The video shows a repeat of an old experiment where children can chose between two dolls. See these black children demonstrate a complete lack of self-esteem or even outright self-hatred by choosing a white doll (the 'nice one') over a black one while they are perfectly aware of their own skin color.
If all you hear and see are images where a black skin is linked with violence, crime and poverty, it's no wonder young kids already disassociate themselves of their own color.
The original 1940s experiment by Kenneth and Mamie Clark led to the famous High Court decision to forbid racial school segregation. This small scale repetition of the experiment shows we still have a long way to go.
The relevance for my own country of birth, the Netherlands, is that the national debate about 'Zwarte Piet', a blackface helper to the December celebration of 'Sinterklaas' is really important for black all children.
Black Pete is mostly played by white people, using black makeup, over the top afro wigs, golden earrings and large red lips. They act 'funny' by pretending to be stupid, while jumping around in an energetic way.
They act as the little helpers to the wise, white, bearded Saint Nicolas who arrives on his even more white high horse…
The contrast can't be bigger and the stereotyping can hardly be more over the top. Complaints by the relatively small black community in the Netherlands are mostly put aside as 'it's all good fun and don't spoil the party for the children'.
Maybe watching this little experiment helps realize defenders of this tradition realize that stereotyping does make children suffer.
Racism goes much deeper than skin; it really is a brain disease
it's heartbreaking! Having lived in the Netherlands for quite some time I am well aware of the Zwarte Piet issue. As pragmatic thinkers though , Dutch folks should, in my opinion , debate less on this, that is a somewhat inherited and harmless tradition , and more on what they can do to substantially repay , in a non symbolic manner, the damage they did to their former colonies. That would definitely make a difference.
This was also covered by +Malcolm Gladwell in his book Blink when tests looking at micro expressions revealed inherent racism deeply rooted within our society.
Great example of what is done to a child's mind early on!
In Japan they haul their children ( as young as 1 year of age) into Japanese shrines and
temples where demons are channeled into its soul and the natrural one is prayedd out. Throughout their childhood they learn not to express their feeling or give an opinion while smiling or keeping a straight face as if everything in their life is fine. By the way, Japan has a annual suicide rate of 30,000 people or more. I wonder why?
Let me suggest a pragmatic Dutch way of handling this: since everyone — of whatever race –playing Zwarte Piet paints his or her face black with charcoal, suppose that Zwarte Piet is a chimney sweep , and the stuff on his face is soot. In fact, that's what I assumed it was at my first Sinterklaas; the racial angle hadn't occurred to me at all until the papers started writing about it. My 4-year old son only has positive associations with Zwarte Piet: after all, he's the one throwing candy around!
+Dee Roytenberg the chimney look is refused by the Zwarte Piet defenders.
Showing black dirt by descending down the chimney has been proposed. He has to be fully black by facial make-up.
+Max Huijgen I consider myself a "defender" in the sense of my previous comment, but are you saying there are people who insist that Zwarte Piet has to be racially black? I mean, what does is matter to 2-6-year-olds, who are supposed to be the target audience?
BTW, always thought the Dutch were way cooler about the whole race thing than Americans. I've seen a huge billboard showing a black man kissing a white woman: you'd never see that in the US, ever. When I think about such things I'm always reminded of the Ukrainian rapper Alex from the movie "Everything is Illuminated" (great movie, btw). He served as an interpreter for a young Jewish American man Jonathan, and when asked by the latter not to use the word "Negro", replied "why, what's wrong with black people?" (or something to that effect).
I totally agree that 2-6 years old should be color blind (and most Dutch children are) +Dee Roytenberg but the adults insist on the full monty.
Full make-up, afro wig, red lips and the liberals in that camp would be willing to reconsider the golden earrings.
No acceptance for the 'chimney look' even after the mayor of Amsterdam (largest city) proposed to maybe go with 75% 'traditional' black and 25% chimney look after the city got a court conviction on stereotypes…
just asking: is it possible that santaclaus in the States is a black man. i don't know.
That's a bit like the issue.
Apart from Fox commenters, even in the US people can accept a black Santa Claus +Henk de Lauwe
You might like this article http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/12/12/yes-megyn-kelly-santa-can-be-black-and-jesus-too.html
+Max Huijgen which adults? I live in Amsterdam, by the way. I guess the issue may be whether we, as a society, should decide this is a big deal and mandate by law what character in a children's pageant ought to look like.
+Henk de Lauwe I'd say, since Santa is usually played by a relative, he'd tend to be the same race as the kids he brings presents to.
The law should be the last resort in solving this +Dee Roytenberg Society should solve it by adapting.
The black pete of my youth could punish you and put you in a bag on a (assumed) one-way trip to Spain (that's before Easyjet and Ryanair started charging for it).
The current Pete is less aggressive so society should evolve to a Pete which lost its racial background. As citizens we should be capable of doing this without the law (national or European) stepping in.
Why show an American video when they have only just started to consider African American or anyone else of a different ethnic origin as equals. This is not the case in most of Europe so this is a bad example that in itself insights racist misconceptions
Interesting comment +Andrew Pughe I follow the reasoning that exposure is key to change and Europe doesn't have as much black citizens as America.
I admit though that (although you don't mention it) that the reverse could also hold. If there are not that many stereotypes in existence the harm to young kids could be less.
I would counter on this hypothetical argument that television and internet make boundaries irrelevant. Stereotyping unfortunately is the one thing which easily crosses borders.
And they say we should just get over it. Ha!
Too many variables in this experiment. What color is the interviewer? Where do the children come from?
Hotgirlthainand
Hi
What happens when people fall neatly into the stereotype? Are we to be considered racist for even thinking they do?
+Karl Evans what does falling neatly into the stereotype mean?
My daughters always loved the black dolls more. Perhaps Andrew is right, probably in Europe the result would be an other one.
+Pier Sellman If someone matches the stereotype.
+Karl Evans oh OK.
This makes me so sad 🙁
+Dean Campbell What color is the interviewer? Afro-American.
+Max Huijgen so many factors
Now repeat the test with an Asian-looking and some other doll and let's see what happens.
That video BREAKS my heart!!!!!!!!!! And if it doesn't break yours…there is something wrong with you! I'm gutted that society has done this to children. When the black children each picked the "WHITE" baby as good & nice & pretty & smart… I was upset. BUT that a child would refer to the black baby as BAD, UGLY, DUMB or MEAN…and then identify themselves as being the same as the black baby, I was gob-smacked!!! . That is their self-esteem and self-worth already being sucked away! No child black, white or other, should EVER refer to their own race or any other race as bad, ugly, stupid or mean….we have to teach them that you cannot define an entire race as anything and that each person should be judged on their actions and attitude, no matter what the colour of their skin!!! We have infected our children to racial stereotyping; having any child feel abased or demeaned is wrong!!. IT IS A DISGRACE! THIS IS SOMETHING SERIOUS…..WE HAVE TO CHANGE IT!! They are being taught by what they see and hear ……always be cautious especially when in the company of a child! Please, children are our future.
Personally, I would like to see the responses of children who were offered the choice between a black and a Japanese doll or between a European and a Semitic-looking doll or a sample of more than two dolls of different races. Would they in any case prefer the "whiter" doll?
I also wonder how much their choice might be influenced by our cultural attribution of colour that is determined by the fact that we are visually oriented creatures and need light to see and feel comfortable – white = light, good, comforting, angelic; black = darkness, evil, haunting, devilish. It's a Pavlovian setting that the children pick up as soon as they are told classic fairy tales or get in contact with the Bible. God is Light, you know …