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From: gregbo@houxm.UUCP (Greg Skinner)
Newsgroups: net.singles,net.kids
Subject: Re: Re: Interracial Dating
Message-ID: <942@houxm.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 16-Oct-84 22:17:37 EDT
Article-I.D.: houxm.942
Posted: Tue Oct 16 22:17:37 1984
Date-Received: Wed, 17-Oct-84 06:50:33 EDT
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> From: agz@pucc-k (Andrew Banta)

>> From: gregbo@houxm (Greg Skinner)
>>		... more from Lisa, probably sarcastic ...
>>
>>> Actually, kids like kids.  They have to be taught that this neat new person
>>> who's the same height and has the same interests and is otherwise interes-
>>> ting is really icky.  Adults teach them that "different" skin colors are 
>>> ugly. 
>>
>> Yeah, but who's going to teach them?  Ok, you, your husband, perhaps some of
>> your relatives, friends and neighbors.  You can't really count on anyone else
>> though, and more than likely they will teach your kids the opposite, that
>> they are different.
>> 
>> I'm not so sure of the above either ("Kids like kids").  I don't know, per-
>> haps it might be my own experience.  (First of all, let's define kids here.
>> I think you might be thinking of young children, perhaps 5-10.  I think I am
>> thinking of 11-16.  

> Where did you even get the idea that she was being sarcastic? I didn't
> take it sarcastically the first time I saw it, and still don't. 

Excerpts from Lisa's original article that made me think it was sarcastic.  
(Did you believe she actually MEANT these things?   

>> Ugly kids get teased.  Hey, and speaking of which, it's not just people of
>> "different" races who are ugly: there are just plain ugly people, right?  You
>> know, fat/skinny science fiction fans, and people who aren't hairy/hairless 
>> to my standards, people with freckles...these people are disgusting.  They 
>> should not be allowed to walk around in any neighborhoods (don't want them 
>> making impressions on my kids) (my kids might think it's okay to be ugly)
>> (yuck).  And breeding is RIGHT OUT! Hey, I'm not prejudiced, they can live 
>> their lives (away from me) and all, but do they think they can inflict their
>> ugliness on their kids (and on the rest of the world) with impunity?  It's 
>> also documented (hey, I know my sources-- Ann Landers) that beautiful people
>> can also turn out ugly kids.  Must be bad genes.  Better track down family 
>> histories, and make sure there have never been any ugly offspring (well, we 
>> could drown them...).  Only people with licenses can have children!  The 
>> purity of  >GACK!!<  >CHOKE< AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA^C 

It came after "Kids like kids", so I guess I was mistaken.  Sorry.  Anyhow, 
back to your article.

> Now, before I continue here, a few points that I'd like to make (my opinions,
> if you will). First, I don't think that it is only the WASP parenets
> that say the other skin colours, religions, cultures, etc, are "icky". I
> think that a fair portion of the other races, religions, and cultures
> also teach this. Second, I don't think that it is necessarily always the
> parents (or other adults) that teach this to kids. I think that a fair
> number of kids learn it from other kids. Obviously not ALL kids do,
> since it has to start somewhere. I also think that TV may have a bit of
> an impact on this. How many shows have done something on interracial
> dating, in which the basic message has been that it is alright, but the
> underlying tone the entire show is that there is something wrong with
> it? 

I agree.  In the first article I posted on this subject, I discussed my 
father's feelings about my sister dating a white guy -- he seems more opposed
to the idea than her boyfriend's parents (at least that is what I have been
led to believe).  Also, I'd say that TV contributes a lot also.

> Ok, now that we have gotten this out of the way, where did you (Greg)
> get the idea that there is that much antipathy between kids in the first
> place? 

I broke it down into two ages, 5-10 and 11-16.  Seems like all the hatred comes
up in the latter.

> So my question is that where did this attitude that kids of interracial
> mariages would be harrassed anyway? I think as soon as you point this
> out to a (your) kid, he'll be watching for it, and find it, simply
> because he/she has different attitude toward how people will treat him.
> If you bring him up without teaching him that people are different in
> this aspect, he probably won't notice it as much. Just something to keep
> in mind ...

It came, I guess, from the attitude that kids who are "different" from the rest
of the kids would be harrassed.  If we allow that the adolescents are going to
do most of the teasing, I claim that no matter what you teach your kids 
(whether or not you make your kids aware of what they are) they will encounter
difficulties at a time when they have to face enough difficulties.  The
question I, as a parent, would ask myself, is if I can raise my kids to
rise above the ignorant people who harass them.  At this point in my life, I
don't think that I could, because I'm still trying to cope with my own
place in society.  I guess that's why I'm not a parent yet. 
-- 
Hug me till you drug me, honey!

Greg Skinner (gregbo)
{allegra,cbosgd,ihnp4}!houxm!gregbo