11-01-2016, 06:48 PM
I had some thoughts last night about this. My son dressed up as harry potter, and due to his complexion, age and hair, he makes for a pretty good "sorcerers stone" aged Harry. We walked around trick or treating all night, and got a dozen or more compliments on how much like Harry he looks. And not just from the people handing out candy. People we passed on the streets were complimenting him. Naturally, he was pretty stoked by all the attention.
We live in an almost equally integrated neighborhood. As one black family was kind enough to compliment my kiddo in passing, I looked at their son, who was a bit younger than mine, and dressed in a captain america outfit. It occurred to me that at no point that night will their son ever hear that he looks exactly like captain america. And it is not because of the quality of the costume (which was actually pretty nice).
I don't feel the need to extrapolate further, as it is pretty obvious where the privilege lies. And this isn't meant to shame anyone or american culture, as it it experienced. It just is meant to reflect my empathy as a parent to a parent of "the other" in out culture.
We live in an almost equally integrated neighborhood. As one black family was kind enough to compliment my kiddo in passing, I looked at their son, who was a bit younger than mine, and dressed in a captain america outfit. It occurred to me that at no point that night will their son ever hear that he looks exactly like captain america. And it is not because of the quality of the costume (which was actually pretty nice).
I don't feel the need to extrapolate further, as it is pretty obvious where the privilege lies. And this isn't meant to shame anyone or american culture, as it it experienced. It just is meant to reflect my empathy as a parent to a parent of "the other" in out culture.
