Race is a construct produced to oppress people based on their physical appearances. From past experience, I wholeheartedly support the idea that racism is taught. Households can be a very influential place for children during their developmental years. Growing up, it was always interesting to hear different people’s opinions on race. Personally, I began to notice that children’s thoughts always seemed to almost entirely match up with the opinions of their parents. When we are young and impressionable, it’s difficult to ever question whether you truly agree with what an authority figure is telling you. I also believe that discussions regarding racism in present day need to increase throughout middle and high school. In history class, we were able to learn the extensive background of events surrounding race, but we rarely ever discussed the fact that there are still major racial issues existing today. Novels such as The Hate U Give are extremely eye-opening and informative. Media similar to this reminds the world that there is still so much change that needs to be done.
4 thoughts on “Mimi Bainbridge “Race” Post”
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I agree that racism is not hereditary but rather constructed and the exposure we get through our lives is responsible for development of the ideas regarding race. Society, through kinship and media is wholly accountable for the negative elements that come along with the idea of race for example racism or white privilege which should be non existent but have continued to thrive only by means our community.
I agree, many children follow after their parents through religious practices and social practices. The way parents act passes onto their childcare because children mimic actions and repeat sayings that their parents do and say. I also agree that in elementary and middle school classrooms there needs to be more discussions about present day issues rather than only focusing on past issues because a majority of the issues spoken about in class are still occurring in present day society. Another example of a novel that sheds light into the world of the African American community and the struggles they faced growing up in such a way. The ability to bring awareness to racism is a start; however, until everyone is thought about as one race, things are not over.
Gwen, did you intend to include a novel title in your comment?
I completely agree with your point that racism is taught. If children are unaware of a certain thing, such as a political issue, they tend to follow their parents beliefs about that certain topic. I also definitely agree that race based discussions need to be increased throughout schools. Personally, I attended a high school that was majority white students and I have never truly discussed issues of race in depth before coming here. Especially now that there have been so many portrayals of minority groups in the media, in a positive light, I believe there is no longer an excuse to not have these types of discussions.