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The Obstacles in Raising Nonracist Children
Author: Mark Lindenau
English 115, Section 05
Instructor: Dr. Katharina Rout
It is my goal as a parent to raise my children to be nonracist. In order to achieve this goal, I need to observe and assess everything my children will be exposed to, be it in the media, opinions of their relatives or the opinions and actions from certain groups within the Canadian society.
The racial statements and opinions from the media can be direct or subtle, all of which will affect my children. Rather than being blatantly racist, television programs hid their racism in innuendo or as comic relief. For example, the newest program on the Fox Network "The PJ's" portrays black people and minorities as poor, lazy, uneducated and criminally inclined. I have singled out this particular program because is it done in claymation, a form of animation normally reserved for children's programs. A few adults may be fooled by the claymation and allow their children to watch the "The PJ's." But, if the parents studied the content of the program, they would recognize the racial undertones that their children might perceive as truth. The program revolves around the superintendent of an apartment building in "the projects." This building is dilapidated and the majority of tenants are poor black families. The superintendent spenRAB his time fixing broken sinks, toilets, heaters and windows, all of which are never fixed correctly. When the superintendent is not fixing the building, he is sitting in his easy chair watching The Wheel of Fortune. The message that my children would receive, if I allowed them to watch "The PJ's," is that black superintendents are lazy or too uneducated to fix anything properly. Also there is the perception that white people are not poor, because there are no white tenants. Racial insinuations in "The PJ's" are evidently portrayed in the scene where the apartment building is taken over by black gang merabers. The superintendent tries to call the police, but they have blocked any incoming phone calls from "the projects." To get noticed by the police the superintendent picks up his own television set and runs outside acting like he is a thief. This racial insinuation would teach my children that it is acceptable to perceive blacks as criminals, because people in authority condone this perception.
The attitudes of family merabers, in close contact with my children, can shape my children's future views of certain races. For instance, my children's great-aunt and uncle, I will call them Joe and Jane, have very strong views about the natives living on Vancouver Island. Joe and Jane, who are avid sport hunters, constantly complain that the natives are wasteful hunters and do not deserve the hunting rights that the Canadian government has granted them. Joe and Jane have also made strong statements that personify the perception that natives are lazy welfare recipients that whine to the Canadian government for more benefits that the natives do not deserve. In Joe and Jane's understanding all natives fit into one of these two categories. I have witnessed, to my chagrin, Joe and Jane's grown children echoing the same racist attitudes. It is painfully obvious what my children will learn from these family merabers, that all natives are wasteful, lazy whiners. This is a perception that is false and damaging to the well being of this country. Thankfully my children are too young to be concerned with adult conversations. However, when my children are old enough to understand I will do everything in my power to dispel this racist native perception. I would introduce my children to native art and native culture through books and movies. I also would bring to their attention the educated natives involved in the Canadian government.
I consider hate groups, like The Heritage Front and the Canadian KKK, pose the greatest threat to my attempt to raise my children as nonracist. It will almost be guaranteed that when my children attend Secondary School they will be exposed to the propaganda of these groups. Most recruitment activities of these hate groups occurs at the Secondary School level. These groups appeal to the angry, misunderstood young people by giving them a target, always race related, for the youth's anger. These hate groups also give the young people a sense of camaraderie and purpose that most of these angry, misunderstood youths lack. I may not be able to protect my children from the hate group's propaganda, but I can give my children a solid nonracist foundation. This foundation will include education about other races, my actions toward people of a different race and by choosing my spoken worRAB carefully. This foundation will also include a stable home life free from abuse, abundant in love and an openness between family merabers.
As my children grow older there are many fronts that will confront them with racism. But, I know that what they learn from me tolerance, acceptance, education and integrity will prevent my children from becoming racist. I only hope that other parents share my determination to prevent racism, not just in Canada, but around the whole world.
Author: Mark Lindenau
English 115, Section 05
Instructor: Dr. Katharina Rout
It is my goal as a parent to raise my children to be nonracist. In order to achieve this goal, I need to observe and assess everything my children will be exposed to, be it in the media, opinions of their relatives or the opinions and actions from certain groups within the Canadian society.
The racial statements and opinions from the media can be direct or subtle, all of which will affect my children. Rather than being blatantly racist, television programs hid their racism in innuendo or as comic relief. For example, the newest program on the Fox Network "The PJ's" portrays black people and minorities as poor, lazy, uneducated and criminally inclined. I have singled out this particular program because is it done in claymation, a form of animation normally reserved for children's programs. A few adults may be fooled by the claymation and allow their children to watch the "The PJ's." But, if the parents studied the content of the program, they would recognize the racial undertones that their children might perceive as truth. The program revolves around the superintendent of an apartment building in "the projects." This building is dilapidated and the majority of tenants are poor black families. The superintendent spenRAB his time fixing broken sinks, toilets, heaters and windows, all of which are never fixed correctly. When the superintendent is not fixing the building, he is sitting in his easy chair watching The Wheel of Fortune. The message that my children would receive, if I allowed them to watch "The PJ's," is that black superintendents are lazy or too uneducated to fix anything properly. Also there is the perception that white people are not poor, because there are no white tenants. Racial insinuations in "The PJ's" are evidently portrayed in the scene where the apartment building is taken over by black gang merabers. The superintendent tries to call the police, but they have blocked any incoming phone calls from "the projects." To get noticed by the police the superintendent picks up his own television set and runs outside acting like he is a thief. This racial insinuation would teach my children that it is acceptable to perceive blacks as criminals, because people in authority condone this perception.
The attitudes of family merabers, in close contact with my children, can shape my children's future views of certain races. For instance, my children's great-aunt and uncle, I will call them Joe and Jane, have very strong views about the natives living on Vancouver Island. Joe and Jane, who are avid sport hunters, constantly complain that the natives are wasteful hunters and do not deserve the hunting rights that the Canadian government has granted them. Joe and Jane have also made strong statements that personify the perception that natives are lazy welfare recipients that whine to the Canadian government for more benefits that the natives do not deserve. In Joe and Jane's understanding all natives fit into one of these two categories. I have witnessed, to my chagrin, Joe and Jane's grown children echoing the same racist attitudes. It is painfully obvious what my children will learn from these family merabers, that all natives are wasteful, lazy whiners. This is a perception that is false and damaging to the well being of this country. Thankfully my children are too young to be concerned with adult conversations. However, when my children are old enough to understand I will do everything in my power to dispel this racist native perception. I would introduce my children to native art and native culture through books and movies. I also would bring to their attention the educated natives involved in the Canadian government.
I consider hate groups, like The Heritage Front and the Canadian KKK, pose the greatest threat to my attempt to raise my children as nonracist. It will almost be guaranteed that when my children attend Secondary School they will be exposed to the propaganda of these groups. Most recruitment activities of these hate groups occurs at the Secondary School level. These groups appeal to the angry, misunderstood young people by giving them a target, always race related, for the youth's anger. These hate groups also give the young people a sense of camaraderie and purpose that most of these angry, misunderstood youths lack. I may not be able to protect my children from the hate group's propaganda, but I can give my children a solid nonracist foundation. This foundation will include education about other races, my actions toward people of a different race and by choosing my spoken worRAB carefully. This foundation will also include a stable home life free from abuse, abundant in love and an openness between family merabers.
As my children grow older there are many fronts that will confront them with racism. But, I know that what they learn from me tolerance, acceptance, education and integrity will prevent my children from becoming racist. I only hope that other parents share my determination to prevent racism, not just in Canada, but around the whole world.