Objective: student will explore how we have developed stereotyped ideas about color. What do we mean when we say, for example, “I am blue”?
Blue is sad. (I am blue)
Yellow means cowardice (I am yellow)
Green means young or unskilled. (I am green)
Ask students to consider how stereotyped ideas might have developed. If there are students in the class from different backgrounds, they may have very different associations with these colors. Discuss how such stereotypes can vary from culture to culture.
If White Means Good, Then Black Means . . .
Children quickly learn to make the association between white— good, black—evil, and to transfer this association to people. The many references in our society that represent black as evil or bad serve to reinforce this association. Help students become more aware of how their attitudes are conditioned by discussing expressions that include black. List examples given by students. How many of them are positive, how many negative?
blackmail
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blackeye
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blackhead
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black market
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black flag
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black lie
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black-hearted
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black mark
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black rage
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black mood
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black magic
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black humor
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blackball
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blackout
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black sheep
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in the black
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black death
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in black and white
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blacken
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black depression
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What does black mean in each of these expressions? What does black mean when we are talking about a person’s skin color? Does the word black used in Black Power and Black is beautiful have any connection with the expression listed? These are important questions for students to discuss in order to eliminate the stereotype that black is bad.