.
August 13th, 2010
12:08 PM ET
About this Show:
Anderson Cooper goes beyond the headlines to tell stories from many points of view, so you can make up your own mind about the news. Tune in weeknights at 8 and 10 ET on CNN.
Questions or comments? Send an email
Want to know more? Go behind the scenes with AC361°
Subscribe to the podcast
Subscribe to the AC360 podcast on iTunes!
On Twitter
RT @CNN: CNN political analyst Maggie Haberman joins a panel on @AC360 to explain former President Donald Trump's ties to attorney Evan Cor…
9:36 pm ET March 17, 2023
RETWEET
RT @CNN: CNN's @andersoncooper and @ForecasterEnten discuss a new report from the Wall Street Journal about the nutritional value of sandwi…
10:01 pm ET March 15, 2023
RETWEET
RT @CNN: CNN’@andersoncooperer speaks with author Jodi Picoult about what some are calling a book ban in Florida by Gov. Ron DeSantis. Twen…
10:59 pm ET March 13, 2023
RETWEET
RT @CNN: Embattled Rep. George Santos said he was “innocent” of an allegation that he had orchestrated a credit card skimming operation in…
11:42 pm ET March 10, 2023
RETWEET
RT @CNN: A new single released by a choir of men who are in prison for their participation in the attack on the US Capitol on January 6, 20…
1:12 am ET March 7, 2023
RETWEET
RT @CNN: Alex Murdaugh received a prison sentence of life without the possibility of parole for the murders of his wife and son. CNN’s @and…
11:03 pm ET March 3, 2023
RETWEET
New York Republican Congressman Anthony D'Esposito, the first of Rep. George Santos' fellow House Republicans to catwitter.com/i/web/status/1…tg
9:58 pm ET March 3, 2023
RETWEET
RT @CNN: In a discussion with CNN’@andersoncooperer, former federal prosecutor Jessica Roth describes what she thinks was the most importan…
11:24 pm ET March 2, 2023
RETWEET
RT @CNN: CNN's @andersoncooper investigates the stories of Ukrainian children allegedly taken to Russia to be used for pro-Russia propagand…
11:23 pm ET March 1, 2023
RETWEET
RT @CNN: Scientists say Antarctic sea ice has reached record low levels for the second time in less than a decade. @BillWeirCNN reports. Wa…
11:34 pm ET February 28, 2023
RETWEET
RT @CNN: “They are definitely in a bind, just of their own making in terms of how they handle Donald Trump."
CNN political analyst Maggie…
10:49 pm ET February 27, 2023
RETWEET
RT @CNN: CNN’@andersoncooperer catches up with a Ukrainian mother who he interviewed throughout the war, and who he visited in Kiev, as she…
11:37 pm ET February 23, 2023
RETWEET
Search the AC360 blog
Where can I get the doll test picture that was used with these children??? Would like to show to my child. Thank you....
I was born in Chicago in 1934 and went through high school and beyond before I moved. I attended schools with blacks, whites, asiain and mixtures of all . Had I been asked the questions that these children were aked, I would have answered. ". I don't know or how would I know by looking at them."
I am a white person and glad I don'tt look at people and define them by the color of their skin..
FANTASTIC SHOW!!! But – AAAARRRRGGGGHHHH!! Missed part of it!! I hope I can buy the DVD... or will it air again? I HATED missing last night's show!
What a great topic!
The problem will begin to be solved when we work towards being colour blind.
Anderson. Your white, stop acting like u care. Things people will say to collect a check.
I am a Nigerian and fairly regularly watch your programmes. I watched the programme on Kids, Race and Parenting. Those who had been following events in the USA for quite some decades will not be surprised at the findings of the study. The negatives associated with the black skin are overwhelming, especially in this modern age of electronic media to which these children (white, black, yellow, etc) are exposed, almost from birth. Attitudinal change can only come through high educational achievements. Material successes are secondary. EDUCATION OPENS THE DOOR. That is what most Africans based in other continents have done.
This was a very interesting and informative segment...I would like to give my grandchildren this test. Our kids are very smart (black and white) and much more attentive to things such as racism than we think they are. Even though we don't teach them about racism we are not sure what they are being exposed to when we are not around or what they are paying attention to that may affect them in a negative way in this society. We have and obligation to our kids as parents and grandparents to keep our kids focused and let them know that skin color doesn't define the content of character.
I am a Nigerian and fairly regularly watch your programmes. I watched the programme on Kids, Race and Parenting. Those who had been following events in the USA for quite some decades will not be surprised at the findings of the study. The negatives associated with the black skin are overwhelming, especially in this modern age of electronic media to which these children (white, black, yellow, etc) are exposed, almost from birth. The African Americans need to realize that attitudinal change towards them can only come through high educational achievements, facilitated by stable homes. Material success through entertainment and sports (unless backed up by high level education) are nothing. EDUCATION OPENS THE DOOR. That is what most Africans based in other continents have done, and earned the respect of their host societies comprising mostly whites. One wonders why it is now that President Obama is being tagged bi-racial?
This program was thought provoking and certainly sparked my curiosity. Why have we not seen CNN documentaries that delve into the mystery of white adults" obsession with tanning and tanned skin?
Why not conduct experiments showing white male and female dolls who look like untanned, very white, anderson cooper types with whie hair. Then show brown-skinned dolls who look like Angela Burt Murray, Soledad O'Brien, and other persons of color, male and female.
Children may show a preference for very white skin, but those preferences appear to change when they become adults.Given the preoccupation with tanning, tanning beds, etc.,and the desirabilty of brown skin, who do you think the subjects would choose? What is the scientific explanation?
I am Caucasian from Eastern Europe, I am a Canadian and I've lived in Toronto, Canada for the last 15 years. My son is 30, his daughter is 1.5 years old and their whole family has legally lived in Atlanta, Georgia, US for the last 5-6 years.
It is a fact that the US South is much more racially divided that the US North and very, very much different from Canada. I learned that my son is influenced by this division and the environment in choosing his neighborhood, his political views(tends to be a republican) and any other major decision he is making. He is a very well rounded individual, a sound character but, despite this, he goes with the flow.
I told him how surprised and upset I am regarding the above choices and he told me that he can't help it because this is the attitude of his (white)peers and friends.
However, his closest friends are Mexicans and Eastern Europeans and his bias is mainly directed towards Black ppl. In fact, his closest neighbor is Black and he doesn't seem to have a problem with this.His daughter is going to a day care where the mixed races are a fact and he doesn't seem to mind.
My points:
– Racial divide in the South is heavy and interracial friendships are not common. This would be the solution but nothing is encouraging them.
– Caucasian immigrants cannot be republicans, under any circumstances, regardless of their location within the US.
– the system is only trying managing the racial divide and it's incapable of narrowing the gap between races.
– I don't want to understand and accept my son's biases in terms of race because we were not raised this way and I'm working on clarifying this, at least at the level of my family.
– I was tempted to move to Atlanta for family reasons but these issues are making me very uncomfortable. I just can't take the heavy load of the racial card played in the US. This is a shame and it will take generations to eventually fix. These days, the aggressive message of the right wing are proof that the American ppl are not prepared for equality for many future generations. I don't want to be associated with this low life message, even if I have to die. There are much better alternatives.
That's my personal experience that I wanted to share.
Adrian
I think we should give the doll test to adults in the workplace – there is so much racism in my company from the top down.
I am a manager and the whites at my company on every level are allowed to disrespect and mock me openly. When these instances are reported they are given a slap on the hand. Some things never change.
I have worked in both the south and north and I find that moreso in the north racism in the workplace is allowed and encouraged when upper management accepts it as "well they really did not mean anything by that" Bull!
You have to be black to really understand!
I hate working for this racist company and am actively searching for another job.
I am veiwing this program and I am completly wondering what my 3 mixed children would say. I have always from day one taught them that both and al races are good. Our media does have a part to play in this due to allowing news broadcasts on crimes in certain areas and some are mostly young black males. I am also wondering if the children were given an opportunity to chose all dolls in the study or were they told to pick only one? That can be very confussing to 5 year old children. We have to deal wit this problem and stop hiding it under the rug like it doesn't exist because it will only get worse if we ignore it.
Hi Anderson,
The research that you are reporting on race seems to have some conceptual problems, because there is no option for race neutral answers, in which children had the option to say color does not matter. Likewise the way questions are phrased are problematic. If you would like to discuss this further from desing point of view and how it can be corrected please write me back.
I am also fielding a nationally representative sruvey this fall that will include two questions on segregation by race/ethnicity and income. My sample size will be 100,000 respondents.
nk
Luckily these parents are teaching their children at a yound enough age where it will count later. As a former teacher it's nice to know parents are willing to step and tackle the problem before it gets out of hand. I applaud each one of them.
August 12, 2010
Dear Andersen Cooper,
I would just like to respond briefly to your CNN segment on “Children and Race” with a little food for thought:
During an interview, J.K. Rowling once said, Adults grossly underestimate the intelligence of children,” and that insightful assertion might explain why so many people are shocked to discover that children identify people with fair skin as somehow superior to people with dark skin.
Children have a sophisticated and deep understanding of the world around them. They are very sensitive to the nuances, the customs, and the zeitgeist of their culture. When teaching children about ethnic diversity, they are never merely convinced by social etiquette and principled lessons on race alone; they are much more intelligent than that. Consequently, in their innocence, they mirror a glaring dysfunction that exists in our society – an overwhelming tendency to favor light skin.
Name ten people with really, really dark skin in our culture that represent the height of intelligence and beauty, images that all children can readily identify. Who are the people with really dark skin reporting for CNN? How many black beauties (and I mean that literally) do we see on television, in movies, on book covers, on magazine covers, on cereal boxes, on billboards, in commercials, in images surrounding all that we celebrate as beautiful, honorable, and good?
Who are the people with especially dark skin who are recognized as the uber-fabulous and popular heroes and heroines of our time? Name ten, just ten, I dare you.
Sincerely,
Monica
NYC