Information on how racism is handed down to children and how hate grows. How we can learn from animals to be human beings. Teaching children to think about decisions they make based on color or race and learning to look beyond stereotyping and judging people by their color or race.
Teaching Children Racism by Using Examples of Animal Behaviors
Racism can be a touchy subject to broach with children. Using some examples from the zoo is an excellent way to show kids to look past skin color, the dangers of stereotyping and the importance of living with one another in harmony.
Racism is a problem most wish didn’t exist. But it does. The unfortunate thing about racism is the fact it is taught. Racism does not come naturally. Children do not identify with color or race unless they are told to.
Take a kindergarten class that is filled with mixed color and race. Children of all types will play with any other child as long as they are nice to them. Color or race “never” comes into play unless someone tells them different.
At Noah’s Ark Animal Rescue Center, in Locust Grove, Georgia a strange and unlikely friendship is the main attraction at the center. In a private habitat an American Black Bear, Bengal Tiger and a Lion all live together in harmony. According to the center’s assistant director, the animals are not aware they are different.
They had been together since they were cubs, according to Smith. The center received the animals eight years ago after they were taken from a home during a raid. “They came as kind of a family, so we kept them that way,” stated Smith.
How to Teach Children Racism by Learning Animal Behaviors
A lesson could be learned by this. If dominant wild animals such as a tiger, bear and lion could live together peacefully and loving, why can’t we? After all we are the more intelligent species are we not? Just think what the next generation could bring if not one child was taught to hate because of color or race. It would literally change the world. How could it not when racism has been an ongoing issue for centuries causing arguments, disputes and even wars.
It’s important to teach children about racism not to stereotype or judge people on appearance. Why is it, racism is only a human against human issue? After all we don’t hate certain puppies because they are black, white, yellow or brindle’s do we? No, we think they are all adorable based on the fact they are puppies. Is it really so difficult to apply that thought to humans?
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There is both good and bad in every color and race of human beings. We are given the choice to follow a path in every decision we make whether that choice is positive or negative. No race or color specifically makes negative choices any more than another. That is a human choice of an individual. I know to some that statement is empty due to terrorism. But is it fair to say all Middle Eastern people are terrorists? Keep in mind Timothy McVeigh, The Oklahoma Bomber was American with no Middle East affiliation.
Teaching our children to watch for danger signs in people as opposed to watch for color or race would be more productive and safe. To be afraid of someone, or automatically hate someone because they did not look like you or think like you is ridiculous. How would we ever move forward as human beings if everyone thought that way?
We certainly would not have scientific breakthroughs if all the scientists thought the same. We would not have a variety of music, movies, television shows and books if we all thought the same. And we are given separate minds instead of a collective one to have individual thought so each and every one of us could think for ourselves based on our own knowledge and feeling. Why not pass that on to children instead of hate? – That’s a how to teach children about racism by learning animal behaviors.
