![]() Children can and do put themselves in one category and their parents in another, which in this smog can trigger anxieties. These generalizations in the context of the current smog are leading to distress for many children, especially those who are getting the message that they and their families are bad and deserve to be sent away. Rebecca Bigler at the University of Texas and her colleagues have shown that children under the age of eight tend to make big generalizations because they have a hard time seeing people as individuals instead, they tend to see them through their group membership. They’re still learning how to categorize-who belongs in what group-and what counts for membership: “Are all Mexicans bad people?” “Are all brown people Mexican?” “Are all Spanish speakers bad because they are Mexican?” Even as bright, sophisticated, and smart as all of our children are, they are still learning about race within the context of what their developing brains can understand. But we need to remember that young children, and even adolescents, are doing this with their young brains. Young children are breathing this smog and learning very quickly about who “belongs” and who doesn’t. When our kids see a white man on TV sucker-punch a black man at a Trump rally, they go to school and have conversations amongst themselves about what they’ve seen. In a PBS interview a few years back, Beverly Tatum, a clinical psychologist and former president of Spelman College, explained that messages about race are like a smog, filling the environment with ideas about who is good, who “counts” as a person, who is to be feared, and who is revered. Susan Fiske explores what prejudice reveals about humanity. Jeremy Adam Smith on how to read racist books to your kids.ĭiscover five ways to foster interracial friendship in schools. How can parents and educators deal with children’s concerns and questions about race and racism, while instilling some hope and a sense of empowerment? The “smog” surrounding TrumpĪllison Briscoe-Smith draws three lessons about bias from the movie Zootopia to discuss with kids. So when we talk with kids about Trump, we’re really learning to talk about a subject that defines American history and daily life. Of course, negative messages from the media about race will be a problem even long after Trump is defeated. When Donald Trump speaks, he creates fear and confusion in children, especially kids of color. While he is not the first or the only political candidate to promote racist beliefs and practices, ubiquitous media coverage of his campaign has amplified his message-and kids like my mixed-heritage son are hearing what he has to say. It’s all over the news, and kids do talk amongst themselves about what they see and hear in the media. As he said at one press conference about violence at his rallies: “The audience hit back, and that’s what we need a little bit more of.” Worse, many of his followers act aggressively hostile toward people who don’t look like them: People of color who have dared come to his rallies have been targeted for physical and verbal violence, which Trump has explicitly condoned. ![]() ![]() In speeches and interviews, Trump has repeatedly painted whole categories of people as rapists, murderers, terrorists, and more. ![]() This is the message that many children are getting from Donald Trump’s campaign for President of the United States. “So what is he going to do with me? Send my arm and leg back to Africa, send my other arm and leg to Mexico, and the rest of me back to different countries in Europe?” “Well, if he wins, he wants to send people back to the countries where they are from,” said my son. ![]() I asked, “Why don’t you want him to win, baby?” From the GGSC to your bookshelf: 30 science-backed tools for well-being. ![]()
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