Sunday, April 13, 2008

Race Discussions - The Slippery Slope - The Doll Video

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/24076709#24076709

Please respond with your viewpoint. If you are black, do you buy black or white dolls. If you are white, do you buy a black doll for your child?


The comment by the police chief Lanier of Washington DC. Is her comment about the uniform correct?

Fatherless homes. Do you agree with the Micheal Eric Dyson or Mike Barnicle the columnist?

2 comments:

MP said...

Hi,
I really came to answer the questions you asked in the Wed. Journal so I'll do that first.

I'm white and I do think about being white. Not during my daily tasks but when I'm in groups or when I'm with my children and their groups. Even though I live in Oak Park so many of the groups I end up in are white. Why were there no (or very few) black children at the preschool (Pilgrim which I love :-) Why are there virtually no black children in the OPRF children's chorus? What about my son's T-ball team?

Don't black children go to preschool? sing? play baseball??
Of course they do. My guess is that somehow the day-to-day unconscious network ("where do your kids go to preschool?) starts to segregate us. But I'm not sure.

On the other hand I know two place where the groups of children and parents are mixed: the YMCA swim classes and Hephzibah daycare. I'm very happy that my children are in both.

I grew up in a very segregated culture (South FL.). My mom will agree that blacks and white are "equal" but as a teenager I learned not to invite a black person to a party without telling her.

I really want my children to have friends of all types. As best I can I want them not to stop and think about race when they deal with people.

Yes I also find it odd to see 'school photos' of all white kids. I didn't growing up but now I do and actually find it boring an claustrophobic. At the recent Hephzibah talent show I remember looking at the stage and seeing all those different colors and being very glad that my kids were growing up with lots of different races.

Ok, on to dolls. It's very sad. Most of my kids dolls are animals. The do each have a cloth doll and a rag doll I made them - white. My daughter has fairies - white and two plastic "white" dolls and a black doll. I can't say as I've though much about it b/c I don't like the plastic dolls and the cloth dolls I made like my kids (same hair and eyes.. and skin). BUT we also have doll house dolls which are somewhere between black and white (and hispanic). We also have a set of duplo people which I specifically bought (they are expensive!) and have white, black, Hispanic, and Asian families.

I hope this all helps my kids have a more balanced view of people but still can someone please tell me, where do all the black kids play baseball?

I like you blog and have more to say but have work to do.

-Elizabeth

MP said...

Hi,
I really came to answer the questions you asked in the Wed. Journal so I'll do that first.

I'm white and I do think about being white. Not during my daily tasks but when I'm in groups or when I'm with my children and their groups. Even though I live in Oak Park so many of the groups I end up in are white. Why were there no (or very few) black children at the preschool (Pilgrim which I love :-) Why are there virtually no black children in the OPRF children's chorus? What about my son's T-ball team?

Don't black children go to preschool? sing? play baseball??
Of course they do. My guess is that somehow the day-to-day unconscious network ("where do your kids go to preschool?) starts to segregate us. But I'm not sure.

On the other hand I know two place where the groups of children and parents are mixed: the YMCA swim classes and Hephzibah daycare. I'm very happy that my children are in both.

I grew up in a very segregated culture (South FL.). My mom will agree that blacks and white are "equal" but as a teenager I learned not to invite a black person to a party without telling her.

I really want my children to have friends of all types. As best I can I want them not to stop and think about race when they deal with people.

Yes I also find it odd to see 'school photos' of all white kids. I didn't growing up but now I do and actually find it boring an claustrophobic. At the recent Hephzibah talent show I remember looking at the stage and seeing all those different colors and being very glad that my kids were growing up with lots of different races.

Ok, on to dolls. It's very sad. Most of my kids dolls are animals. The do each have a cloth doll and a rag doll I made them - white. My daughter has fairies - white and two plastic "white" dolls and a black doll. I can't say as I've though much about it b/c I don't like the plastic dolls and the cloth dolls I made like my kids (same hair and eyes.. and skin). BUT we also have doll house dolls which are somewhere between black and white (and hispanic). We also have a set of duplo people which I specifically bought (they are expensive!) and have white, black, Hispanic, and Asian families.

I hope this all helps my kids have a more balanced view of people but still can someone please tell me, where do all the black kids play baseball?

I like you blog and have more to say but have work to do.

-Elizabeth