Racism should not occur naturally past two years old!
That is just the fact. While we’d like to do away with everything racism, there are some core truths that we should keep in mind.
It is possible that what I’m about to discuss in this piece should go by another name, but I’m sticking with racism because it is much clearer to everyone.
I mean, we all know what racism is.
Are children racist?
It might seem that way, but hear me out, there’s a logical explanation for why children may show racist behavior.
Children below the age of 2 tend to get used to the people around them because they look like them. Now, assuming that children do not associate with people of different races (e.g., family friends or playmates, etc.), those people would tend to scare them.
So, when you see a black baby that cries when a white person carries them or babysits them.
…that’s what’s going. And yes, it does seem a bit racist, but that is only because the child doesn’t know that more people around the world look different than they (and their immediate family) do.
Past the age of 2?
Sometimes, that understanding that different races exist in the world can come even before two years old. It depends on a lot of things, which include the way a family interacts with other races.
That said, children will start venturing into the world soon as they’re past 2. Going to school, expanding their play circles, growing more curious, they want to see, touch, feel, run, hear, break everything.
But, more importantly, they’re ready to learn everything they can.
At this age, they must learn that people who do not look like them just don’t look like them. Those different people are not meaner, dumber, more evil because their skin and other physical features look different.
Children can be racist, but it has to stop at some point
That is all I’m saying.
It’s natural for a child (who’s less than two years old) to be scared of other people who do not look like them and cancel them as a result.
As they learn more about their environment, with their parents’ and teachers’ help, it makes sense to lose the racist behavior.
Racism past the age of 2 is taught…
…and learned.
That is the absolute truth.
Cos, think about it. Remember that children aged two and above are ready to learn everything that they can. Well, if you teach them to be racist, using verbal and non-verbal behavior, that’s exactly what they’ll learn.
Integrating children and teaching them to accept and avoid discriminating against people of other races would make erasing racism for good so much easier.
Wouldn’t you agree?
I’m sure you do, and I hope this helps!