71 woman this month | December 2011 | The future of the human race and survival of our planet may ultimately depend upon people developing a healthier appreciation for the diversity and connectedness of each other. Recognising and celebrating diversity among families becomes more essential as the roles and prospect of the family continue to be redefined by life in contemporary society. As scores struggle to preserve their customs and heritage, parents are in a paramount position to coach children about prejudice and respect for ethnic differences. According to the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), children between two and five years of age start to become aware of race, ethnicity, gender and disabilities. They can precisely identify “black” and “white” when labelling pictures, dolls and people. Children develop their own racial identity during preschool and elementary school years (Ramsay, 2003). Children learn stereotypes and attitudes about race from their parents, caretakers and the world around them (Linn & Poussaint, 1999). That world includes books and various media images, such as television and movies that children encounter on a regular basis. There have been numerous instances of racism identified in Disney movies, including The Jungle Book, which portrays gorillas and orangutans that sound like black people. Lady and the Tramp features the Siamese cats that negatively portray Asians. They clearly have stereotypical Asian features such as slanted eyes, buckteeth and very heavy accents and are depicted as sinister, cunning and manipulative (Sun, 2001). The character of Aladdin in the Disney version portrays “bad” Arabs with thick foreign accents while Anglicised Jasmine and Aladdin speak in standard Americanised English (Giroux, 1995). Aladdin looks and sounds like a fresh-faced American boy. Whereas one of the evil characters, Jafar, looks very Arabic. Some of the lyrics in the movie convey racist overtones: “I come from a land…where they cut off your ears if they don’t like your face. It’s barbaric, but hey, it’s home” (Maio, 1999). It is evident that the Disney movies mentioned portray certain races and cultures in a negative manner. Children who view these movies without an informed adult explaining these inaccuracies may form negative biases and prejudices. In order to teach young children to defy these biases and to value differences, it is imperative for parents and teachers to shower children with positive images. All children bring to the world their own gifts, their own perspective and their own unique fount of creativity. Without Prejudice For feedback, comments or questions contact Dr Jinan Darwish via email at: [email protected] • Be proactive rather than reactive. Remember, there are no victims in life, only volunteers. • Examine your own attitudes and prejudices. To free your child of prejudice, you need to model that attitude in words and deeds. • Weed out stereotypes in your life and talk to your child about how misleading they can be. Use comments as springboards for discussion. • Find ways to bring diversity to your lives. Switch on National Geographic or read a book such as: It’s Okay to Be Different by Todd Parr or The Crayon Box That Talked by Shane Derolf. • Discuss the ways certain cultural patterns were either developed or influenced by differences in climate, history, conditions of the land, inventions, language, literature and art. • Teach your child about your family heritage. Helping him/ her learn about his/her ancestry will increase his/her sensitivity of and appreciation for differences. • Practice tolerance. Show patience and forgiveness. Have fun without turning it into an exercise in bigotry and bias. Tips Celebrating Pride
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