Children with stereotypes on racism : The Tyra Banks Show
May 8th, 2007 | by Ridhima Suri |On May 2,2007, I was watching TV and during some idle browsing, I spotted Tyra Banks, on the Tyra Banks Show. Theme of the show was the impact of racism on young children. I could not switch the channel, and watched the entire show.
1. Tyra Banks introduced the theme of the show.
2. In the first half of the show, the guests were young children of different ethnicities and their mothers.
3. They were shown pictures of people of different colours : Blacks, Whites and Browns (Asians). Some of the children were candid during the test and revealed their stereotypes about other races. It was both shocking and surprising to hear little kids expressing cross-racial hatred. A little girl thought Black people were dangerous, and soon Tyra discovered that the kid was of ‘Asian-African mix’ herself!
4. The mothers of these children understood one lesson. The lesson was to give up personal embarrassment of being of a different color, and teach their children the same.
5. In the second half of the show, an “American” family had outrageous things to say about the Blacks. When asked if they would allow the heart transplant for their child from a Black donor, they said yes. But when Tyra Banks asked if they would let their daughter’s heart fall in love with a Black guy, they said it was unacceptable!! When asked why they came on the show to talk, they expressed that there could have been no better platform than a Talk Show hosted by a successful, Black woman!!
6. Then, a family of African ethnicity was interviewed. The mother had racist views, but she was not brutal in her verbal outrage, as the previous family. When her little daughter was asked if she shared the same opinion, she said, ”White people are ok with me!” Everybody applauded.
Racial demographics of United States.
The figures of the Twenty –Second United States Census 2000 are :
• 75.1% of respondents said they were White or Caucasian and no other race (which includes Germans, Irish, Scottish, Dutch, Norweign, French. Polish, Italian, etc.)
• 21.36% (60 Million Americans) are of German descent; German-Americans
• 12.3% are of Black or African-American descent;
• Hispanics – who may belong to any race – accounted for 12.5% of the U.S. population, up from 9% in 1990;
• 3.6% of respondents are Asian;
• 2.4% of respondents are multiracial (2 or more races).
Figures speak for themselves. Another demographic indicator suggested that minorities accounted for a 97% increase in population (under 18 years of age) from 1990 to 2000. It is 2007 now, and I will hunt for more numbers! **
United States, is a ‘Cultural Diversity Pot’, it is a land of immigrants. It was ‘No-man’s Land’. Everybody is an immigrant : first level, second generation, third generation, so on and so forth! It is important for parents and the educational system to imbibe tolerance for diversity rather than hatred among children. At one of our weekend dinners, a dear friend was a little high when the issue of racism was discussed. He said,” If anyone calls you names like Immigrants, you shoot back and ask them, what level of immigrant are you ?” I agreed with the context, but not the tone.
I did not care, if Tyra Banks was trying to use the sensational element to pump up the TRP ratings.
I did not care, if the show was just filmed.
What I did care was this. The debate was true. It was not under covers. People have the courage to discuss tricky issues out in the open. And have a debate on them.
I am optimistic that the situation will not be as grim, two-three decades from now. Children are like clay. Clay can be molded into a dagger, or molded into a flower. Children must enjoy diversity, rather than hate racial difference and breed negativity. All depends on us..:)
Notes
1.You can watch more on what happened on the show at
http://tyrashow.warnerbros.com/show_recaps/show_recap_wed86.html. The theme was “Focus on Race :Kids and Race”.
2.** Kent, M., & Mather, M. (December 2002). What drives U.S. population ?. Population Bureau, Volume 57, No.4, Retrieved May 8, 2007, from http://www.prb.org/Source/57.4WhatDrivesUSPopulation.pdf.
Tags: Issues
