Socialization from birth by family and community
From a tender age, children realize their identity, either a male or female. This is made possible due to many factors in their environment, including what grown ups in their lives tell them, their interaction with other children, and everyday experiences at shops, school, church, and of course, in their homes. Other factors, like cloth choices made for them, color of items they receive as gifts, and even the shape and model of the gifts, are all factors that perpetuate socialization (Kendall 10). On the other hand, racial bias is introduced to children through their interactions with people in their lives, including parents, friends, neighbors and other children.
Racial bias is an acquired state, brought about by experiences in an every day life. Religion, culture and geographic location also play a key role in the way gender privileges and opportunities are allocated. It is important for our children to understand the race and gender they belong to, however, these “notions” and understanding of self should not be misinterpreted, as well as misunderstood by children as an obstacle and denial of the opportunity to get the best out of their lives because of the gender or racial discrimination (Kendall 10).
Toys and their influence on socialization
Toys are colourful items that are made specifically for children of all ages, to entertain, educate and even build their motor skills. There are diverse types of toys, some made specifically for girls and others for boys. There are also others that can be used by both, boys and girls (Kendall 11). Toys could be black or white, and this brings about racial affiliations which may have adverse effects on the children and their socialization in the long term, depending on how the toys are acquired and communicated to the children. Toys which depict whites as superior and blacks as inferior, socialize the children negatively. They make black children feel inferior to the white children, and this affects their confidence and self-esteem. The white children, on the other hand, are made feel superior and this raises their confidence and self-esteem (Kendall 15).
Toys and gender differentiation
Toys acquisition is one of the ways which can easily form biases and uncall for differentials, in the way young boys and girls are socialized. For example, upon entering a major toys store, one immediately notices that toys have been separated in terms of gender and sometimes even race. Boys’ toys are mostly replicas of big cars, lorries and trains, mostly in dull ‘boyish’ colors, while those for girls would be in bright colors like pink, and consist of dolls and girly stuff (Kendall 17). This forms a perception in the children’s young minds that girls are caretakers, and boys are supposed to explore the outdoors and aim to work with big machines and vehicles.
Frankly speaking, there is nothing wrong with a girl playing with the cars and trucks. Also, there is nothing wrong with a boy picking a doll and dressing it. The only problem is the way this is perceived in the society. Luckily, puzzles, blocks and Lego toys, are all open to use by all genders. It is important to note that toys are very effective tools for learning and socializing children, and should therefore be used appropriately to get the most out of them. Toys displayed in toy stores are either labeled ‘boys’ or ‘girls,’ or they can have a picture of either gender to identify with either boys or girls. Rarely will one find a toy without gender classifications (Kendall 21).
Toys and race affiliation
Majority of toys that are available in the stores are mostly those that reflect the white race. Rarely will one find a toy depicting the African race, and even where they are reflective of the African culture and look, they are minimal in number, and unfortunately, may not be as ‘attractive’ as the others to the young ones. This could be because the children have been socialized to believe that anything of white origin is superior to all others. In other cases, there is a tendency of all concerned, to depict white as better and without blemish, and anything black as not appealing (Kendall 24).
This perception clearly shows that despite advancements in modern technology which has made the world a global village, there still exist elements of racism in the society (Kendall 24). This racial socialization is evident in toys, makes the white children feel and perceive themselves as superior to the black children. On the other hand, the socialization makes black children feel inferior to the white children, and this affects them psychologically, and hinders their success. It also negatively affects their confidence and this makes them less courageous when facing life challenges that they come across (Kendall 25). Since most toy making companies are owned by whites, the blacks have little influence on this, and if this trend is not stopped, racial socialization will continue, despite the high level of interaction and literacy in the modern world (Kendall 25).
Toys: The shopping experience
Shopping in a toy shop was not only an enjoyable exercise, but also one that was quite straightforward, as one could easily tell which section is for girls and which one is for boys stuff. The difficulties of choice come in, in cases where the parent or guardian would like their child to grow up without the adverse effects of belonging to a certain category, but rather as a whole person. In this case, it may take some time to choose an appropriate toy. In the toy store, I came across toys for girls that depicted softness, nurture, care and family like dolls, while those for boys, were of a different nature, depicting strength, hard work and action oriented like trucks, cars, balls and so on.
Toys depicting the white race had positive connotations reflecting beauty and class, while on the contrary, toys depicting the black race were marred with not much interesting characteristics (Kendall 34). This is probably because of the inherent believe that most people still harbor that black people are corrupt, poor, illiterate and inferior. In the toy store, I experienced the abundance of white affiliated toys, while those associating with the black people were few and in between. Segregated toys in terms of different ones for boys and others for girls were also plenty in the store, thereby, socializing the young ones in the line that girls are supposed to play with certain toys and boys with different ones. To help stop gender inequality in the society, this segregation of toys should stop and this will help in socializing children positively (Kendall 34).
Works Cited
Kendall, Diana. Sociology in Our Times. London: Cengage Learning, 2012. Print.