Effects of Racism on Children Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Effects of Racism on Children - Essay Example From this paper it is clear thar  there is a general belief that racial attitudes of children are a learned behavior that is passed down from observing their parent’s interactions with other races, including how parents talk about other races in front of the child.   Parents sometimes believe that if they do not even address the issue of race with their children, their children will not develop racist attitudes.   However, studies have shown that not talking about the issue of race or differences between people can serve to make the issue of race a problem for children.This essay discusses that parents talking negatively about other races could contribute to a child’s belief system about race in a negative fashion, but even not addressing the subject could develop negative attitudes in a child. In fact, researchers have found that when parents address personal qualities of individuals, such as confidence, ambition, and respect and neglect the subject of racial dif ference, children show an increased level of anxiety in social interactions, regardless of the race of the person they were interacting with. This leaves parents and educators with the problem of how best to address racial issues in an attempt to modify children’s attitudes and behaviors.  The movement to be more ‘politically correct’ with our communication has merits beyond that of not hurting another person’s feelings.