Today I was talking to my mom as always and she told me a story. She said she was at wal-mart and there was a lil white girl looking at this Dora the explorer doll. When her mom seen that she was looking at it she told her daughter quote"We don't except those kinds of toys in our house". That was weird to me because I couldn't understand why you would tell your child she can't have it. It's something she can play with and learn at the same time,so I couldn't find no other reason but one. It can't be that she doesn't let her daughter play with toys because she's a lil girl and that's what they use to learn. I might of understood if she told her something like "You don't need that right now sweetie"but tellin her that we don't except that kind of toy leaves me with a? I feel like she racist but I'm asking you guys how you feel about it because I can't see no other way. If u can give me three reasons why you wouldn't let your daughter play with Dora without it being racist then I would understand but there is no reason for it. thats sad she raising her child up like that and she goes to school and all her friends are talking about what they learned in spanish and your child is lookin dumb because you've put a restriction on her education. All she can do is come home and ask why i can't get one when all my friends tellin me how it is.she even told u what they learned from the Dora doll and you would have to explain why she can't get it.This world is so messed up to where they don't even want colored dolls in there houses because they think it's a bad influence. That's why i believe racism will never die because of parents like her.
Was that the only comment the mother said? That could've been interpreted in a number of ways, but I don't necessarily doubt it was racist in its implication.
ReplyDeleteIt could also have to do with sexism -- she might not want the little girl to have any notions of Dora's independence and need for educational exploration in her little head. In her mind, maybe little girls ought to play with baby dolls and Easy Bake ovens because little girls should grow up to be good, little hausfraus...?
It also depends on the mother's inflection (was she prissy about it? did she scoff?). My mother used to say things like that, leaving a sense of ambiguity behind. She was just haughty about toys in general though. Anything mass-marketed and commericalized was frowned upon in our house... until she caved after having her third child.
I always got the Big Wheels, Barbies, Hasbro and Parker Brothers' games, etc... from everyone else.