This video was done for a campaign called “Racism in Mexico”. An investigation was carried out with Mexican boys and girls of about seven years old, in which they were asked a series of questions which they had to answer choosing either the light skinned doll or the dark skinned doll. It’s the same experiment done and designed by Kenneth and Mammie Clark in the 30s.
This video shows part of the results, and the boys and girls that appear reflect the answers given by the majority of children that were questioned.
Do you think this is an effective experiment in order to see the degree of racism in society?
And why do you think these children are answering like this? Do you think they are really aware of what they are saying? Is it fair on the children to be interrogated in such way?
In my opinion, this is actually an exceptionally intelligent way of seeing the degree of racism in society. As we can see, the majority of children attribute the dark skinned doll with the negative adjectives, which conveys discrimination. In addition, I believe that most of the boys and girls interrogated aren’t aware of what they are saying. As a matter of fact, I think that they are simply answering based on what they have heard from adults and what they have seen, perhaps, in TV. I defend this, because, as we can see, most of them don’t know what to answer when asked to explain their responses. Therefore, I’m certain that the children’s answers are only a reflection of what people in their environment think and say. Finally, I have to say that although some of the children look uncomfortable, it’s actually positive for them, because after the experiment the children were talked to in order to change their way of thinking.
ReplyDeleteAna Adán
Racism is a very important topic nowadays. Our society says that we are fighting against racism, to elude it forever. But the problem is that if we are hypocrites that just say but do nothing, this is not going to change. Children are affected by what people say as they are humans with no culture and so, think what the people of their environment think. That is why, like Ana said, when they are asked why referring to the answer they gave, they don't know how to response, as they don't know the answer.
ReplyDeleteSo, if we want a better society, even for the future, the whole humanity has to change, and respect each other, as it is not fair that just because we've been born in a certain way or place, we have to stay like that for the rest of our lives.
However, I have to say that this experiment is somehow cruel. Although we can observe the results to these types of questions, I have to say that I don't find it fair for the children. It may happen that people from another country end up thinking that Mexican's are racists, instead of perceiving what this video is trying to say, that everyone is racist in some way. And, I also think this because, maybe, some of the children might get affected by this test. I know there was a special treatment to them and their families after the video, but what if that wasn't enough? Therefore, I would suggest testing this otherwise.
This video clearly demonstrates that from very little we already are under the pressure of society, it unconsciously influences our mind. These children don’t know why they find the white baby prettier or better, they just prefer it and they think that the black one is bad. Why should a child think in such a way?
ReplyDeleteThis experiment could only work with children as they answer sincerely to the questions, even though they don’t quite know what to say. Adults would maybe answer in order to not appear racist, so it is a perfect test for children as they have an innocent mind. I would also like to highlight a fact that the comments above haven’t considered: when they ask the boy or girl which doll is the bad one, the child immediately thinks that one of them has to be bad, so they associate it with the black one. But if the question was “Is any of these dolls bad?” very likely they would answer “no”, so this experiment is a little bit tricky in a way. I disagree with what Natalia says about that the children may be affected with this experiment, if they are treated properly afterwards I don’t see why it should be a problem for them, after all they have only made them a couple of questions.
I think it is a very curious experiment, it is very simple but it clearly shows how much peoples mind can be influenced by society.
Gemma Roig
From where I sit, although it is cruel, these kids are just laying down they law...Because they were probably told to react in a different way in front of black people, which shows how nowadays society really is, and although we try, it seems hard to make racism disappear and I have a nagging feeling that it will keep happening not matter what we do.
ReplyDeleteThese kids live in a racist society (as we nowadays all do…), they don’t know why, they don’t understand, but this society has taught them that the white doll is better than the black one and although they won’t to prove it, they get to realize that they actually, they look like the other one. In Addition, these kids seem to be under pressure, maybe (if they had enough time to think about it, and were not asked those directed questions) they wouldn’t have answered that. What I keep wondering is, why is the white people supposed to be better than the black one? Why can’t people get over history and realize that there is no difference between all races.
Alejandra Séculi
After watching this video, I think it is strong evidence that the fight against racism hasn’t reached its end. This is a simple example that when we see it with our own eyes, it strikes us, but it is just showing the sheer reality of the levels at which society is reaching when it comes to racism. Of course, we all think on how this could be changed, but I strongly think that this opinion which has been given by the children is what they have been taught by their parents or in movies, schoolmates,etc. And despite the many efforts made to end racism, if there are still individuals, populations, or whole families who think their race is superior or unconsciously, without knowing why, their children believe that the dark skin race is worse, the battle against racism will not conclude.
ReplyDeleteThis experiment makes me think that if now our day’s children think this way, and they are our future generation, this thought will be transmitted from generation to generation and so there will be no kind of positive evolution, development towards this situation.
I’m not blaming the children for what they think but as Alejandra says, they are living in a racist society and they have been taught from the start all this superiority and contrast between races, and so they have ended up accepting it subconsciously without knowing why, just because that’s what people that surround them believe.
Marina Segura
Sharing all of the above comments, I’d like to add the great effect that this video portrays because of mixing the one global problem with each child’s innocence. Strangely enough, this experiment is, as Ana said, very intelligent because it achieves the message of awareness which is trying to be sent in order to make society understand the high level of racism, which can go on forever.
ReplyDeleteThese children are too young to understand the great effect, which they would generate in society after expressing their negative feelings towards the dark doll or, in other words, black people. Forcing children to make this accusation can’t be considered fair or moral, as interrogating them knowing what they will say because of having been conditioned by society gives each child no choice. What’s more, asking them questions that involve so many feelings in such a subtle way can be considered hypocritical, as the ones responding aren’t aware of the importance of their answers.
I’d like to emphasize the importance that one of the questions has as it connects the negative adjectives said by the children with their physical aspect. The question is as simple as “Which doll looks more like you?” and it creates tension in the child because of not knowing what to answer as if there was a correct answer trying to be avoided. The video shows two of the answers for this question, one in which a girl affirms her physical appearance with the dark doll, which she criticised before, and a second one where the child looks confused but ends up seeing a similar appearance with the white doll, however, he says that this appearance is due to them sharing the same ears, a human part of the body which most people have alike, fact which describes the conciseness that the boy shows of not being as white as that doll. It’s the fact of seeing the dark doll as a kind of enemy what conditions each child’s attitude.
There has always been racism in our world. Part of our history’s conflicts have to do with the fact that a section of the population have been isolated and marginal. Let's think for example in the civil war of the United States which divided the country in two: the ones who thought black people should be free and those who thought that they were inferior and therefore condemned to slavery. There are thousands of other examples: the European’s subjugation of African and Asian territories as they thought they were superior, Hitler's urge to kill Jews...
ReplyDeleteThe big problem is that nowadays people are still conditioned because of their skin colour or their nationality... What's more, a great number of people still think of others as being inferior species and treat them according to this.
This video clearly suggests that although we are not actually aware of our priorities or preferences, they still exist. This is all because of the influence we receive from the media, our social environment... Unconsciously we’ve been raised believing that white is good and black is bad, that the “dark side” is evil and that heaven is white. All this explains why these innocent kids, without knowing the reason, consider the white doll as their favourite.
I don’t know if it’s fair towards them to be interrogated in such a way, but I don’t think they will be affected by it. While interviewed they seem quite happy as they’re not conscious of the message which underlies their words.
Children reflect what they see or hear from their grown ups. Therefore, I do think that this experiment is effective, or at least it gives us a slight idea of how society thinks.
Disagreeing with many of the above opinions, I would like to explain why I believe the results of this experiment are totally misinterpreted. First off, it’s totally wrong to suggest that the results reflect the “degree of racism in society” like Ana Adán said, society is not only made up of young and immature children, so the decisions of a couple of children does definitely not reflect this. Moreover, this was just carried out with Mexican children, probably from the same area, which can only prove that somewhere in Mexico, in some city or town, a reduced group of young children whom are still too young enough to even understand racism, prefer playing with a white toy rather than a dark one. Seriously, this does not mean society nowadays is still racist; secondly, their answers are most, if not completely due to toy industries. How many times have you seen a black or dark skinned doll? Never have I in my whole life, and personally I don’t think it’s to do with racism or discrimination but money, it all comes down to money, in this case, industrial profit making. In the competitive capitalist society we live in, who would ever want to risk their money, their business making dolls which simply wouldn’t be bought? I bet nobody would, and if it were to happen, the advertisement ratio of white to black dolls would be so big, children would still prefer to have the white doll simply because of the fact that they see it more often on TV and in toy shops, they want something their familiar with, not a unique doll none of their friends have. The video itself explains why the children are not racist and why they’re discrimination towards to black dolls is due to toy industries, after they say the black doll is the bad one, they are asked why, do they answer? no, they do not know why they think what they say, if the experiment would have been done with real, white and black children and they’d have made the children choose who to play with and the results were the same, yes, then I would agree they’re racist. But given it is just dolls and they have never really seen black dolls being sold or being advertised, they probably just come to the rational conclusion that they must be bad or worse than white ones or there must be a negative reason which explains why they aren’t being sold, bottom line, the children are not natural born racists, they simply are influenced by what surrounds them which in a way is a positive thing because it means that when they grow up, they will be mature enough to make their own decisions and to rationally reason on issues such as these.
ReplyDeleteLucas Drobnitzky
First of all I have to agree with all the other comments. However, I want to express my opinion about this shocking video. When I first saw it I was completely amazed, but horrified at the same time. I just couldn’t figure out how these kids could say all those things.
ReplyDeleteBut, afterwards, I thought that all these racist speeches coming from these children is because of the different stereotypes society has created and then aren’t aware of what they are saying that’s why they basically answer with “I don’t know”, they say those things because they have heard it before and they have been taught these way, even if it isn’t the correct way to teach these children.
As well as that these children aren’t able to recognize what’s wrong and what is right except from a pair, most of them judge the dolls character because of their skin colour, and they just think that if they heard it and people react to this in a good way, it has to be the correct attitude.
So in conclusion it is not the children’s fault, it is their parent’s or their environment fault, because the education they have been giving to these kids is the education they’ll learn, without realizing the racism they are causing.
Carla Lombardo