Mia now thinks Sikh men are taxi drivers because the last couple of times we've been in cabs to and from San Jose Airport, we've been driven by Sikhs. In our townhome community, there is a nanny who gets picked up in the late afternoon/early evening by her husband or male relative who happens to be Sikh. When Mia sees him drive up while we are out she is convinced that the taxi is here to drive someone to the airport. When I tell her that I don't see a taxi, she says, "But he's wearing the taxi driver, hat". So wrong this racial/cultural profiling. I am trying to set her straight.
Papa was telling Mia that her hair was getting so nice and long. He told her how beautiful her hair is getting. Remember at one time, she had very little. Anyway, to this Mia responded, "But it's not like Princess Aurora's". Depressing isn't it? I have not gone out of my way to avoid Disney, if she gets something Disney, it is what it is, but I don't go out and buy her the stuff. She's actually never seen Sleeping Beauty. This story illustrates how insidious the messages are that little girls of color are getting. No one taught her that blond was more beautiful. Just like no one taught her anything about taxi drivers. And Mia has always been fascinated by Caucasian friends and especially friends with blond and/or curly hair. Where did that come from?
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1 comment:
yeah... that kind of stuff will always be there... and the best you can do as a parent, in my 2 cents worth', is keep correcting their views... thankfully, my kids' school is very non-homogeneous and has lots of different races of kids. That definitely helps...
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