Monique Fields, The Root, October 9, 2009
“Brown people,” my daughter told me, “drive old cars.” I looked at Ken with a raised eyebrow; he was not surprised because Simone, our 4-year-old, had shared her sudden insight with him a few weeks earlier. When he told me about the exchange, it stoked one of my biggest fears—that some day Simone will identify herself as white and cast aside her black heritage.
Her observation isn’t necessarily a negative one. {snip} But what if this observation about brown people and old cars also leads to her stereotyping in other more potentially harmful ways, i.e. white people are successful and black people are unsuccessful?
{snip}
As her brown mother, I drive an old car, or at least it is older than her white father’s car. {snip}
Simone, meanwhile, has noticed her father’s car has a few features my car does not have, and she has asked why. My response: His car is newer; my car is older. I should note that Simone describes me as brown, her father as beige, and herself as tan.
Until now, I have followed a long-held theory. Young children don’t understand the complexities of race; prejudice is learned. What we as parents should do—regardless of the race of our children—is expose them to children of different races, ethnicities, religions and socioeconomic backgrounds, and then let nature take its course.
Now after observing my own child and reading more than a few articles about the matter, I’m not so sure that is the best approach. {snip}
{snip} It turns out Simone is not out of the ordinary. Children as young as 6-months-old judge others based on the color of their skin.
Such revelations, especially those about race, run contrary to what I have been taught for decades. I credit my attitudes about race to playing with children of different races and socioeconomic backgrounds as a child. {snip} The authors of NurtureShock, though, say I may be setting up myself for parenting failure.
{snip}
A quick summary on how we think about race and children has changed:
Then: We assumed children didn’t notice race until we pointed it out to them.
Now: Evidence shows children identify racial differences much like they see the differences between pink and baby blue—two colors often used to distinguish girls from boys.
Then: Like me, many parents figured children would get the “diversity” point after we exposed them to different races and cultures.
Now: Researchers have found the more diverse the environment, the more likely children are to self-segregate.
Then: Children often told about discrimination were less likely to see the relationship between working hard and achieving goals.
Now: Black children who repeatedly hear messages of black pride are more interested in school and more likely to connect their success to their hard work and persistence.
What are parents of biracial children to do in this drama? I have decided to teach more, a lot more. Sure, I told Simone it may appear to her that brown people only drive older cars but that plenty of them drive new cars. {snip} I am learning, though, she is going to force Ken and me to talk about race more than we previously thought or had planned. {snip}
{snip}
Original article
(Posted on October 23, 2009)
Comments
I was just listening to John Derbyshire’s debate remarks linked to the right. He makes the point that whites have taken denial of race difference to be one of the markers of an educated, cultured person.
Only a four-year-old would notice brown people driving old cars.
Or would SAY the racial composition of the people in the vicinity of the ATM machine that mom can’t decide if she wants to use.
Researchers have found the more diverse the environment, the more likely children are to self-segregate.
How then is a “biracial” child such as hers going to “self-segregate” and with what group of children? By being told he’s the victim of “racism” yet nonetheless more “physically attractive” than his unmixed peers? Being “biracial” sounds like a pathway to psychological disassociation and a strong factor in personal unhappiness. A very poor trade-off, in my opinion, in exchange for the moral preening and self-congratulation it affords parents like Ms. Fields.
It’s ridiculous to me that so many liberals actually believe the lie that race is a social construct and think that children do not see racial differences as if they didn’t have eyes. There are racial differences, not only in color, but in so many ways, that I have a hard time understanding how people think they can get away with telling a lie so obvious, their own young children can see right through it. And these are kids that believe in Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy.
I was struck by the reality of race a few months ago when I discovered that my two cats were deathly afraid of Blacks. At first I thought they were just afraid of strangers but then I saw that they were friendly to Whites and Asians in my neighborhood, but whenever they saw Blacks they went scurrying for cover. I’m not sure why they are scared of Blacks, but it was another proof that showed me that, yes, race is real. Even animals can tell the difference.
Yes and years ago long before I was racially aware my eight year old said black kids were dumb. When you take an I.Q. test the questions tend to measure your ability to recognize patterns and associations. Sounds like a smart four year old.
One of the hallmarks of intelligence is the ability to notice patterns. Rather than being proud that their daughter made an astute observation, the liberal parents are upset by the child’s ‘stereotyping’.
They will now spend years telling the child that blacks and whites are equally successful, ambitious, hardworking and intelligent.
In other words, they’re going to lie through their teeth.
What a pathetic article! Kids are so honest, just look at the “balloon kid” who spilled the beans on his ridiculous parents in front of television cameras. The poor kid only said what she had seen, that more “brown” people drive older cars than White people. Actually from what I see it is minorities that drive flashy cars with all of the amenities while Whites often drive more economical SUVs or other plain vanilla family vehicles.
“What are parents of biracial children to do in this drama? I have decided to teach more, a lot more. Sure, I told Simone it may appear to her that brown people only drive older cars but that plenty of them drive new cars.”
And of course, I bet this Comrade Monique will also teach her budding Young Pioneer Simone, that it is only because of “racism” that all brown people don’t drive new cars!
Normally, I expect this type of nonsense and angst on the topic of sanctified “diversity,” to come from a whorishly vile white incubator of a hybrid “racist” child. That it is not, only goes to demonstrate how low our civilization has really begun to sink.
As always, God help us all!
Is your four year old a racist? He is observant, that is all. As for being a racist, don’t confuse the biological necessity of noticing differences. It is a survival reflex.
“When he told me about the exchange, it stoked one of my biggest fears—that some day Simone will identify herself as white and cast aside her black heritage.”
Well, we can’t have children casting aside their racial heritage can we? Will someone take this up with the whites of the world?
My…my.. Who cares what this “brown” mother thinks. If she wants to “educate” her child in her bi-racial “racism” then why did she not marry someone of her own race? People like her and her White husband are the reason they have this dilemma in the first place. I, for one, am sick of all this talk about bi-racial children and their wants and needs and how we have to feed their ego.
Ever since Obama came on the scene we have more and more talk about mulattos and how we all need to embrace this idea. No talk of preserving one’s own race. That is taboo in today’s world if you happen to be White, that is.
“Now: Black children who repeatedly hear messages of black pride are more interested in school and more likely to connect their success to their hard work and persistence.”
This woman is trying to rationalize her infant daughter’s innocent observation, and then demonstrating her glaringly leftist programming by calling her child’s comment a possible racist streak. Talk about a tragic comedy.
Try this, madam: Your daughter gave her opinion on the color of people and cars, and that, by observation. Instead of worrying about her lack of liberal programming which labels any racial comparisons and differences as “racist”, celebrate her obvious intelligence.
Is your 4 yr. old racist? I’d bet the farm that she will be when you get through programming, er, excuse me, “raising” her.
Yes, even animals can tell the difference. Down at Benson Mule Days in NC last month, we were driving a team of mules to a covered wagon and they kept boogerin’ when we would pass black people. One guy coming towards us in a pickup said “I saw that”.
Thank you once again Amren! The place where I get my news. The above utterly idiotic article is truly a ripper!
I got sick of ‘The Australian’ (one of our big newspapers) after reading a shocking article about a German reporter who ‘blacked himself up’ and exposed the horrrible undercurrent of intolerance by disguising himself as a Somali and finding out that his German countrymen and women weren’t particularly interested in ‘including’ him. Either that, or he looked like a weirdo German with boot-polish all over him.
“What we as parents should do—regardless of the race of our children—is expose them to children of different races, ethnicities, religions and socioeconomic backgrounds, and then let nature take its course.”
Really? And when ‘nature’ (which comrades such as yourself constantly deny, or even say doesn’t exist) does indeed take its course - what happens then?
“Now: Researchers have found the more diverse the environment, the more likely children are to self-segregate.”
Horray! Now there’s something that parents of all kinds can encourage.
As for the ‘old car thing’, what on Earth would people have thought of a me driving around in my old ‘77 Nissan that I used to own. Or the ‘68 Corona that was the car before that?
“Young children don’t understand the complexities of race; prejudice is learned.”
The only complexity of race is the layer of ideology required to convince you that what you see with your own eyes is not real. It’s this denial of reality that takes years of indoctrination, which all comes unravelled when non-whites are encountered in any numbers.
“When he told me about the exchange (blacks drive old cars), it stoked one of my biggest fears—that some day Simone will identify herself as white and cast aside her black heritage”.
Is she’s worried her daughter will be a bigot because only whites are bigots?
The author should be proud of her clear-eyed daughter. If I could offer advice to the mother, it would be: congratulate your child on her insight and thank her with an appropriate treat.
Seeing evident facts, and not feeling ashamed for it, would advantage that girl over her PC laden peers; it could even save her life someday.
And what is wrong with being identified with Whites, regardless of your skin color? Aren’t we the most educated, the hardest working, the most law abiding and the wealthiest of any ethnic group?
Does she want her daughter to grow up identifying with the girls of the hood and be pregnant by the time she is 15, if not sooner?
“Now: Black children who repeatedly hear messages of black pride are more interested in school and more likely to connect their success to their hard work and persistence.”
Wouldn’t the same be true for White children as well? Shouldn’t we repeat the message of “White Pride” to them? Maybe if we spent more time telling our children to be proud of being White, we would have fewer guilt ridden White liberals.
Sounds like Simone made an valid observation that her much more “tolerant” mother (and father??)has been programed not to notice, or to at least ignore. Im sure it wont be long before Simone has been taught to repress these racist thoughts she is having. Mom will just have to teach her how evil it is to have these bigoted thoughts, which no doubt emanate from her white half.
Oprah, Louis Farrakhan, Jeremiah Wright, Jesse Jackson, ECT. also have keen eyesight when it comes to this, they all live in predominantly White areas, but demand that Whites shouldn’t have the choice where they want to live.
Black children who repeatedly hear messages of black pride are more interested in school and more likely to connect their success to their hard work and persistence.
And we base this on what, exactly? I sure don’t see a lot of evidence to support it.
I suppose there is one truly nice thing about children: they refuse to deny the obvious. That is a skill which needs to be carefully taught.
“Young children don’t understand the complexities of race; prejudice is learned.”
As the saying goes experience is the best teacher. I believe most people develop their “prejudice” and “racist” views through their experiences with blacks and other non Whites. My personal epiphany came in junior high school. The behaviors of blacks was so atrocious that I couldn’t help but have a distaste for them.
Monique, if your daughter develops negative feelings towards blacks because of her personal observations rather than denying them to be politically correct, be happy. She is much smarter than you.
I’m still not getting why blacks are encouraged to have “black pride” but if a child has “white pride” (which is totally against the current social construct/anti-white self hate campaign)then that is supposedly an outright racist idea. It’s a shame and an outrage that children at a very young age are already being “constructed”, if you will, to develop feelings of racial guilt in combination with black and black culture worship. By black culture I mean posting very low on Maslows hierarchy of needs chart, i.e.: emotion driven personality, materialistic, little sexual restraint, lower IQ, oftentimes living in a childlike state (aka instant gratification), very low empathy for others, and an obvious blindness to common courtesy and the “social graces”. You can’t believe how old it gets listening to always loud black people yelling mother****er as every other word. I saw at an early age (about seven) that blacks were different and not in a good way. I have known a few exceptions over the past half century but they are just that and not the rule.
[i]Until now, I have followed a long-held theory. Young children don’t understand the complexities of race; prejudice is learned. What we as parents should do—regardless of the race of our children—is expose them to children of different races, ethnicities, religions and socioeconomic backgrounds, and then let nature take its course.[/i]
Now after observing my own child and reading more than a few articles about the matter, I’m not so sure that is the best approach.
The problem is that this person is thrilled by the “otherness” of her relationship and mixed-race child. The White man in the picture probably thinks of himself as more authentically race-neutral then other Obama voters because he has immolated his own White genetic material. I find it absolutely stunning that these people are confused and disturbed by the difficulties encountered in a bi-racial child when it confronts the real world. This is what should have caused you to think about producing children inside your OWN RACE!
The child is observant thats all. I distinctly remember becoming racially aware as a child in the 1980’s, by just noticing that blacks tend to be less intelligent, more aggressive. My later life experiences(especially selling cars) proved to me that blacks are definitely more materialistic, cannot handle money, inpractical, and just have no regard for principles or learning. I also noticed that my guard dogs at the shop DEFINITELY dislike blacks, while they have a wait and see attitude about whites
Simone’s mother isn’t discouraging her from referring to her father as beige instead of White. This is because the mother sees this as racial blindness. On the other hand, she is terrified that her daughter should ever value her Whiteness over her blackness at any point in her life.
“What a pathetic article! Kids are so honest, just look at the ‘balloon kid’ who spilled the beans on his ridiculous parents in front of television cameras.”
Anyone who thinks children are honest has no children. But liberal eracists make up stories about what children OUGHT to say to dramatize their own twisted beliefs. I doubt the mixed race daughter connected brown people with old cars. Mommy made up that observation…
“Four-year-old says, “Brown people drive old cars.”
They do? Not very many of them, at least where I come from, and it’s a rural area.
Looks like another contrived situation to instill white guilt.
It’s almost entertaining to note how the black factor causes deterioration to take place, and how whites skew their thinking around to come to terms with a society that is intolerable.
“I was struck by the reality of race a few months ago when I discovered that my two cats were deathly afraid of Blacks.”
Animals go by smell, not by what they’ve been told. My own overly-sensitive nose is very politically incorrect where black folks are concerned, so I sympathize with animals on this issue.
“Mommy made up that observation”
I agree with the above statement. Except for in the center of the worst inner cities, most of the Africans I see drive nice cars. From the article, it is clear that this lady is not driving her kids through the inner city. Hence, I doubt that her daughter observed such. Most likely, the mother made the story up, for personal gain.
After giving this article some thought I have come to the same conclusion as some others on here. This woman made it all up. I am sure she has taught her child from day one, that black is beautiful and not White…99% of articles like this are as phony as a three dollar bill. They are all lies to instill more White guilt and to change even more laws to favor the nonwhite. It’s “for the children” don’t ya know.
Sooner or later biracial children must choose their heritage. They can’t celebrate the best of both. Most often they end up identifying with the race they most look like, even when raised by an unmarried mother of the race they do not look like. This is probably the reason why race persists in spite of mild miscegenation over the millenia. Sooner or later your dominant genomes call you home.
I have always been very careful to keep my “politically incorrect” ideas to myself when I am around my 6-year-old niece and 4-year-old nephew. I have never spoken about race to them. When my niece was just 3-years-old, she said “Black people never put garbage in garbage cans. They just throw things in the street.” On another occasion, after observing a couple of black teenagers in the neighborhood who were raking lawns for money, she observed “The bad kids are trying to be good and help people.” No one indoctrinated my niece into being a “racist.” She simply came to these conclusions based on the what she saw.
“I’m not sure why [my cats] are scared of Blacks, but it was another proof that showed me that, yes, race is real. Even animals can tell the difference.”
There must be some good reason for it. Maybe they were kicked or abused by them at some time in the past.
1 — RandyB wrote—
He has a valid point, but I would phrase it differently.
Denial of race is more typical of a person who’s economically priviliged andsheltered, and thus has had little contact with blacks. Those us us who are not sheltered by wealth and privilege have had real life experiences with real blacks in the real world that leave us disabused of any idealistic notions. We have learned the hard way. But they haven’t had to.
29 — Beauregarde wrote:
I doubt it also. What does a mere 4-year-old know about old cars? She hasn’t been in this world long enough to know old from new. I am suspicious of this story.
The ever insightful and always straightforward Whiteplight notes:
“Well, we can’t have children casting aside their racial heritage can we? Will someone take this up with the whites of the world?”
Or at least with a few horses, right Whiteblight?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_PZPpWTRTU&feature=related
Black and brown people buy LOTS of new things: new cars, new houses, new gadgets and widgets. It’s how our easy-money / easy-credit economy worked for the last 25 years; banks, at the coercion of government, offered essentially free credit to any minority who walked in the door or called the 1-800 number. Well, that house of cards has come crumbling down now.
OK, so why would anyone believe this? I never believe most of this stuff, it’s so obviously written to formula. Invent some ‘racist’ comment made by your child (or someone else’s child) and use it to hang your own propaganda and prejudices on - but don’t expect anyone with half a brain to believe it actually happened.
If it did happen, her child is demonstrating analytical skills.
If it’s so important to ‘Monique’ that her child identifies as black, why did she marry a white man? Just asking ….
A mixed breed four-year-old’s observations? Maybe the emphasis should NOT be on what a four-year-old perceives, but on the reality, she will be neither “flesh, fish nor fowl”, but go through life as a half-breed.
I personally would no more dream of fathering a half-breed child than I’d dream of adopting one. Some things simply are totally taboo (or should be), per MY way of thinking. But to each their own.
Our children learned from the time they were old enough… Friendship with non-Whites is acceptable. Sex (marriage) with non-Whites is NEVER acceptable. The price? Being disowned and loss of your family for the rest of your life! Your choice.
Peter K, your comment is a good point for my wife and I lived in South Africa for 24 years until we managed to escape in 1999, and we had up to five dogs, all pets, not vicious guard dogs and all would bark and attack black people if not restrained, and we noticed that black peoples’ dogs would bark energetically at us until I calmed them down and stroked them. The falsehood that we are all the same is just that and tonight on British TV there is a debate about race and intelligence which I will watch with interest. Bet it will be rigged towards the liberal point of view though, but I will watch with an open mind but with the benefit of personal experiences.
“…The only complexity of race is the layer of ideology required to convince you that what you see with your own eyes is not real…”
Yes, exactly. Strange isn’t it, that dogs and little children without any preconceived, learned notions of so-called ‘egalitarianism’ can clearly see the Emperor has No Clothes?
“…Young children don’t understand the complexities of race; prejudice is learned…”
Young children may not understand the ‘complexities’ of race but their natural instincts tell them something is very different when they’re around others of a race not their own, and whatever it is, it makes them uncomfortable.
I’m convinced dogs sense danger around blacks. My police dog/pit bull mix is openly racist, and makes no ‘bones’ about it.
We had a black substitute mailman recently and my dog threw himself repeatedly at the iron security door whenever this mailman came down the street. I thought the dog was going to break down the door even though I had bolted it into the frame of the house. I’d never seen this dog bare his teeth so viciously, foam at the mouth and heard such furious and threatening barks and growls. I could barely restrain him behind the door, his fury was near uncontrollable and it took almost an hour for his fur to return to normal.
Not that there’s anything wrong with that.
The last time I saw this mailman, he had a can of mace in his hand with his finger on the trigger and I believe he planned to mace my dog. Good thing I happened to be home and the dog’s barks alerted me. I yelled at the mailman, who ran when he saw me. I assume he also elicited the same reaction from the other large dogs in the neighborhood.
For humans, prejudice is not learned: It is based on natural instincts, blatant empirical evidence all around us and 40 years of complied, similar personal experiences. Prejudice ensures that we and our loved ones are safe from hateful blacks and their high levels of crime and mayhem—much of it directed at Whites, even White children.
And finally, this:
“…Black children who repeatedly hear messages of black pride are more interested in school…”
Black pride consists of White-hating ‘messages’—that blacks live in an oppressive, irredeemable, racist White culture that seeks black elimination. Whites, each and every day, are consumed with maintaining their wealth and power at black expense. White wealth rightfully belongs to blacks as Whites stole everything they have from ‘people of color’ going all the way back to the peaceful, black-created advanced civilization of Egypt.
Therefore, blacks must rightfully claim what is theirs and make Whites pay for what they’ve done to blacks—stealing black creations from black cultures and calling it their own and enslaving black peoples.
They little understand the ‘useful idiot’ role they are called on to play and that they are merely an expendable battering ram to further displace Whites for the furtherance of the agenda of the Hostile Elites.
Bon
To Anonymous, who wrote at 8:42 PM on October 23:
“…why did she not marry someone of her own race? People like her and her White husband are the reason they have this dilemma in the first place.”
I would question why the white husband would have wanted to marry outside of his race. But as to why the black woman married a white man, that seems obvious. There are some reasonably intelligent, well educated, hard working, black women out there. And who the heck are they supposed to marry? Drug-dealing low-life trash? Men who can’t hold a job and have babies scattered all over town? I feel sorry for the single black women who have managed to get an education and not get knocked up. There aren’t a lot of worthwhile black men for them to marry.
I would make the observation that vehicles owned by minorities virtually always show signs of neglect. The missing hubcap or large dent is virtually ubiquitous on their vehicles. No matter what they have they will not take care of it. I have known people who have donated vehicles to those less fortunate. In the first month the rear bumper was smashed in. In the second month the vehicle went to a new home in the police impound yard. Nothing can help the helpless.
And finally, this:
Then doesn’t it only figure logically that White children should also do well when hearing messages of white pride?
So why are we told the opposite?
Yep, Black people old cars, but with recently modified suspension; and they often blast gangsta rap through their car radios, so you can hear them coming from a few kilometers away.
They call those «pimped up rides»! Another great gift to western culture from the whole hip hop phenomenon!
