Children often see what adults ignore

[proud2BlibKansan]

Children often see what adults ignore
By CHRISTIAN DASHIELL
Special to The Star

K ids are more astute than we sometimes give them credit for. They notice details of life to which adults have become numb, and speak truths with a certain candor that is unbecoming of politically correct adult conversation. These moments of clairvoyance can be shocking, but they can also spur adults to action.

Recently, I was running some errands along with a middle school boy that I mentor. As we were weaving our way through town, we found ourselves cruising down a wide tree-lined street flanked by some of the grandest mansions in our city.

These homes looked very different on the outside from the ones that filled his inner-city neighborhood. The once-grand homes of the urban core had since been run down, over-run and neglected. While a few were owned and well-maintained, many were pawns in real estate ventures where suburbanites rented out poorly maintained homes to black families while pocketing large sums of government funding.

My young friend processed the differences between this neighborhood and his own.

“Man, these houses are huge,” he said. “This is like where the president lives.”

What an astute architectural observation. In fact, many of the homes did bear a resemblance to the White House. But he wasn’t done.

“This must be where the white people live.”

more . . . http://www.kansascity.com/273/story/461421.html

[flashl]

1. BIG K&R

[Richard Steele]

2. K&R

[MedleyMisty]

3. Why did that blow the author's mind?

It's just the truth. I say it all the time when the subject comes up.

Heh, guess that's why I'm not too popular on other more moderate boards filled with suburban stay at home moms.

Every day I think how grateful I am for my childhood and how I was never indoctrinated or made to feel like the truth was some dark secret that could never be talked about. I guess I still see the world the way a child would see it because no one ever told me that I should deny reality.

[mzmolly]

4. This "white person" lived in several housing projects growing up.

I used the term "rich people" to describe the situation of those living in the suburbs as a child. I think addressing the issue of poverty along racial lines is divisive/dismissive?

On edit - Thanks for posting P2B, I am certain that many children of color feel that "white" people are wealthy, and minorities are poor, and it is good to be aware of that perspective. :hi:

[Gormy Cuss]

12. The observation made in the OP article is far too common.

Like you mzmolly, my view of what constituted "rich" as a low income kid was a bit humorous in retrospect and race wasn't a factor because the area was over 95% white. However, in my adult life I've spent considerable time in public housing developments and low income communities around the country and the perception was there among adults of color too. The more racially or ethnically homogeneous the community was, the more I was viewed as a clueless rich white person. I wasn't in a position to inform them of my own background because of the nature of the research. The first time it happened I was confused, but after that I found it amusing to have someone explain the multiple barriers faced by the poor as if I had been raised like Paris Hilton. On the other hand, since I grew up in a white community it was a good lesson on how insidious racial prejudice is.

[mzmolly]

14. Thanks for sharing your story Gormy Cuss.

I am "rich" today, by my previous standards. I imagine you are as well? ;)

Then again, I feel rich in many ways, financial wealth is not among these. :hi:

[NJCher]

5. "The Lesson"

Anyone ever read the short story "The Lesson" by Toni Cade Bambara? One of the funniest stories I've ever read but packs a punch when it comes to this theme. It's available online:

brainstorm-services.com/.../identity-lit.html



Cher

[proud2BlibKansan]

6. Wow, thanks!

:)

[Kansas Wyatt]

7. Oh yes, I was born with a silver spoon in my mouth.... NOT!

Keep claiming all white people are always better off, and you will always get NOWHERE.

Perhaps ALL white people should take the same approach with stereotyping ALL others, then all those who think all white people are bad can be happy.

[teacher gal]

8. Great story

great message......thank you

[teacher gal]

9. oh, and a rec too! n/t

[TalkingDog]

10. As an art instructor I find it interesting that in about 6th or 7th grade

Poor children start asking questions about how making art can make them money as I'm giving presentations on art as a profession. And it really intensifies in black children throughout their teens and early twenties.

Most of the black college students I teach have a career picked out and are only interested in focusing on what will move them ahead in that area. It's like they have to be so driven to succeed that they can't make art for pleasure or for self-fullfillment. (as in: I'm not trying to improve my bank account, I'm trying to improve myself)

I even had a black student who was taking art as an elective, and seeming to enjoy it, drop my class after I told her she had an exceptional grasp of design and could probably be a professional artist. Somehow that was threatening to her vision of herself and her future.

I would love to see ratios in my classes improve to something along the lines of the general population, but most of my students are rich or upper middle class white kids.

College Art programs are known "The rich girls degree."

Having grown up in the lower, lower class I guess I figured anything was a step up, even "starving artist".


My Favorite Master Artist: Karen Parker GhostWoman Studios

[proud2BlibKansan]

13. At the elementary level,

they want to grow up to be athletes or rap stars. We have a really hard time getting them to look at other career paths.

[Ezlivin]

11. It's not where the white people live, but it is where the brown people work

Even the very, very high-end gated communities around the DFW area are not exclusively white. But they do have one distinguishing characteristic: The groundskeepers are NOT white.