Babies are racist

[JMan]

New study shows racism in infants: Even Babies Discriminate: A NurtureShock Excerpt. | Newsweek Life | Newsweek.com

What do you think? Are we naturally wired to feel safe around people who look like us, and therfore naturally shun people who don't? Is it a natural defense mechanism we struggle with? Familiar=safe, Different=threat ?

[ar81]

To me, the makers of the study are racist.
The sample does not include many people from different cultures from different places on the world.

Scientists say we are all mutants.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/n...227442.stm?lsf

How could kids be racist in front of a human race of mutants?
It can be proved if your study is biased enough.

The concept of "Familiar=safe, Different=threat" is exactly the same used during the Gulf wars and Vietnam war.

[MidasGirl]

5-7 year olds are not babies, contrary to what their parents may believe. They've already been influenced by their surroundings -- not least of which is media, parents, school, religion, neighbors, etc etc.

That survey seems completely silly.....and the conclusion even sillier.

[aelle]

Originally Posted by MidasGirl

5-7 year olds are not babies, contrary to what their parents may believe. They've already been influenced by their surroundings -- not least of which is media, parents, school, religion, neighbors, etc etc.

That survey seems completely silly.....and the conclusion even sillier.

Good points.

Also, the study is very biaised as it tested only white children. Had they tested black children, they would have probably had similar results: a negative perception of black people (as this heartbreaking video shows).
At this age, children don't simply like people who look like them. They like white people and dislike black people, regardless of their own race: I'm pretty sure that's what society tells them to like.

[newsbone]

In some parts of Africa kids run away screaming after seeing a car, are they Car-ists? Come on you guys!

[Peek]

hahaha this is BS.
While I was in junior school, one day a new kid came into class. While telling my mother about him, she asked which color the guy was, I seriously did not remember, later on I saw he was black.
When growing up in different cultures, you do not care about that. You LEARN about that color thing.

Of course there is a resentment to new things in some of us.

[Strem2]

Originally Posted by JMan

New study shows racism in infants: Even Babies Discriminate: A NurtureShock Excerpt. | Newsweek Life | Newsweek.com

What do you think? Are we naturally wired to feel safe around people who look like us, and therfore naturally shun people who don't? Is it a natural defense mechanism we struggle with? Familiar=safe, Different=threat ?

Midas Girl had it right. The title of the article totally misrepresents the content.

Babies don't even recognize their parents until they are about 9 months old. This is why they smile and coo at everyone. At about 9 months, they begin to distinguish between parent and other, but before that, they can't distinguish unique facial features well enough to do so.

After that, if they don't have people of different colors in their lives, they will meet the first person with the same interest that they meet a new crayon color -- unless their families have already influenced them.

I have seen Native American children in NYC for the first time. One 6 year old who had never seen any people but the Native People from his community, was mesmerized by the first little blond girl he saw and followed her off the bus. Another when seeing his first black woman at the checkout counter in a super market, leaned out of his grocery shopping cart and licked her arm. She laughed and asked, "Did you think I was going to taste like chocolate?"

He nodded.

This is how children react who haven't been given a prior message.

[JohnnyHatch]

Research like this is just silly. What did they hopefully try to gain by this, a justification for racism.