The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

In 2015, I worked at a preschool as a teacher’s aid, in doing so, I watched and observed the children between the ages 4/5 as they played to make sure they were doing the right thing. In doing so, I heard one boy say to his good friend, “My mom said I can’t play with you anymore because you are Mexican and make me do bad things”. The other boy said nothing; I think he did not know how to respond to the situation because at such a young age, you are still learning how to react appropriately in situations. As the teachers aid, I had to jump into the situation and talk to both boys privately, then the boy who made the mean comment apologized to the other boy. As I spoke to the child who made the rude remark, he said, “I don’t know why I said that, my mom told me to say that”. In reality, the boys really had a great time together at school and are good friends, but the mother put ideas into the child’s head. This shows that, children listen and observe their parents judgments because they think that their parents are role models and admire them. This situation proved to me that, yes, “bias and prejudice themselves are learned”.

This incident between the boys brought up feelings of anger and disappointment in the guardians of the child who had the power in the situation. The reason I felt anger was because the remark was so hurtful and the innocent child had no idea how to react, he was attacked with words and I am sure that it was his first time being in such a situation. The reason I was disappointed was because the boy who had the power really did not understand why he said what he said, he was listening to his parents. I was also disappointed because that child’s parent was judging a 4/5 year old based on his ethnicity and this presented to the child that judging a child based on their background is okay because the parents do it.

In order for the situation to turn into an opportunity for greater equity, the child who had the power, would have to understand the importance of respecting diversity and the parent would also have to do the same. No matter how many times a educator talks about respect and diversity, it is truly taught and understood in the household. This means that it is also very important for a parent/guardian to teach their child about respecting others.