You may remember a study from CNN where children were assessed on their racial attitudes. When shown several different cartoon children and asked which ones were smartest or prettiest, they consistently picked the whiter and lighter skinned drawings. The children all associated the color of skin, thereby including race, into status where the white children were inherently 'better'. This is a blatant racialization of status because normally ideas of intelligence and beauty shouldn't prefer one race over another.
This also begs the question of how did these children learn to racialize status. Like Bonilla-Silva demonstrates, this new version of color-blind racism is much more subtle. Even though very few adults would teach their children this racialization, they obviously still learn it from media portrayal.
Article: http://www.nowpublic.com/culture/cnn-study-americas-kids-are-being-racialized
The way that children associate color with intellect may not be a sole role in the way that these children perceive these things, but they do play a vital role. Of course, the media is a part of these teachings, but so are other powerful institutions such as school and maybe even church. Over the quarter, I have learned that not a single entity is responsible for the ways in which we think. Power is a "powerful" thing and is most effective through discourse. Michel Foucault pointed that out in his book, The History of Sexuality. As adults, we know the consequences that come with racialiazation. It is not the fault of the children, for they are completely oblivious to this kind of ideology. The best way to get rid of trickling down of negative ideologies such as these is to "denatuarilize" the ways in which we think. Throughout the quarter, I have become more aware and what I do as a citizen of the "human-race" is try to enlighten my peers about these things so that they can pass it forward as well....Pay it forward.
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