IS THAT NOT THE DOCTOR McSTUFFINS EFFECT?
I always had a thing for kids, no matter how young, being able to climb down to their innocent world and dealing with them closer to their own terms. I am normally completely unfazed by the machinations of a three month old. This came in rather handy when finally my seven grandchildren started to troop in.
There is this game that I play with the seven year olds, wherein I claim that chocolate skinned Dr McStuffins is ACTUALLY my friends and not theirs. The ruckus that this usually causes can only be imagined. From the following narrative I suspect that the Brennan kid, Sophia, is also a fan of Dr McStuffins. The image of a non-white, successful, caring, motherly and happy medical doctor has been imprinted so early in her young mind. She is unlikely, later in life, to ask any non-white woman she meets in a hospital setting if she is "the cleaning lady."
One of my grandsons is so expressive and effusive in narrating his background and experiences at home and school that I would not be surprised if some of his friends want to be engineers like his dad and my-(not-so-humble)-self. For them Bob The Builder will have to be black of course.
Meanwhile this Brennan experience is an eye opener for those who still kid themselves about the home and dinner table origins of racism.
"Another commenter pointed out the greater lesson in this story — that colorism, racism, and prejudice is something that is learned: “A color is just that — a color. Children are so innocent. They don’t have hate in their precious little hearts. Sadly all of that including prejudice are taught in the home. . . "
https://www.yahoo.com/beauty/little-girl-has-perfect-answer-for-woman-who-wondered-why-she-wanted-a-doll-that-didnt-look-like-her-193253439.html
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