I felt it a necessity to write on this subject. Not that its anything new, but we are assigning attitudes, beliefs and values on the color of skin through a concept of “acting white” or “acting black.” This refers to a black person “acting” as a white person or a white person “acting” as a black person based on standards that have apparently been derived from thin air. Where does this come from? Who decides what is white versus black?  And who gives the decision-makers authority to differentiate?

I have been told on more than one occasion that I “sound white.” My usual response is something in the neighborhood of, “How is that?” No one has ever been able to give me a response that is worthy of continued discussion. So I generally shrug my shoulders and move on with my day, not allowing others to define me by ridiculous racial norms.

I always find the discussion of race to be interesting, yet bizarre. I say that in the year 2009 and given the numerous more important challenges Americans face today (e.g., a collapsing economy, war, unemployment and a fluctuating dropout rate, to name a few), we would assume that something such as race would be an insignificant issue. Not only is it still a hot-button issue, but we are putting a spin on it by reinforcing unfounded racial group characteristics. For example, it has been said that a white male who listens to rap music or sags his pants is “acting black.” On the other side of that, a black male who reads a book or plays rugby, is said to be “acting white.” Without digging deep into my vocabulary to come up with a descriptive phrase for such thinking, I find it best to yield to my first thought: just plain stupid.

This is not just peer-to-peer encouragement or discouragement among adolescents of what I’ll call “racial assignments,” but parents may also participate in this limited and unintelligent thinking. Yes, believe it or not, there are parents who encourage their children to be less white, less black, whiter or blacker. Can you even begin to imagine what this type of socialization does to a child? It is this type of thinking that can aid in preventing children from becoming all that they can be. Rather, they often become a product of their socialization. Unfortunately, the future limiting effects of these racial assignments impact black children more so than their white counterparts.

Socialization just so happens to be, in my opinion, the most important process that takes place in the home from the time a child is born until he or she is able to venture off without parents. Sociologists William Thompson and Joseph Hickey define socialization as the process by which we learn and internalize the attitudes, values, beliefs and norms of our culture and develop a sense of self. In other words, socialization helps us determine who we are and, in essence, who we desire to be. It is a lifelong process — even throughout adulthood — which means we are continuously learning and being shaped by the people around us and our environment.

To impart “whiteness” or “blackness” on impressionable children is not only wrong, but perpetuates a cycle that should long have been broken. Children only know what they are taught. Thompson and Hickey also said, “Deviance is normal; conformity must be taught.” So it is our responsibility not only as parents but also as adults to ensure that children learn the difference between right and wrong. Teaching children right from wrong and providing appropriate encouragement will assist them in developing an impenetrable sense of self-worth and self-confidence. Then and only then will we no longer worry about the influences of rap music, television or any other potentially negative medium.

It’s past time we transcend our uninformed thinking of things in black or white. If we really sat back and thought about it, we’d better understand that people typically do things because of their socialization versus the racial assignment. Stated differently, the 10-year-old black female who is more likely than not to read a book may be mimicking a parent who has either read to her or encouraged her to read. The 11-year-old white male who wears the saggy pants has also been socialized to wear them in just that manner. He could have been influenced by his black or white friends.

Our only limits are those we place on ourselves. Don’t place limits on children by socializing them to think that there are certain ways that blacks or whites should act, dress, or speak. Once we tackle the problem at home, everything else falls in place.

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Keydron K. Guinn, Ph.D., is a former Vicksburg resident who works as a sociologist, researcher and university educator researcher in Louisiana. E-mail reaches him at keydron@gmail.com.