to forget the social norm that they grew up around. Though as a responsible parent would try to hide feelings like that from their kids. So now the kids got to the point that they think one skin color is smarter then another or even prettier. When in reality everyone is equal and some kids in the video did say that it does not happen as much now, but it should not be happening at all. -Jazzdk -007
This video kind of surprised me but not really. Kids have the ability to be very observant. They see things most others do not. Racism is not as prominent as it was back in the 50's and 60's but its still there. Kids learn in school about how society was back then and then they compare it to now. after learning these history lessons in school kids go home and watch to see if there is anything that might relate to the what they learned about. Most of the kids answers did not surprise me. I deal with kids all the time and they tell me things that they have experienced in their neighborhoods or at home and it is quite surprising to see that people are still set in the ways of the past. Lake3194007
This is a very depressing video I think. The fact that little kids in our society are growing up with the mindset of how we view people of darker skin is worse then how we treat the litter colored people is just sickening. When we can ask a kid that young “what child is the ugly one” and they go to the darkest one and say because they have dark skin they are ugly is really sad for me. As a society we have put a stigma on the skin color of people. The kids who grow up listening to the ways of society that talks like that already start life with a disadvantaged way of thinking. We as a society have slowly progressed away from that type of thinking, and as time moves on it will get better as that way of thinking dies along with the people that stigmatize people under the color of their skin. I just hope that the next generations don’t have to see this side of society. –lordSWOLEdemort007
This was one of the most shocking and saddest clips I've seen. A lot of the kids saw dark skin as being negative, which is a sad quality. At a young age children are showing racial bias or racial stratification. To me it seems that, much like deviance, that these children may be learning their views on race from adults. Some adults teach children things directly. But sometimes adults think that children are not paying attention and children then learn things indirectly as well. But I'm thinking also that socially or in everyday life kids are shown that white is good and black is bad. For instance if you pick up a random child book, the bad character will be of a dark shade. And the things that are good are light. Or something as simple as being in the dark is scary or bad and being in the light is a good thing. Possibly, subconsciously it could carry over into other aspects of the world that the child views things. The beginning shocked me because the children kind of rejected their race and somewhat of who they are. Both the little boy and girl said they either wanted to be a lighter shade or white. And I think this ties in with their environment or maybe even culture, if they see whites having a better life, that's what they would want. But if they are racially segregated and only see their own race they would want to still be black because that's all that they see. The white child at the beginning did show, at least, that the social distance scale is becoming smaller. I think its sad to see that even children display racial discrimination and that racism has a chance to still thrive and exist. Lucidity007
I agree that a lot of what children learn from their parents is learned indirectly. I don't think any of these children's parents actually sat them down and said "whites are better than blacks" because we're just not in that type of world anymore since the Civil Rights movement. However, I think a lot of adults still have that racist attitude and it rubs off on the child regardless of their skin color. It's so sad that this is the way our children are being raised. macey2013
I agree that it was very sad for these little kids to have to think that black skin is negative. The first kid didn't even know why he would rather have light skin, but he just knew how it was based on what society thinks. The little girl had associated black skin with being nasty, and that was the saddest part to think these kids think like that. Jworm007
This video was shocking to me. We always say we've made so much progress with racism and discrimination based on skin color but this video shows that children are still being raised to believe white skin tones are better than black skin tones even though they might not understand why. We're socialized in a way that makes us judge people based on skin color without even thinking about it. I thought it was so sad how every time a child was asked "who's the ugly child" and "who's the dumb child" no matter what the color of the child was they all pointed to the darkest colored child. Same with "who's the good looking child" and "who would you want as your classmate." Almost all agreed on the lightest colored child purely based on their skin color, with the exception of the little boy who said "all of them." This child was clearly raised no not judge people based on appearance but to judge them by their actions, behavior, and personality. Everything on the inside that really counts. The sad thing is a child raised like that is somewhat rare. I think sadly, most children in our society would respond that way to this doll experiment. I think this video shows we have come a long way, however, we still have a long way to go. macey2013
I agree with you 100%, we have made some progress with racism and discrimination based on how it was back then in the early 1900's, but in the video it is evident that it is still here. It will take some more time for it to clear up, but I honestly think that there will always be some sort of racism and discrimination going on throughout life. It all starts from home. -- Murse007
This video made my jaw drop while I was watching it. I couldn’t believe that young kids even thought in that type of way. The kids defined race without even knowing what it was… skin color. There are distinct identities that defined the children… I thought it was very sad when the girl at the beginning said she didn’t want to be brown because it is nasty. This behavior can be learned and influenced but children also observe and realize how they are different. I do not think the kids are being prejudice or racist because they are just children and speaking what they think… but I do find this video heartbreaking. I wish one day there would be some sort of way to blur out color differences within our world. alo007
I agree with you and say it was very sad to see the kids regardless of color,. stigmatize the dark skinned kids. At least one girl had the right idea and said that isn't right, we are all the same inside! The innocence of a child can say a lot and even though these kids are not over ten they all have made the same opinions based on what society has shown and defined is more acceptable. I bet kids in one hundred years won't say the same things, and I hope the stigma of color can be washed away with a new century! Jb047d007
I agree that this is "jaw dropping". What I really want to know is: Where did they learn this? Young kids learn much from the home. In researching my paper, I found a study of Hispanics daughters not wanting to marry other Hispanics because the parents told them Hispanic men treat women badly. Could a similar problem exist with race?
The kids in this test all had the same reactions regardless of what color their skin was and served as a good example for how us as humans naturally have a way to stigmatized based on what our society says is culturally accepted or more common. The children admit that they are are people regardless their color, they are the same thing and it should only matter who you are on the inside. Around ten kids agreed they would rather have light skin and be in class with the light skinned child rather than the dark skin. They admit there is no difference but light skin is perceived as better, although that is not true, and they think maybe we stigmatize our thoughts that way because of how things were in the old days and dark skin was stereotyped. Jb047d007
Just the beginning of this video starts off sad. These two African-American children were asked what color of skin they wanted to be and they pointed to the white doll indicating they wished they were anything closely related to Caucasian. Children, let alone anyone else in the world, should have to wish they were something they are not. With that being said there is obviously still racism going on in the world. No matter how much some people preach everyone is considered equal, we are not, and that is the sad truth. I wish that we could all live in a world where everyone is considered equal and not judged upon on skin color, how we think or act, or we come from. Maybe one day we will, but it will definitely take a good amount time, if it ever happens. --Murse 007
This really just came off as sad when the girl in the beginning said that she didn't like the color of her skin. It's terrible that they would rather be something that can't be changed. The white kid that came up next also picked the white doll because he said that the darker skin color is looked at in society as ugly. He said that black kids would get picked on because of their skin color, and the white people would associate black people as "ugly". When asked why he thought that some people think like that he replied "what people have heard". It's sad that this negative connotation is floating around in society like this to where a little kid already knows that this still goes on in society. If a little kid can see that this problem is still going on in this world, then that shows that we haven't come as far as we would like to in this nation. Jworm007
I strongly agree with your statement racism is definitely still going on in society but,mainly in homes kids only learned what they know by what and who their raised by or around. Its just like becoming a product of your environment unless you choose to change it.
It is real messed up for this generation to be brought up treating one another different because of the color of their skin but, not only that having young African Americans want to be Caucasians so that they wouldn't feel like their ugly being black, or feel that their dumb by any mean. The young girl in the video said they shouldn't be treated differently because of their skin tone its how their appearance and how they present themselves as an individual. I believe racism still exists because eight year old children know to much of how African Americans were treated back then and the names they were called. About a month ago i witness a young Caucasian girl who was about 10yrs of age call my sister whom, is the same age as well the "N" word not only did she do it in front of me. I later found out after talking with my sister that not only she has called her the "N" word multiple times but, she has even called other students who were black as well the same name. I asked if she reported this to the teacher and she said she did but, the teacher never does anything about it. Its sad this little girl gets away with the name calling but, if two African Americans were to say the same thing to one another using it as slang words they would get in trouble or suspended. I thought to myself for this child to constantly use this word repeatedly with no problem her parents must raised her to believe African Americans still doesn't deserves any respect and that they should still be treated the same way. Another thing i recognized is and this happens every single time i go grocery shopping. When I'm at a grocery store and I'm in an isle looking for a particular item and i stand in the middle of the isle someone Caucasian mainly elderly people will walk up behind me and just stand behind me expecting me to move like I'm suppose to automatically give him/her room to walk pass without saying excuse me or anything. Then when i purposely stand there until he/ she speak that person would then cough like its a sign to move still no excuse me. This has happen at least 20 times. Which is extremely pathetic. The longest I have stood waiting for an elder man to say excuse me was 4 minutes. The looks on their faces is awful they give us look of disgrace but, just because they feel the way they feel about African Americans doesn't give me the reason to dislike all Caucasians because of that. My great grandmother was full blood white and Irish believe it or not and her parents and sisters did not like blacks at all. She was the only one to have a child by someone black so not all African Americans or someone who is a certain color means they came from that background. We should all treat one another how we would want to be treated and quit discriminating.
Well this short clip made me sad, surprised, and impressed. I was sad how many children said the black child was, ugly, nasty, unlike, wouldn’t want to be friends with, made fun of, and dumb. It surprised me how many of these comments came from black children. It was interesting that the first two black children didn’t even know why they wanted the white skin color, the just knew it mattered. I was impressed with how knowledgeable one of the white boys was on blacks and their history. I was impressed by the one black girl who said she thinks all the different colors of children are magical, because they’re not all the same. She said it doesn’t matter what’s on the outside, but on the inside. I think it would be interesting to have a study done on the families of the first two black children, and the black girl with the positive attitude. I would be curious to know if they get these ideas from their parents or from society. justagirl007
ReplyDeleteI think you have a really good idea with conducting a study with the families of the first black children and the black children with the positive attitude. It would be interesting to see what their parents are like because that is most likely where they got their own attitudes on race from. I also found it sad that the black children didn't know why they wanted white skin but they wanted it anyway. I wish they could be happy with their current skin color and not feel like there is any difference between people of different colors. -BeautifullyBroken007
DeleteThe black girl in the blue sweater hit the nail right on the head. She's absolutely right, no one should look at someone and just see a color. It shouldn't matter, in society, what color your skin is, it should matter what type of character you have and if you're a genuine person. I was shocked at how many of the black children pointed to the picture of the black kid when asked which one was ugliest and how many of them pointed to the picture of the white kid when asked which skin color they would want. This study proved that a stigma towards different races still exists today. While none of the kids struck me as racist, they still thought that the pictures of the black kids were most likely to be ugly, dumb and disliked. It made me sad to see the black children saying they wished they had white skin. I wished we lived in a society where everyone could feel comfortable in their own skin no matter what color it is.
ReplyDelete-BeautifullyBroken007
You are right about the girl in the blue sweater. Her not judging anyone because of what they look like referring back to skin color should be how everyone sees the world but unfortunately that is not how todays society is. Her saying they are all look pretty nice and her friend next to her saying we shouldn't judge because we don't know them (along those lines) is typically how we should all act towards others. Living in a society with no judgments will probably never happen but we can only try and make it better. iCHEER6007
DeleteI agree with this statement completely. I found it very sad that these kids, at such a young age, were already judging people by the way their skin looks. Its terrible how some of the kids wanted to change their skin color to a lighter shade, just because of what society has already taught them. Its sad to see these kids already critiquing themselves as being ugly and stupid. BLUELIGHT007
DeleteThis clip is very sad to me and I couldn't believe how many people said the darker skinned kid was dumb. Knowing kids at this age discriminate that bad is very surprising to me. There is no difference between any color of skin. Your skin color does not make you smarter, cuter, less scary, nothing. When the little boy about 2 minutes in talks about it being worse in the "olden days" yes for some it was but yet we still see this existing in todays society. Living in this society today is so hard because of peoples discriminations and how people treat others. I think we should all be treated equal no matter what our skin color is. It sickens me to see just because someone is not white judgements happen for no reason such as just being a dark skinned human being. iCHEER6007
ReplyDeleteI found this clip very sad as well. I agree with you that we should all be treated equal no matter what our skin color is. Just think how different the world would be if we would look at our differences as "magical" like the little black girl said. I think she was really onto something in this clip, and will go very far in life. justagirl007
DeleteBesides that sad, it was an eye opening video to me. I also think that we should all be treated equal. I still think that education makes a big difference and because we having the privilege of education ourselves, we should also try to educate our family about the topic.We might not change their opinion, but will definitelly make them rethink of how they have judge people based on their color. Elia007
DeleteI found the age of the children to stunningly young to have such a comprehension of the divisions of race. All of them knew that they were different, unfortunately some of them had already associated skin color with good, bad, pretty and ugly. Intelligence and friendship was associated with skin tone, which seemed to be too much of a mature judgment by children of that young age. That negative interpretation could have been taught at home. I was impressed with the comments about how they thought teachers attitudes towards color didn't matter. It what was on the inside that teachers admired. The teachers were held in neutrality status, only looking for inner beauty. This gave me optimism, in the depressing video. A girl described skin tone as being "magical", it makes you who you are. She is on the right track and I hope she gets to keep that attitude. The last child summed up what I trust was taught at home and school. He wanted all the children to be his friends. Wdwfan007
ReplyDeleteI also thought the children in this video were surprisingly young to already have a grasp on different races. Like you, I thought it was very depressing that many of the children were already making judgments about a person's intelligence and friendship based on the color of their skin. I wish more children in this video had the same attitude as the boy who wanted everyone to be his friend. Hawkward007
DeleteI remember being scared always associating trouble with dark places. I did not want to go into my room if the light was off and linking the color black to sad events like funerals. Therefore, I believe that at a young age a generalization took place along with the influence of other’s social views. Within time, I’ve learned to evaluate people after giving them a fair shake. This video shows exactly how we all start as a product of the social stratification were “inequality and beliefs” are exposed by correlating the words “bad”, “dumb”, “ugly” with the dark skin color . Another set of words were correlated with lighter skin color. The words “pretty”, “good”, desired were all used by the interviewer and were associated with white (or whiter) pigmentation. Recently there has been an experience in social mobility in this democratic country were we “celebrated the achievements” of a mixed descendant man. Mr. Barack Obama moved socially upwards when he was elected president of the United States of America changing his place in the society’s social hierarchy. For many decades we had associated people with power as being white. Looking back to the pre-civil war agrarian society whites were the powerful ones because they owned the land and powerless slaves simply worked as labor. In a postindustrial society we see a wide mix of race rising in power creating a new social hierarchy. Stereotypes no longer fit the shoe! As for the children in the video this is troublesome to see how they wish to be different in part because social stratification has being “carried over from generation to generation”. I wonder at the source of the children’s views of color. No matter if the child was white or black, what are their parents teaching them?
ReplyDeleteElise007
Please disregard this posting. It was not the one I wanted to post. Another one from me is posted further down in this page. - Elise007
DeleteI think this video showed that racism is still happening in our society today whether people want to believe it or not. I was sad watching the first two children point to the white child when asked what skin color they wanted. Children should be confident in their own skin, and it is wrong that their society has made them feel otherwise. I was very surprised and troubled by the amount of children in the video who pointed to the black child when asked to point to the child that was unwanted and dumb. I thought our society had gotten past judgment based on the color of someone’s skin. Thankfully my faith in humanity was restored when some of the children in the video refused to point to the dolls. They had been raised to believe that it shouldn’t matter what skin color people have. They think people should be judged based on their personality, character, and actions, and I completely agree. Hawkward007
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with everything you said. I was also very shocked when the children were not confident in there own skin. It is really sad that any kids in America feel this way. We are suppose to be equal in rights and beauty. White is not the standard for beauty, but neither is asain or black. Humans of all kinds are beautiful and ugly at the same time. Kids need to understand this.
DeleteOpenmnd 007
This video shows the difference it makes to be educated on the subject. The smaller kids look completely confused when they were asked why they though that the darker doll was ugly and white one was pretty. I believe that the answers they gave were based on what they heard other people say. On the other hand, the answers given by the older kids reflected more knowledge about the subject. I love to see how the African American girls felt so confident about their skin color and how the felt about other people. Now, the white kid, I believe he was following stereotypes. Hopefully as he gets older, he will be able to understand diversity better. It is sad to see how the first girl thinks that her skin color looks ugly and even tasty. As I mention before, education makes a big difference, and it start at home. So based on what we learn at home is going to impact how we see other people. Elia007
ReplyDeleteI agree I do feel that kids believe what they here and see. I feel that we need to hold off on teaching our kids the about this subject matter till they are older the they can better understand. All kids no matter race should always be confident in their skin color and should let it know as well.redwings77
DeleteThe video depicts a self-fulfilling prophesy when the young black children’s answers reflect “how they are perceived by others” and how they perceive themselves. It is troublesome to see negative feelings towards their own dark skin color. One of the younger children see themselves as “dirty” while the older children clearly stated their opinion based on their own interpretations. Amongst the four older children three of them showed impartiality for color preference but one child in particular with a very orderly appearance, had some distinct answers supported by historical facts clearly showing a higher degree of education. Not knowing whether this children belongs to the same school, I will risk saying that some of them did while others didn’t. It is interesting to see the white children expressing the same ideas as the black children did. So, I question were they are learning to be so judgmental?
ReplyDeleteElise007
Children are taught at a earlier what is what. So when children go home and ask their parents why they look like this or why they look like that... parents explains to them the difference and tells the children the good and the bad of being different. Leaving children with no option on what and how they are suppose to be in the society with one another. cancer80-007
DeleteChildren were taught at home about color to like and what color not to like. When a child of a different color don't see no color in another child the parents make them see the difference. If a black child grows up in a all white school they want to fit in. They want the physically and material look of those kids. They want the hair the living atmosphere and they end up talking without a slang which is called proper talking. When a white child goes to an all black school its the same difference. They like the black guys talk with the slang and listen to the urban music. When a child goes to their own color schools they don't associate with each other to much. They end up not liking one another. They have their own circle. Blacks had and have it hard today in society. Blacks pay to have the long hair and whites pay to have darker color. That's what happen when society of all different types come together. cancer80-007
ReplyDeleteThis video really showed the problem with our society. A lot of parents unknowingly put this way of thought into their children. Whether it is through actions, conversation, or even just how they avoid the opposite race. Children pick up on this and mimic how their parents feel and many times this is very hard to break as an adult. Whether the family is black or white the bias still remains with a lot of people. Although America has come a long way, we still have a long way to go; and I mean a long way. Although the actions of racism have mostly been irradiated the mindset has not, and I truly believe that even no one likes to admit it everyone feels a little bit of “loyalty” at some point or another to their own race. A mindset doesn’t change overnight, but if we start teaching kids young they change will happen sooner than later.
ReplyDeleteOpenmind 007
I agree with you that understanding begins at home. I have had to shame or guilt older family members into submission about racist comments. We all guilty of laughing at a sensitive topic from time to time, hiding behind a "That was funny" attitude. (But it's wrong to do so) You can teach young and old about being politically correct, but it starts at home. Wdwfan007
DeleteI found this short clip to be very disturbing and troublesome in a way. You can obviously see that there is still racism in our society and much of it. The thing that upset me the most, is the fact that these kids didn't just come up with what they were saying. They had to of been taught or introduced to this at some point of time in their life. The only way society can fight this, is by teaching our kids, starting at a young age, that skin color doesn't matter. I noticed that out of the kids that were against judging people by their color, that these kids were of African descent. I also found it very sad that the kids with the darker skin, wanted to change to a light skin color. These kids not only were taught this way of thinking, but now is setting themselves up to fail because they find flaws in themselves at such a young age. We ourselves are our worst critic.
ReplyDeletesorry forgot. BLUELIGHT007
DeleteWhile I agree with the sentiment of teaching your children that skin color doesn't matter, I don't think it's very good advice. Yes, I agree that it shouldn't, but the racism still seething in our society says otherwise. We should instead teach our children that skin color, unfortunately, does matter, and that many people get unfair treatment because of it.
Delete- manatee007
I agree completely with your ideas. I think it is so sad how these little kids feel this way. It definitely is a result of how they were raised. I think we need to be more mindful of what ideas we choose to put in the heads of children. We should be influencing them to be encouraging, open-minded, helpful, and kind.. not to be judgmental. -turtle007
DeleteI agree racism is still in our society, and this video helped prove that fact. Also I agree with the fact the kids did not learn this themselves, especially because when they answered they did not know why they answered it that way. I agree with the fact that the way to move past this is to teach our kids that skin color does not matter. -Jazzdk -007
DeleteAs a psychology major, I'm very interested in this for a variety of reasons. However, I'm wondering if having somebody of a different race ask the questions would affect what the children say, as well as the fact that they have to speak their answers. Even with those methodological concerns, I think it's hard to refute that these tests are showing something. Some news publications and stations might declare that we're in a "post-racial" society, but I believe that's the most ignorant statement about race somebody can make today short of outright racist remarks. Racism is very much alive. It seeps into so many aspects of our lives, and yet it often flies under the radar of so many of us. Which probably has to do with the fact that the majority of Americans are still white. If you ask a black person whether we live in a post-racial society, they'll probably say no, whereas a white person is more likely to agree with that statement. It might be that some of the white children who associated the dark skin color with being "bad" and "ugly" will grow up to believe we've solved racism.
ReplyDelete- manatee007
Before I read your comment I thought this study was performed well. But i did not take in effect the Hawthorne effect, I now notice that adults that the children were talking to are white. So maybe some of the children changed their answers a little bit due to seeing the person who asked the question. I see what you mean that minorities are going to say racism is still alive because they experience it more. Maybe whites think racism is not a problem because they dont experience as much and they probably turn a blind eye to it too.
DeleteLucidity007
What I find is really crazy is how these kids at such a young age are learning this. I do know that there is parental influence. I also understand that kids that are influenced be parents share those thoughts with their friends as well. What I feel is happening is that kids at such a young are being taught about the history of America and what happened with slavery, segregation and the civil right movement, that the idea of race inequality is already being planted in their heads. I believe that the history of America should be taught but taught to an older group so they can full understand and comprehend what happened and why. The way these kids view the dolls is totally wrong and saddening.redwings77
ReplyDeleteI believe you are right. It is disappointing to see that these kids can see the difference that people make about others. Some of the people that lived in the era of segregation still live today and still live with those feelings about race and then pass it down to their grandkids. It is truly disappointing. Lake3194007
DeleteThis video was really eye-opening to me and I thought it was extremely sad. This just shows how greatly parents and older people can be such an influence on children. I think the comments and reactions of the children has almost 100% due to how they were taught to think and behavior. It was really saddening when the researcher would ask the black kids "What skin color do you want" and almost all of them would point to the white skin color. One girl said that her own skin color was "nasty for some reason and i don't know that reason". This shows directly that she has heard negative comments towards her skin color but she does not know why people think that way. I loved when they children would respond to "Who would you rather be friends with or have as a classmate" with saying all of the children. Overall, the children's mindset of their skin color is evidently impacted by the people's mindsets around them as they grow up and learn. - turtle007
ReplyDeleteI agree that this video is very sad. Parents and adults don’t realize the affect they have on children’s minds and its really depressing to see how the mind sets that the parents may or may not have rub off on the kids and they didn’t even have a chance for themselves to get an idea for themselves except for the girls that said “everyone is the same on the inside.”-lordSWOLEdemort007
DeleteThis video made me surprised, because I did not know that is what some children think. I think they got their ideas from seeing their parents stereotype and then when that happens the kids who did not see their parents stereotype are then influenced by the ones who did. This is wrong for young people to think this way but the reasons for them noticing it is because their parents grew up around segregation and so it is hard for them to just to forget the social norm that they grew up around. Though as a responsible parent would try to hide feelings like that from their kids. So now the kids got to the point that they think one skin color is smarter then another or even prettier. When in reality everyone is equal and some kids in the video did say that it does not happen as much now, but it should not be happening at all. -Jazzdk -007
ReplyDeleteThis video kind of surprised me but not really. Kids have the ability to be very observant. They see things most others do not. Racism is not as prominent as it was back in the 50's and 60's but its still there. Kids learn in school about how society was back then and then they compare it to now. after learning these history lessons in school kids go home and watch to see if there is anything that might relate to the what they learned about. Most of the kids answers did not surprise me. I deal with kids all the time and they tell me things that they have experienced in their neighborhoods or at home and it is quite surprising to see that people are still set in the ways of the past. Lake3194007
ReplyDeleteThis is a very depressing video I think. The fact that little kids in our society are growing up with the mindset of how we view people of darker skin is worse then how we treat the litter colored people is just sickening. When we can ask a kid that young “what child is the ugly one” and they go to the darkest one and say because they have dark skin they are ugly is really sad for me. As a society we have put a stigma on the skin color of people. The kids who grow up listening to the ways of society that talks like that already start life with a disadvantaged way of thinking. We as a society have slowly progressed away from that type of thinking, and as time moves on it will get better as that way of thinking dies along with the people that stigmatize people under the color of their skin. I just hope that the next generations don’t have to see this side of society. –lordSWOLEdemort007
ReplyDeleteThis was one of the most shocking and saddest clips I've seen. A lot of the kids saw dark skin as being negative, which is a sad quality. At a young age children are showing racial bias or racial stratification. To me it seems that, much like deviance, that these children may be learning their views on race from adults. Some adults teach children things directly. But sometimes adults think that children are not paying attention and children then learn things indirectly as well. But I'm thinking also that socially or in everyday life kids are shown that white is good and black is bad. For instance if you pick up a random child book, the bad character will be of a dark shade. And the things that are good are light. Or something as simple as being in the dark is scary or bad and being in the light is a good thing. Possibly, subconsciously it could carry over into other aspects of the world that the child views things. The beginning shocked me because the children kind of rejected their race and somewhat of who they are. Both the little boy and girl said they either wanted to be a lighter shade or white. And I think this ties in with their environment or maybe even culture, if they see whites having a better life, that's what they would want. But if they are racially segregated and only see their own race they would want to still be black because that's all that they see. The white child at the beginning did show, at least, that the social distance scale is becoming smaller. I think its sad to see that even children display racial discrimination and that racism has a chance to still thrive and exist.
ReplyDeleteLucidity007
I agree that a lot of what children learn from their parents is learned indirectly. I don't think any of these children's parents actually sat them down and said "whites are better than blacks" because we're just not in that type of world anymore since the Civil Rights movement. However, I think a lot of adults still have that racist attitude and it rubs off on the child regardless of their skin color. It's so sad that this is the way our children are being raised.
Deletemacey2013
I agree that it was very sad for these little kids to have to think that black skin is negative. The first kid didn't even know why he would rather have light skin, but he just knew how it was based on what society thinks. The little girl had associated black skin with being nasty, and that was the saddest part to think these kids think like that. Jworm007
DeleteThis video was shocking to me. We always say we've made so much progress with racism and discrimination based on skin color but this video shows that children are still being raised to believe white skin tones are better than black skin tones even though they might not understand why. We're socialized in a way that makes us judge people based on skin color without even thinking about it. I thought it was so sad how every time a child was asked "who's the ugly child" and "who's the dumb child" no matter what the color of the child was they all pointed to the darkest colored child. Same with "who's the good looking child" and "who would you want as your classmate." Almost all agreed on the lightest colored child purely based on their skin color, with the exception of the little boy who said "all of them." This child was clearly raised no not judge people based on appearance but to judge them by their actions, behavior, and personality. Everything on the inside that really counts. The sad thing is a child raised like that is somewhat rare. I think sadly, most children in our society would respond that way to this doll experiment. I think this video shows we have come a long way, however, we still have a long way to go.
ReplyDeletemacey2013
I agree with you 100%, we have made some progress with racism and discrimination based on how it was back then in the early 1900's, but in the video it is evident that it is still here. It will take some more time for it to clear up, but I honestly think that there will always be some sort of racism and discrimination going on throughout life. It all starts from home. -- Murse007
DeleteThis video made my jaw drop while I was watching it. I couldn’t believe that young kids even thought in that type of way. The kids defined race without even knowing what it was… skin color. There are distinct identities that defined the children… I thought it was very sad when the girl at the beginning said she didn’t want to be brown because it is nasty. This behavior can be learned and influenced but children also observe and realize how they are different. I do not think the kids are being prejudice or racist because they are just children and speaking what they think… but I do find this video heartbreaking. I wish one day there would be some sort of way to blur out color differences within our world. alo007
ReplyDeleteI agree with you and say it was very sad to see the kids regardless of color,. stigmatize the dark skinned kids. At least one girl had the right idea and said that isn't right, we are all the same inside! The innocence of a child can say a lot and even though these kids are not over ten they all have made the same opinions based on what society has shown and defined is more acceptable. I bet kids in one hundred years won't say the same things, and I hope the stigma of color can be washed away with a new century!
DeleteJb047d007
I agree that this is "jaw dropping". What I really want to know is: Where did they learn this? Young kids learn much from the home. In researching my paper, I found a study of Hispanics daughters not wanting to marry other Hispanics because the parents told them Hispanic men treat women badly. Could a similar problem exist with race?
DeleteI forgot to sign the -> I agree that this is "jaw dropping". Elise007
DeleteThe kids in this test all had the same reactions regardless of what color their skin was and served as a good example for how us as humans naturally have a way to stigmatized based on what our society says is culturally accepted or more common. The children admit that they are are people regardless their color, they are the same thing and it should only matter who you are on the inside. Around ten kids agreed they would rather have light skin and be in class with the light skinned child rather than the dark skin. They admit there is no difference but light skin is perceived as better, although that is not true, and they think maybe we stigmatize our thoughts that way because of how things were in the old days and dark skin was stereotyped.
ReplyDeleteJb047d007
Just the beginning of this video starts off sad. These two African-American children were asked what color of skin they wanted to be and they pointed to the white doll indicating they wished they were anything closely related to Caucasian. Children, let alone anyone else in the world, should have to wish they were something they are not. With that being said there is obviously still racism going on in the world. No matter how much some people preach everyone is considered equal, we are not, and that is the sad truth. I wish that we could all live in a world where everyone is considered equal and not judged upon on skin color, how we think or act, or we come from. Maybe one day we will, but it will definitely take a good amount time, if it ever happens. --Murse 007
ReplyDeleteThis really just came off as sad when the girl in the beginning said that she didn't like the color of her skin. It's terrible that they would rather be something that can't be changed. The white kid that came up next also picked the white doll because he said that the darker skin color is looked at in society as ugly. He said that black kids would get picked on because of their skin color, and the white people would associate black people as "ugly". When asked why he thought that some people think like that he replied "what people have heard". It's sad that this negative connotation is floating around in society like this to where a little kid already knows that this still goes on in society. If a little kid can see that this problem is still going on in this world, then that shows that we haven't come as far as we would like to in this nation. Jworm007
ReplyDeleteI strongly agree with your statement racism is definitely still going on in society but,mainly in homes kids only learned what they know by what and who their raised by or around. Its just like becoming a product of your environment unless you choose to change it.
DeleteLexy1693-012
It is real messed up for this generation to be brought up treating one another different because of the color of their skin but, not only that having young African Americans want to be Caucasians so that they wouldn't feel like their ugly being black, or feel that their dumb by any mean. The young girl in the video said they shouldn't be treated differently because of their skin tone its how their appearance and how they present themselves as an individual. I believe racism still exists because eight year old children know to much of how African Americans were treated back then and the names they were called. About a month ago i witness a young Caucasian girl who was about 10yrs of age call my sister whom, is the same age as well the "N" word not only did she do it in front of me. I later found out after talking with my sister that not only she has called her the "N" word multiple times but, she has even called other students who were black as well the same name. I asked if she reported this to the teacher and she said she did but, the teacher never does anything about it. Its sad this little girl gets away with the name calling but, if two African Americans were to say the same thing to one another using it as slang words they would get in trouble or suspended. I thought to myself for this child to constantly use this word repeatedly with no problem her parents must raised her to believe African Americans still doesn't deserves any respect and that they should still be treated the same way. Another thing i recognized is and this happens every single time i go grocery shopping. When I'm at a grocery store and I'm in an isle looking for a particular item and i stand in the middle of the isle someone Caucasian mainly elderly people will walk up behind me and just stand behind me expecting me to move like I'm suppose to automatically give him/her room to walk pass without saying excuse me or anything. Then when i purposely stand there until he/ she speak that person would then cough like its a sign to move still no excuse me. This has happen at least 20 times. Which is extremely pathetic. The longest I have stood waiting for an elder man to say excuse me was 4 minutes. The looks on their faces is awful they give us look of disgrace but, just because they feel the way they feel about African Americans doesn't give me the reason to dislike all Caucasians because of that. My great grandmother was full blood white and Irish believe it or not and her parents and sisters did not like blacks at all. She was the only one to have a child by someone black so not all African Americans or someone who is a certain color means they came from that background. We should all treat one another how we would want to be treated and quit discriminating.
ReplyDeleteLexy1693-012