In 1939 , Kenneth B. Clark and Mamie Phipps Clark , a
husband-wife team , both African-American psychologists , investigated the
effects of segregation on black American children. In their experiment , they
showed two dolls to 253 black kids , whose age ranged from three to
seven. The dolls looked almost exactly alike --- the same size , the same
hairstyle , the same shape of eyes , etc. ---except for the color . One was black , one was white . The children were asked different questions . For questions like “ Which doll looks nice ? “ and “ Which doll
would you like to play with ?” , almost all children chose the white doll. One child
justified his choice with “ Because the white doll is clean.” When they were asked questions like ,” Which
doll looks bad ? ” or “ Which doll is
not nice? ” , majority chose the black doll.
The final question was : “ Which doll looks like you ? ”.
Many of the children became emotional as they pointed to the black doll. Immature as they were , they realized that
they rejected the doll that looked like them , and that they were , in fact ,
rejecting themselves. One boy said “ I am actually white , but I got a suntan
last summer .” Crying so hard , two of the children ran
out of the experiment room.
The experiment was
done at a time when African Americans
were denied so many rights and were struggling for equal treatment . The Clarks concluded that the responses were a
clear sign of self-rejection and a feeling of inferiority brought about by the political
and social environment. The effects , based on their expert opinion , may even be irreversible . The
results of the Clarks’ experiment were
eventually used as a basis by the US
Supreme Court to declare segregation in
public schools as unconstitutional.
This doll experiment had been replicated several times. One was
done in 2005 by film maker Kiri
Davis. The result was the same .
Seventy-one percent of the 21 black
children said that the white doll was prettier. Imagine , that was 66 years later , a time
when black Americans were supposed to
enjoy full rights and privileges as the whites. Those sixty-six years saw the rise of people like Martin Luther King Jr. , Maya Angelou , Oprah Winfrey , Michael Jordan , Will Smith
, Tyra Banks ---and yet , black
children still felt inferior .
In 2009 , a
media company in the US conducted the same experiment for the show “ Good Morning America”. The percentage of black girls who showed
preference for the white doll was lower , 47 % , but this is still significant . Many of the boys said both were pretty. The change can be attributed to the fact that early that
year ,January 2009 , Barack Obama
assumed the presidency of the US , bringing the positive spotlight to him , his wife and two daughters.
We're half-way through 2016
. Dark-skinned children born and living in many parts of the world are still made to feel that they are not pretty or handsome or good enough . Stereotypes and prejudices are being perpetuated in so many ways .
Racism still persists even in advanced , culturally diverse
countries . Even among members of the same
ethnic groups that are naturally
endowed with dark or brown skin , there is colorism : a form of bias in favor of lighter-skinned
ones .
Colorism is
prevalent in Southeast Asia . Brown-skinned children are bullied in
school. They are called all sorts of names . Dark-skinned employees are usually the butt of jokes in the office , together with the fat ones .
These things will persist for a long , long time –but it does not mean
that we should keep quiet about it .
Obviously , the effects
of European colonial conquests have remained in the minds of many
people. Western-centric or European-centric mentality holds that almost everything
from the West is superior and worth emulating , including skin
color. People in former colonies have not been able to disentangle themselves from this mentality , despite being technically and
officially free from their former
masters.
Colorism is also being indirectly perpetuated by billion-dollar corporations that sell beauty products. Their advertisements are relentless because they know fully well that the public mind is malleable . In Southeast Asia ---particularly in the Philippines , Thailand , Malaysia ---- mainstream media and
online media are full of advertisements for whitening products . Billboards show
models and endorsers flaunting their white complexion.
Some of the ads go too far , insulting people with dark skin. From dusk till dawn , wherever they look , young children in these countries are bombarded with propaganda that dark skin is inferior. The sad thing is , ordinary adult members of their societies are taking the lead. Social media is rife with verbal insults against brown-skinned people. Recently , in the Philippines , there was an uproar when a six-month old baby , a child of a celebrity , was bashed online as " ugly " and " negra " because she is " morena " ( brown-skinned )
The despicable behavior of some people , the biases and the brainwashing will not go away . They will continue for a long , long time . But that does not mean that we have to keep quiet about it.
Some of the ads go too far , insulting people with dark skin. From dusk till dawn , wherever they look , young children in these countries are bombarded with propaganda that dark skin is inferior. The sad thing is , ordinary adult members of their societies are taking the lead. Social media is rife with verbal insults against brown-skinned people. Recently , in the Philippines , there was an uproar when a six-month old baby , a child of a celebrity , was bashed online as " ugly " and " negra " because she is " morena " ( brown-skinned )
The despicable behavior of some people , the biases and the brainwashing will not go away . They will continue for a long , long time . But that does not mean that we have to keep quiet about it.
Of course , changing one’s skin color is ultimately a personal choice . One is free to buy all the products
she wants , or to undergo all the medical procedures , if she really wants to
have a whiter complexion .But that is
not the thesis of this article.
As proven by the doll experiments , socially-tolerated forms of prejudice do a lot of damage to children. Segregation by color , of course , is no longer the
issue , but we know racism still exists . Also , there are other things . Media-brainwashing and consumerism are just as harmful . Bullying is just as
damaging . For a kid who is a constant victim of bullying , going to school is a daily torture .
If you are a parent with dark-skinned children , you have
to assure your children that their skin is
nothing to be ashamed of. Build their
confidence and teach them how to deal with bullying. If you are a teacher , do not allow any dark-skinned child ( or any child for that matter ) to
be the object of cruel banters. Show your class that you will not allow
bullying and any form of harassment your class. If you are a responsible adult , explain how businesses and the media work , and how they can affect
people’s mind –set and behavior.
Do not tolerate racism and colorism , even in the name of " fun."
Do not tolerate racism and colorism , even in the name of " fun."
It took a pair of dolls to move the US Supreme Court to make a historic decision that paved the way for integration ( white
and black kids studying together ) in
American schools. May these two,
inanimate dolls remind people
in different countries what Martin Luther
King Jr. said in 1963 :
I have a dream
that someday, my four children will be judged , not by the color of
their skin , but by the content of their
character .”
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Note: If the video does not play , please follow the youtube link below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZryE2bqwdk
