The Teaching of Racism

     I remember a scenario involving a micro-aggression witnessed by my girls while visiting their grandmother in South Carolina.  My girls aged 16 years and 13 years were visiting their grandmother and her husband last summer near Charleston, South Carolina.  While having dinner with extended family members of the family, one of the men at the table brought something up about Jewish people.  He then turned to his son, who was about 8 years old and said, "Do you have any Jews in your class?"  His son replied by saying he didn't know.  Then his father said to his son, "Always try to sit next to the Jewish kid in the class so you can get good grades."  When my girls came home and reported this incident to me I was appalled but not surprised.  They [my girls] were both shocked at the time.  This was indeed a father's careful instruction to his son on how to perceive Jewish children, and how to behave with micro-aggressions against them. 

  

     A quote from this weeks introduction page comes from one of my favorite musicals South Pacific, "You've got to be taught to hate and fear; you've got to be taught from year to year; it's got to be drummed in your dear little ear; you've got to be carefully taught."  I was about 8 years old when I first became acquainted with this musical, and I remember discussing the lyrics of this song with my mother who was passionate about anti-racism.  

     Another important musical to see, which explores anti-semitism in Russia is Fiddler on the Roof, shown above.