Hey Folks,
I’m glad to have found a forum like this because I really need some advice/feedback on black parenting.
My wife and I seem to be at complete odds when it comes to a very specific area in raising our young daughter, and that is how we approach this idea of race and the images she views, specifically when it comes to white characters on TV, in movies or books.
Growing up and still living in a predominantly white society, I’ve come to appreciate the severe psychological impact that white imagery has on the black community and how this contributes to various forms of subconscious “self-hatred”, feelings of inferiority, etc, etc. I’ll spare you all the details of what they are, but needless to say, my wife and I are both in agreement that the images that we will expose our daughter to from the beginning will be that of positive black images; from black protagonist in books, tv and movies etc. This also means that we do our best to minimize/eliminate white imagery from our home . The reason being is that from the time our daughter leaves our home, she will be bombarded with white imagery and subconscious messaging telling that she inferior from the jump.
So far so good, right?
Well, here is where my wife and I diverge: She’s (my wife) willing to tell other parents not to play certain films/shows or books with a white protagonist(s). So for example, if my daughter makes a white friend in daycare and were to go to her house, my wife would tell the parents of her friend what is not acceptable (so a movie like Disney’s Frozen which has all white characters would be a faux pas) . Now to me, that’s where I draw the line—I can’t go around telling people what they can or can’t watch/read in their own home (unless it’s age inappropriate). I might add that I’m not a confrontational type of person, so my natural response would be to not make a situation awkward. Anyways, now my wife is basically accusing me of not wanting to protect my daughter’s psychological well-being for the sake of being “comfortable”, which I find to be totally unfair. This topic is not going away any time soon and just need some advice.
Thanks for reading and look forward to your comments!
I’m glad to have found a forum like this because I really need some advice/feedback on black parenting.
My wife and I seem to be at complete odds when it comes to a very specific area in raising our young daughter, and that is how we approach this idea of race and the images she views, specifically when it comes to white characters on TV, in movies or books.
Growing up and still living in a predominantly white society, I’ve come to appreciate the severe psychological impact that white imagery has on the black community and how this contributes to various forms of subconscious “self-hatred”, feelings of inferiority, etc, etc. I’ll spare you all the details of what they are, but needless to say, my wife and I are both in agreement that the images that we will expose our daughter to from the beginning will be that of positive black images; from black protagonist in books, tv and movies etc. This also means that we do our best to minimize/eliminate white imagery from our home . The reason being is that from the time our daughter leaves our home, she will be bombarded with white imagery and subconscious messaging telling that she inferior from the jump.
So far so good, right?
Well, here is where my wife and I diverge: She’s (my wife) willing to tell other parents not to play certain films/shows or books with a white protagonist(s). So for example, if my daughter makes a white friend in daycare and were to go to her house, my wife would tell the parents of her friend what is not acceptable (so a movie like Disney’s Frozen which has all white characters would be a faux pas) . Now to me, that’s where I draw the line—I can’t go around telling people what they can or can’t watch/read in their own home (unless it’s age inappropriate). I might add that I’m not a confrontational type of person, so my natural response would be to not make a situation awkward. Anyways, now my wife is basically accusing me of not wanting to protect my daughter’s psychological well-being for the sake of being “comfortable”, which I find to be totally unfair. This topic is not going away any time soon and just need some advice.
Thanks for reading and look forward to your comments!
