Black Children Biased Against Darker-Skined Blacks

Lest we think that bias derived from skin color applies to white children only (as in the previous article), the same test was given to black children as well. There was plenty of bias to go around. Among blacks, this behavior is most commonly known by the term “color struck.”

This raises disturbing questions about self-image. It seems that even in the Obama era, black children still lack the kinds of role models in everyday life, that would make them feel good about themselves. Alternatively, it could also be indicative of a behavioral phenomenon brought on by subtle influences about how the brain processes color in terms of how it assigns worth to individuals based on physical appearance. If this is the case, then the idea, “you can’t judge a book by its cover” is a learned behavior that determines how a person will interact with others throughout his life. This means that teaching people to resist the temptation to prejudge another human being based on color is even more important than previously believed and should begin very early in life.

Lest one be tempted to assume that such a behavior, if determined to be natural, might be healthy on some basic level (because how can something determined to be natural be unhealthy right?), one must also remember that the natural human attraction to red fruits for example, would lead to a quick death if acted upon by sheer instinct. Since any naturalist will tell you that the color red in nature is generally a warning of danger and that the overwhelming majority of red fruits, vegetables, and insects are extremely poisonous to humans, tomatoes and apples not withstanding. Having completed survival school during my military years proved very valuable in this regard. In fact, the first thing they taught us is to never eat anything red unless you know what it is.

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