Feature Article Racism- to Kill a Mockingbird Etc
Are we born racist or have we learnt it? Children grow up heavily influenced by the values and beliefs of their family. If these attitudes are racist then innocent pick up these traits when usually they don’t see these differences.
Society and media provide people with different aspects and feelings towards racism. The media are always exploiting riots and bashings such as the Cronulla riots when they occur, over exaggerating them when they are because of a simple thing like, the differences in cultures and peoples’ beliefs. People get indignant when they hear about others within their culture or beliefs being abused or unaccepted, raising the question of why people feel a need to be on the attack or defense.
Do we learn such hatred for each other through watching our mentors? Aspiring to be like our heroes forgetting that as children we saw no colour’s or differences only someone to be friends with. Do we aspire to be like our mentors or is it fear which leads our minds feelings and beliefs astray. Are we still caught up amongst the beliefs which linger from our great great grandparents being passed down through generations?
Throughout the past few generation people have begun to realize the effects of racism and how they have been influenced from a young age. They have displayed their emotions of anger, sadness and fear through films, books, poems and articles.
Jean Burgess a poet who wrote ‘Race Relations’ shows how children are unaware of being different colours and how they are taught to have a racist opinion. “They played together…The white child and the black” Jean quoted showing how the young children believed there was nothing wrong with playing together but this was soon demolished to show how children were taught to show abhorrence to other cultures. Jean quoted “Oh, you wicked child, have I not told you, you must not play with kaffirs…your father. How he’ll scold you, and serve you right, who have no proper pride.’ Providing the insight of how a
Society and media provide people with different aspects and feelings towards racism. The media are always exploiting riots and bashings such as the Cronulla riots when they occur, over exaggerating them when they are because of a simple thing like, the differences in cultures and peoples’ beliefs. People get indignant when they hear about others within their culture or beliefs being abused or unaccepted, raising the question of why people feel a need to be on the attack or defense.
Do we learn such hatred for each other through watching our mentors? Aspiring to be like our heroes forgetting that as children we saw no colour’s or differences only someone to be friends with. Do we aspire to be like our mentors or is it fear which leads our minds feelings and beliefs astray. Are we still caught up amongst the beliefs which linger from our great great grandparents being passed down through generations?
Throughout the past few generation people have begun to realize the effects of racism and how they have been influenced from a young age. They have displayed their emotions of anger, sadness and fear through films, books, poems and articles.
Jean Burgess a poet who wrote ‘Race Relations’ shows how children are unaware of being different colours and how they are taught to have a racist opinion. “They played together…The white child and the black” Jean quoted showing how the young children believed there was nothing wrong with playing together but this was soon demolished to show how children were taught to show abhorrence to other cultures. Jean quoted “Oh, you wicked child, have I not told you, you must not play with kaffirs…your father. How he’ll scold you, and serve you right, who have no proper pride.’ Providing the insight of how a