Wednesday, September 16, 2009
black doll white doll
the original "doll study" was in 1950 conducted by Kenneth Clark, a black psychologist, to prove the point that racial segregation destroyed the self-esteem of blacks and therefore schools should be desegregated. although by law today, schools are "desegregated" (we know that people of color and whites are, for the most part, separated), a negative connotation attached to the mere word black and all other aspects still heavily persists...therefore the results have not changed.
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2 comments:
So what’s the difference between then & now?
Do we still blame whitey? Are blacks living in the suburbs who can afford private schools denied? Is that doll psychology more appropriate than today’s humanistic psychology in how we see ourselves?
Do we blame ourselves as the girls suggest? Sensitive to their own differences, they’ve come to embrace their natural selves & deplore the cosmetic changes preferred by others.
We knew the bigots in the old South were slow. However, how many small children with limited mental capacities will pick the least popular doll as the correct choice? The black children in the first experiment had not seen many black dolls before & possibly owned white dolls at home. Who would fair better than Molly Cyrus today? Not all of the participants at that age possess the skills necessary to properly weigh the question. Some appeared to reason. One even rephrased the question to ensure it was understood before she picked the black doll. None were born prejudiced. Therefore, most followed their impulses & quickly picked the doll seen most often. That pick determined all the answers. Reversing the sequence of the questions may have yielded different results. Asking which doll looked like them first before asking for any other arbitrary judgments would have ensured identification with the black doll at the outset & more critical thinking throughout the exercise.
In context, many cultures, from the Philippines to Peru, favor lighter skin. It represents the status or kinship of their conquerors or colonizers. Blacks have normally constituted only 10 – 12% in this country, while whites have peaked near 80%. Let alone the mixing taking place; some influence from the dominate culture will be seen in our people. No one is more sensitive to this than a black woman. She is left carrying our people while fighting racism, sexism & criticism from all quarters. She should take credit for producing far greater influence with smaller numbers. African American contributions dominate popular cultures & forums throughout the world.
During the year I was born, we had just fought our way into the classroom.
D to da A to da D
thank you for commenting. love you, dad.
the point of this documentary was to show what young black girls thought of themselves in comparison to others of different and mixed races.
without even conducting a doll test, i could tell you what the results would be because i am a black girl who grew up in a racist society. i was one of those girls who thought i wasn't beautiful because i didn't look like any of those "beautiful" girls on television or in magazines. i was conditionally fooled to think the lighter, the better...even though i had a black powerful father who told me otherwise.
do we still blame whitey? well, why blame whitey in the first place? mind control, perhaps (among other things)? does racism, perpetual stereotypes, and discrimination still exist? uh, yes. how? hmmm...mind control?
i am not going outside blaming every white person for the struggle of black people because there are many whites who have fought with blacks in the war for liberty. i am speaking of those in power (i.e. corporations, banking companies, ran by?).
people of color who have been colonized, even after 400 years, are still very much experiencing the effects of it! it's like blacks and other people of color were put in a large hole in the ground and slowly, through blood, sweat and tears, are trying to rise to the top. only a few people are able to climb their way "out" by working "twice as hard" and "overcoming obstacles". but the point is, we never had an even playing ground. our ancestors worked back then, and we continue to work today to gain wealth for others. we didn't get to start from the top, up out of the hole like everyone else. and why do we have to work "twice as hard" in the first place? oh yeah, mind control. work hard and you'll get your piece of the pie. yeah right.
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