Stereotyping of Youth
Adultification Bias of Black Girls
What?: Erases the distinction between Black women vs
Black girls by assigning adult qualities and characteristics to young girls.
Why?: Because they are viewed as adult women who should be equipped to make appropriate and correct decisions and are then punished when they fail to do so.
Example: Black girls are not expected to make mistakes. They are expected to have "known better".
Fear of Youth
What?: The notion that youth can not be trusted because they are rebels who are set on wrecking havoc on society.
Why?: I think it comes from the fear of knowing youth are dope! According to "Redefining the notion of youth" (Steinberg 2011), this notion appeared in the 1950's. It was right around when the television (media) began to appear in affluent homes. Youth were classified as trouble makers and blamed for the "bad behavior" taking place in society.
"Preppy Whites" vs "Hood Blacks"
What?: Schools attempted to classify youth subcultural movements into two categories. 1) Preppy, Leave it to Beaver White youth and 2) Ghetto, Pop Culture loving Black and Brown youth.
- Aside from being a bogus way to further marginalize urban communities, the fear of youth left no space for transformative youth leadership. Which credits youth as being distinct beings and citizens with specific needs and cultures.
Why?: Again fear of how dope youth really are? Who knows?
Memory (TRIGGER WARNING-EXPLICIT LANGUAGE)
I remember being 15 years old, working my first job as a cashier at EastSide Market Place with my best friend Court King. As I was scanning groceries, I accidentally scanned the next customers rye bread into the current customers order. The current customer, an older White woman alerted me to the error. I apologized and called for the Lead Cashier to void the item. The next customer, who was an older White man began to mumble something to the effect of, "I don't even know how they get jobs!" I asked him to repeat his mumble and he then approached me and loudly repeated what he had initially said. I then asked him what the hell did he mean by that? He then approached me further and said," I don't know how you niggers get jobs!" I lost it! All I remember was hurling the closest grocery item at him. At that point an all out brawl was about to take place. I was approaching him and he was approaching me. The first customer held me, while the Lead Cashier held my abuser.
As if being called a nigger was not bad enough, my spirit was further crushed when the supervisor took me into his office to further discuss the incident. I remember telling him, "but I am not even Black, I am Puerto Rican." He told me it does not matter, I could not respond to customers in that way. If it happened again, he would have to let me go. Needless to say, I went home and cried my little heart out to my enraged Puerto Rican mother. She wanted me to quit immediately! I did not. I worked till the end of the summer because my mother was on welfare and SSI and I really needed the money for school clothes. It was my first year at Classical High School and I needed to fit in.
Thank you for this post Vicky--I appreciate your analysis of the youth stereotypes and love your explanation of "the fear of knowing youth are dope!"
ReplyDeleteI also want to thank you for sharing this deeply painful story. My heart goes out to that baby you, in your first job, navigating such vileness and emotional violence.