[fblike]

Follow us on facebook

Justice Hub
  • My Justice
  • News
  • Insights
  • Justice Explained
  • About Us
No Result
View All Result
Justice Hub
  • My Justice
  • News
  • Insights
  • Justice Explained
  • About Us
No Result
View All Result
Justice Hub
No Result
View All Result
Home My Justice

It’s tougher to break social taboos than you think: even racist attitudes are learned young

April 9, 2018
in My Justice
0
0
It’s tougher to break social taboos than you think: even racist attitudes are learned young

Judi Mesman

FacebookTwitterLinkedInWhatsappEmail

Do children see race? If your answer to this question is “no” then you are wrong. But don’t worry, you are in good company. Former US President Barack Obama also holds this view as evidenced by a recent tweet.

The fact that Obama’s tweet (at the time of publishing) still held the record for being the most “liked” means that millions (if not billions) of people hold the mistaken view that children are automatically colourblind.
At a recent Hague Talks themed on “How do we break social taboos” Leiden University Professor Judi Mesman demolished the fallacy that “Children don’t see race” especially as conceived by advocates of “colourblind parenting.”
“Research shows that from early infancy, before children turn one year old, they can reliably distinguish between the main ethnic groups. They can reliably distinguish between black people, white people and Asian people,” said Mesman who is the dean of Leiden University College.
“By the time children are one year old, they are no longer colourblind. So people can talk about children being colourblind but this is not the case,” she explained.
Using findings from various studies carried out in the US and in the Netherlands, Mesman illustrated to the packed Hague Talks audience how children too can exhibit prejudice. None of this is to say that racism is innate in humans. Mesman stresses that it is precisely because children can distinguish between races from an early age that parents should be careful how they act and what they say about ‘others’ including other races, in front of children.
“Children do get all sorts of racial messages, without parents realising that they are giving them,” she said.
“Racial attitudes are transmitted nonverbally and through daily conversations even when you don’t think you are talking about it,” Mesman concluded.
Her research has many implications for those who are trying to challenge prejudice and break social taboos.
You can watch the full talk by Professor Judi Mesman below:

You might also be interested in watching this talk by Jane Waithera, who is an advocate for the rights of people with albinism, from the same Hague Talks event. Waithera spoke about her experiences growing up with albinism in Kenya and how it has shaped her advocacy campaign on behalf of people born with albinism.

Tags: Justice News
ShareTweetShareSendSend

Justice Hub

Justice Hub is an online platform connecting conversations about international justice and peace.

Related Posts

Journalist Shaun Matsheza on the prospects for justice in Zimbabwe
Featured

Journalist Shaun Matsheza on the prospects for justice in Zimbabwe

by Justice Hub
June 25, 2019
0
530

President Emmerson Mnangagwa took over the reins of leadership in Zimbabwe in November 2017. His ascent to power, made possible...

Read more
Ariz and Kiamran: The two teachers creating a level playing field for Georgia’s minorities

Ariz and Kiamran: The two teachers creating a level playing field for Georgia’s minorities

June 14, 2019
128
How Dmytro Shchebetiuk is giving a new lease on life to Ukraine’s disabled

How Dmytro Shchebetiuk is giving a new lease on life to Ukraine’s disabled

June 14, 2019
126
Rawan Salim Al-Jiryawee wants fellow young Iraqis to have a bigger say on their future

Rawan Salim Al-Jiryawee wants fellow young Iraqis to have a bigger say on their future

June 14, 2019
533
Maung Saungkha is pushing back against the censorial instincts of the Myanmar regime

Maung Saungkha is pushing back against the censorial instincts of the Myanmar regime

June 14, 2019
293

Justice Hub

Justice Hub is an online platform connecting conversations about international justice and peace.

Justice Hub

Justice Hub reflects conversations on accountability and access to justice. We feature change-makers, researchers, and justice activists who make concrete the abstract concepts of Justice and Rule of Law. Justice Hub - alongside our sister project Hague Talks is powered by the Hague Project Peace and Justice – a network of over 200 Hague-based organisations working on peace and justice issues.

Follow Us

Quick Links

  • Featured
  • My Justice
  • News
  • Insights
  • Justice Explained
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy

 

  HPPJ Forum Login
Creative Commons Licence
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
No Result
View All Result
  • My Justice
  • News
  • Insights
  • Justice Explained
  • About Us

© 2018 Justice Hub

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Fill the forms bellow to register

*By registering into our website, you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.
All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Login

Lost password?
Create New Account
This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.

REPUBLISHING TERMS

You may republish this article online or in print under our Creative Commons license. You may not edit or shorten the text, you must attribute the article to Aeon and you must include the author’s name in your republication.

If you have any questions, please email nsharafa@gmail.com

License

Creative Commons License AttributionCreative Commons Attribution
It’s tougher to break social taboos than you think: even racist attitudes are learned young