Culture and Race

In my sociology class right now we are on the chapter of culture. At the moment we are talking about the big bad issue of race. One comment that really stuck out to me in the chapter was that the number one place a child is influenced is their home. How does this relate to race, well it has everything to do with it. I should re-speak, racism is to me a very horrible, prejudice and outdated thing. Saying that I think racism will exist forever, or at least as long as I'm alive. Over the years its gotten better then it was but it's still not gone. It can sneak in little places, like work, walking outside or even the things people joke about. The reason I think it will last for a long time is because of the point that children are influenced most in the home aka family. It's not the media or school peers that influences the child the most. What values you learn at home are the values you tend to see as fit. And although many people say nobodys racist anymore, I still think their are a lot of closeted people who feel a certain way that may be negative towards certain races. I'm not just talking about black and white people either. Of course racism is towards any race (but our minds usually jump to black and white). I believe many children are learning from their homes that some races may be more superior to others. It could be as simple as a mom saying to her daughter that she wants her to date a white man instead of a black man. That alone is in a way saying that white men are better then black men. Although many people may not be so to speak "hard core" racist, there are still small things that are learned at home towards certain races of people and the affects children. They can bring that to school, thats also where stereotypes come in. Especially in answering the question of why are they still around. Stereotypes can be substle, or maybe not, the point is someone is believing in them and telling someone else who may believe that it's a just conclusion. I know things can be expressed and learned as an adult, but I really think that children have the most effect on this issue with race. I'm not saying it's their faults. And when I say children I'm also talking about the adults that were once children and so on. You learn and take in so much when you are young and what you are told to believe in your family has a huge impact on your outlook on life. I know that some people are the complete opposite, but in many cases, weither you want to believe it or not, the moral traits your family passes down to you tend to stay in your mind. Now weither you act on them or not is a different story.
So my conclusion is we get these notions and sometimes stereotypes from, first and formost the home (family). Of course we are also influenced by media and peers but the majority of us started out with just a family and no media or other peers and thats the time when values and beliefs are set apon any child, and they carry those beliefs (not all the time) into the world, and unfortunatly some of them we could definatly do without.