What are your thoughts on this video? How can we change this type of thinking?

[Marawa]

You know, I may be wrong but oh well.

In my opinion, you can be born with a superiority complex but not with racism or the belief one color of a person is better than another. From my own personal experiences, I didn't even know I was black until another toddler pointed it out when I was young. I asked them if they wanted to play and they said no because I was black. It wasn't something my family went shouting from the roof tops, that we were black. So when I came home and asked my mum if I was black and what it meant that same day, she simply told me "Yes you're black baby, and you're beautiful."

Regardless of this, the media likes to make you hate yourself as a young impressionable child. Even in the subtlest ways, black was bad and white was good on the television. White people were smart and beautiful, black people were not and it was only because of my intelligence that I know this now and the fact my mother simply would never let me think I was less than anybody else due to the color of my skin.

That video, I have seen before and it disgusts me. Not because of the child, but because of what they say. Some people seem to think it's all down to racists blurting out hate speeches in the open air but it isn't. The subtlest thing such as regularly seeing white people doing well in life and black people being locked up puts that impression on you. It becomes the norm.

It may be slow but I think we're moving forward in the world. There are less racists and there is more equality and although there is a long way to go, I have faith we can change this way of thinking in time by progressing in the 21st century.

[MeAndAHalf]

I used to do this too with my 2 best dolls when I was little, one was black and one was white, I always used to call the white one good and give it special attention, and would make the black one naughty and put it in the corner. I did other stuff like this, when ever I saw a black person on the street I would stare and think they looked funny, for years whenever I looked in the mirror I would be shocked for a moment. The reason for this mindset is simple, I saw and interacted with white people more Much Much more than black people at nursery then school, where I lived, at my clubs, on TV, I expected to see white people, I wasn't adverse to black people and was never insecure about being black, if anyone asked why I was that color I would just say "because my mummy and daddy are". The thing is, when I would go to the Caribbean with my mum to see my family, after a couple of days my whole mindset would change, no more good doll bad doll, no more mirror shock, when I would see tourists I would think they were the ones that looked funny, I just got used to seeing black people all the time. It took me a few years to figure out what was going on but once I did, the behavior stopped pretty quickly. With children I think it is more of a case of the unfamiliar being negative, which can cause some issues when you are the unfamiliar thing.

[txcos20]

it is sad that in general people are taught that :'( in my opinion, I have seen a fair amount of pretty white babies, pretty black babies, pretty Chinese babies, pretty native American babies, etc. but I've also seen a decent amount of babies(any ethnicity) that I would consider oh-i-hope-they-grow-out-of-it babies ha ha personally tho I would love to have multi-racial babies :)

[Darkfairie17]

I think it's sad that children feel certain races are good or bad. It just goes to show how racism is still alive in our society. I've seen this before and I thought it was sad. Kids are innocent and should stay as such. But unfortunately they are not immune to picking up these kinds of ideas.

I definitely think the media has something to do with this. Just watch beauty ads, how many feature other races? Not many. Sure some do feature other races, but the majority of ads still feature white people.

Even movies do this too. Yes it has gotten better, but still most leading characters are white.

[FierceMegan2]

I am not sure how to answer this. I think it is messed up.

[Jager66]

Something must be horribly wrong with the world for this to be happening on any kind of consistent basis. It's not a topic I know much about so I can't speak to the science of it but its just so sad those children are being brought up believe this stuff.

[lala-193]

I took a sociology class where we learned about this. It has to do with socialization, kids are taught this early on, I don't think it is biological or instinctual, it is learned.

[karenirving307]

Omg :( that is so sad they should be taught that both dolls or any kind of doll for that matter can be pretty I wonder if they were taught that only the white doll was pretty if so the parents need to change there way of thinking because both dolls are beautiful. It is so wrong to see some children think this way today :( but its not there fault there parents are the ones who should step it up and teach them what it means to be good or bad just because a doll is not white does not mean it is bad.

[fefe884]

Yeah I've seen this video before and it was pretty upsetting. It's unfortunate that that sort of mindset is starting even from ages that young. I think the reason is solely based on the media especially in North America. After the history of slavery and then the silent depiction through media that being fair with silky hair is the definition of beauty, and that having dark skin with nappy hair is unkempt, ugly and undesired, it tends to shape the minds of many blacks (especially in north America) into self-hatred just because of their skin-color.

[kimster07]

oh wow, that's messed..people should raise their kids properly

[LexiNinja]

I honestly am a little disgusted after seeing this video. Partly being that these kids, only being what, 2-3 years old and ALREADY thinking that way? This is REALLY sad. I can understand people my age having this type of mindset, I mean lets face it, a lot of teens these days are ignorant as hell, and follow and go by the media's portrayal of what is considered "Beautiful" or "good" in whatever situation it's pertaining to, but these toddlers haven't even LIVED fully yet and their already thinking this. I have no words, but to say their parents, and whomever is taking care of these children are doing a horrible job, we can all thank the media now.

[kereru]

there's no way something like that is biological, it's just makes no sense. race/color bias cannot be genetically encoded in someone, it has to be taught somehow,

Kids are like sponges, they absorb everything including things they don;t understand and the most subtle sub conscious undercurrents and messages,

They don't have the ability to process and analyze information the way an adult can (and even most adults aren't aware half the time of what might be influencing or manipulating them to think one thing or another.) so for a while they are effectively like mirrors reflecting the world as it really is.

something like this could only be the result of some message a kid has picked up subconsciously from the world around them, no matter how subtle of unintentional that message might have been.

it's nurture not nature.

[zagor]

They need to try the test in a culture where there is little or no media influence, ie where people don't have TVs.

[mattygfromtheMD32]

Sounds depressing. I think any kind of thinking beyond our most primal instincts can be changed, if people work hard enough at it.

[beautiulgirl347]

change they way our childrean grow up , tell them right from wrong and that were all equal

[insanity]

you know what the problem is ? is the test itself why would someone ask a child to choose only one , why not both ? which stand for equality.

I don't think the kids really understood the meaning of the test ( associating a doll to a real person black or white , to them it was just a doll ) because at the end of the video when the last child was asked which doll does he look it, there was a moment of hesitation and he then realized he was dark and evil and his sweet mama too :-) -> the test is meesss uupp !

Kids don't think clearly and they have some basic instincts like light = heat , to a warm feeling and darkness = cold . So if you put two things( dolls and not peoples ) they will go for the brighter one for sure . Like we all here will rather speak to someone in a tuxedo who smells nice than a homeless or random person who stinks ( its all buried in the subconscious of our mind)

it's my opinion that it the test that is f***ed up !

[judyra]

Oh OK so I haven't seen this video but I think I know what it is about since I've seen the doll video before. Here is what I think: naturally babies are attracted to bright colors so they will naturally choose what is white. Many adults like light colors too so they will choose it. The real problem is the reason why they choose it. If they choose it because the color appeals to them most but still recognize beauty in black, it would be fine. usually though people, specially black people have an ill-being which is expressed in the hate for their color( the reason for the ill-being is a different subject) but what they need is to see love and pride from black people, not defensiveness but natural pride, that isn't easy though.

[Deft_maiden]

I got goose bumps watching this video :(

[AnnieVincereVelMori]

...This breaks my heart. uh...

[Anonymous]

:'( So sad, I have no idea how we can change that, but I wish I could. I agree with what the people are saying about the media, its only making it worse kinda :\ They need to get with the program and stop with what they do, maybe feature other races, and maybe it would get better.