Was This Shocking ?

[modeller]

I overheard two little girls , about 6 years old, one Asian one white, they were pushing dolls' prams. The white girl said " I would like a real baby when I grow up . Yes said the Asian girl but I dont want a black one ."

I was shocked to think that children so young should think like that. I don't think they were being racist as our area and all our schools are very mixed,
but where does it come from ? Maybe they just want one like themselves .

As I walked past I glanced into their prams , and they contained green and pink teddy bears. No colour preference there.

[boxtops]

I don't think at that age it's racism, it's just conversation without consideration of the implications.

[sherrardk]

I don't think it is racism either, just little girls chatting. Thing 1 (5 years old) things that Chinese people are all poor and can't have nice shoes, she also thinks that track suits are called 'sexy suits'. Conversations between her and thing 2 are hysterical.

[ELVIS68]

Who said they don't want a black one?

[naomi24]

This is how people create 'racism' where there is none.

[modeller]

elvis // Who said they don't want a black one? //
It's in the question !
I'm sure it's just two little girls chatting , no different than having a green or pink teddy. It was just me who was a bit shocked . I've no doubt had I asked them why, they wouldn't have known why either.

[wildwood]

I had a somewhat similar situation many years ago when my then 4yo son went to playschool (pre-school) and got a ring from the school that he didn't want to sit beside a new kid - a dark black girl from Jamacian parents. How on earth can 4 year olds be racist? They'd never seen a really black person so they are wary. Once the kids were used to her she just became 'one of them' and I was really cross with the school for turning an innocent situation into a racial one. This was over 30 years ago and in the early days of that PC cr@p.

[ELVIS68]

Sorry, got lost with your explanation marks, I don't think it's a racial thing, as naomi24 says...it's creating it where there is none

[Snafu03]

....or maybe she heard it from her parents? no-one really knows...

[Brinjal]

When I was about 4 I was given a black doll. I hated her never played with her. She stayed in my cupboard at the top only now she has a place she is quite a valuable doll

[VHG]

Many adult Asian people are very negative about black people so the Asian girl may have picked it up at home.

A few years ago in my car I happened to tune in to an Asian radio station in my area (I did not realise it was Asian) and there was a phone in about what would people think if their daughter came home with a black man.

I could not believe some of the anti-black comments that were coming out from some of the Asian callers. Their comments were rather extreme about how they would feel if their daughter dated a black man.

I think because many (some) Asians do have a good work ethic and start their own business etc they do look down a lot on black people.

Maybe the young Asian girl is already picking up these anti-black attitudes from her home.

[mikey4444]

Young children say some very silly things and this sounds like one of them. But it does have the whiff of learned behaviour in it though...I don't suppose that those little girls could have heard adults around them say this could they ?

[ludwig]

It's a good job no teachers were listening. They'd probably have had to report it as a race hate incident.