Disclaimer: This has got nothing to do with Television but I'm upset and I need to vent. It's about racism so there'll be a lot of "black" and "white".
My son is 7 years old and today he experienced one of the most horrible things a person could experience and I'm upset that I could not protect him from such a thing.
Opposite my place, lives a white couple with a boy who is about 7 or 8 who sometimes comes to play here when my son's two friends from another part of the complex are visiting. The boys are white.
Now this boy, let's call him "Mika" is one of those kinda kids who come into your house without greeting or knocking and he will go straight to other rooms without invitation at all.
Anyway, I just observed that about him...It wasn't an issue for me, certainly not my problem to sort out.
So anyway, when I got back from work today my son told me that he can't play with Mika anymore.
So I asked him "why?"
He said
"Coz when I was playing with him and my friends, Mika's father said brown or black people are not allowed at his house."
I"m now shocked....
Apparently the boys were playing outside and Mika's dad called Mika to go inside but Mika wanted his "playmates" to go with him and that's when his father told him that. Now, obviously this was meant at my boy coz he was the lone "brown/black" face there at them time.
(I heard the full version from my helper, who happened to overhear this guy saying this) I got really upset when I heard this, like how could a grown ass man do that to a child?
I have never experienced such blatant racism in my life and I am so mad that my 7 year old had to be exposed to this.... I thought kids born this late were not supposed to go through this?
I asked my boy how he felt when the guy said that and he told me he felt sad.....
I told him I was sorry & was starting to get emotional and he said
"just a little bit sad......".
The worst feeling was seeing the expression on his face when he told me this....such disappointment! What kills me is that I can't even do anything about it instead I was now forced to talk to him about why Mika's dad said that and how wrong it was.....at at time when I wasn't ready to discuss race issues with my son!
I can't believe this guy is teaching his child this racist behaviour in 2009!
Where does he thinks he's living?
Does he think his child will not play with black kids at school when HE's not around to chase them "darkies" away?
I FEEL SO VIOLATED, SO WRONGED, LIKE MY CHILD HAS BEEN STRIPPED OF HIS RIGHTFUL IGNORANCE TO THE DISGUSTING RACISM THAT IS STILL SO MUCH ALIVE IN THIS COUNTRY!!! The question is
"what do I do when "Mika" comes to my house next??"
(he definitely will & I actually wonder where his father thinks he is during all those times that he's at my house!)
Do I allow Mika to play or do I tell him to go home to avoid having his racist dad come pull him out causing another unpleasant experience for my child to witness?