Study: White and black children biased toward lighter skin (Whites racist due to 'entitlements'?)

CNN U.S. ^ | May 14, 2010 4:24 p.m. EDT | Jill Billante and Chuck Hadad

[pillut48]

Renowned child psychologist and University of Chicago professor Margaret Beale Spencer, a leading researcher in the field of child development, led the study. She designed the pilot study and led a team of three psychologists: two testers to execute the study and a statistician to help analyze the results.

"All kids on the one hand are exposed to the stereotypes" she said. "What's really significant here is that white children are learning or maintaining those stereotypes much more strongly than the African-American children. Therefore, the white youngsters are even more stereotypic in their responses concerning attitudes, beliefs and attitudes and preferences than the African-American children."

Spencer says this may be happening because "parents of color in particular had the extra burden of helping to function as an interpretative wedge for their children. Parents have to reframe what children experience ... and the fact that white children and families don't have to engage in that level of parenting, I think, does suggest a level of entitlement. You can spend more time on spelling, math and reading, because you don't have that extra task of basically reframing messages that children get from society."

Spencer was also surprised that children's ideas about race, for the most part, don't evolve as they get older. The study showed that children's ideas about race change little from age 5 to age 10.

"The fact that there were no differences between younger children, who are very spontaneous because of where they are developmentally, versus older children, who are more thoughtful, given where they are in their thinking, I was a little surprised that we did not find differences."

[pillut48]

Spencer said the study points to major trends but is not the definitive word on children and race. It does lead her to conclude that even in 2010, "we are still living in a society where dark things are devalued and white things are valued."

There's a video where Anderson Cooper is interviewing various kids. None of them seem to be 'racist' to me, but quote MLK about judging people by their actions and not the color of their skin. The article admits there was barely any data (4 people in all working on a small sampling of kids?) taken to come to a firm conclusion, but seems to be adding more fuel to the fire by implying white children are racist because their parents don't have to teach them how to view other 'races', while the parents of black children are 'burdened' with teaching their children how to view other races? I'm wondering exactly who is the 'racist' group in this equation?

[GoCards]

THe show last night was ridiculous.

[wintertime]

I think, does suggest a level of entitlement. You can spend more time on spelling, math and reading, because you don’t have that extra task of basically reframing messages that children get from society.”
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Spencer is an idiot! Essentially he is saying white kids are better students because blacks, having to spend so much time un-teaching racism, don’t have as much time to spend on reading and spelling.

Unbelievable! Black kids are poor students because of whites.

[kittymyrib]

Black kids and “Hispanic” kids are encouraged to be proud of their ethnicity. White kids are castigated if they choose to associate with their group.
No wonder White kids grow up feeling picked on by bigoted Liberals, who are the real racists in our society.

[A_Former_Democrat]

Lighter skin is also favored in Asian countries (e.g. Indonesia, Philippines). Many of the girls prefer a mixed-race baby. There is curiosity about others, not just regarding complexion, but also different hair and eye color. Just look at the disproportionate numbers of beauty queens’ complexions vs. the general populations. These are attributable to peoples’ natural preferences, not about “racism” as this “study” would imply.

[edcoil]

entitlements? no such thing.

How about a few thousand years of successful history and born with a can do attitude as opposed to the slavery the other races force their own to live in.

[HangnJudge]

Racial Awareness is a Location Specific Phenomenon

It depends on
Where You Are as to
How You Perceive It

Japanese, Chinese, Jamaican, Irish, Sudanese, Canadian, Brazilian
Perspectives would be Dramatically different

These Researchers would do Well to do a little Traveling...

[rogue yam]

As always, Leadbelly was way ahead of the curve on this one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lm3mC8XSACg

[B Knotts]

You can spend more time on spelling, math and reading, because you don't have that extra task of basically reframing messages that children get from society.

What a load of crap. In fact, we have to spend a considerable amount of time "reframe" all the B.S. put out by the mainstream media. Like this study.

[driftdiver]

Sounds like her study was influenced by her bias.

[Minus_The_Bear]

Wow, it’s almost like this study is trying to divide us... what a bunch of BS!

[pillut48]

Margaret Beale Spencer is a Marshall Field IV Professor of Urban Education in the Department of Comparative Human Development at the University of Chicago. Previously, she was Director of the University of Pennsylvania's Center for Health Achievement Neighborhood Growth and Ethnic Studies (CHANGES). Spencer's Phenomenological Variant of Ecological Systems Theory (PVEST) serves as the foundation for her gendered research emphasis which addresses resiliency, identity, and competence formation processes for African-American, Hispanic, Asian-American, and Euro-American youth. Her continuing research and programming applications address youths' emerging capacity for healthy outcomes and constructive coping methods while developing under unacknowledged and stressful conditions. Her many publications include Adolescence: Development in a Global Era (with Swanson and Edwards, in press).

Contact Information
mbspencer at uchicago.edu
Source
-------------------
(I'm not sure but I think "Euro-American youth" means white kids.)

[yoe]

There are in fact, occupations deemed ‘too white’ by inner city Black students. No amount of psychology, no matter how renowned, is going to change that - as long as you have Negro’s like the Reverends Sharpton and Jackson keeping ‘people of color’ on their racists’ plantations. This is the naked truth that the psychologists fail to address...

[pillut48]

It was kind of funny watching Coop trying to get that white kid to say “I HATE BLACK PEOPLE BECAUSE THEY’RE BLACK!” but the kid wouldn’t fall for it, he actually had a great attitude toward people of different skin colors, in that IT DOESN’T MATTER WHAT COLOR YOU ARE, IT’S HOW YOU BEHAVE THAT IS IMPORTANT. :-)

[FrdmLvr]

I am caucasian and I teach in a high school that's about 90% black and the black kids constantly refer to each other as either light-skinned or dark-skinned. I'll be asking about someone and they'll say “which one - dark-skinned Donte or light-skinned Donte?" And we have a few kids who are extremely dark and the other black kids will sometimes make fun of the fact that their skin is so dark. They are extremely race conscience, too. I always say, "what does THAT matter?" They usually have no answer.

[aruanan]

And we have a few kids who are extremely dark and the other black kids will sometimes make fun of the fact that their skin is so dark. They are extremely race conscience, too. I always say, "what does THAT matter?" They usually have no answer.

Even in Africa it matters. In Asia people will work the fields covered head to toe to avoid the sun and the resulting darkening of the skin.

[Mac from Cleveland]

I don’t know who’s more ridiculous-these morons, or society at large for nodding their heads and actually listening to the morons.

[BobbyT]

I just always figured black kids wanted to be “light black” in the same way that white girls tan to be as “dark white” as possible.

Maybe it comes from anchoring, and everybody wants to shift to the middle and away from extremes, or maybe girls are just being superficial girls (and some vain guys follow along as society becomes more and more effeminate).

[Jack Hydrazine]

Spencer says this may be happening because “parents of color in particular had the extra burden of helping to function as an interpretative wedge for their children. Parents have to reframe what children experience ... and the fact that white children and families don’t have to engage in that level of parenting, I think, does suggest a level of entitlement. You can spend more time on spelling, math and reading, because you don’t have that extra task of basically reframing messages that children get from society.”

Translation from coded Leftist double-speak:

Because Black parents are doing such a crappy job of raising their children (with a 70% illegitimacy rate) they teach their children to blame the white kid for their problems instead of themselves.

[Zeppo]

You can spend more time on spelling, math and reading, because you don't have that extra task of basically reframing messages that children get from society.

Guess that you can be a renowned child psychologist and University of Chicago professor, and still be a fool...

Who wudda thunk it?