Here's a Newsworthy Event
Don't you sometimes get frustrated with what the media consider newsworthy and what they do not?
No doubt, your local paper did not publish any of the photos in the gallery at the following link. They weren't in mine. Perhaps this just isn't sensational enough to get coverage. But it ought to. Because the media so often casts young black men as drop-outs, gang members, or other negative stereotypes, we need to make a fuss about events like this.
When I was enrolled in a parenting class a couple of years ago, the teacher gave us a rule of thumb regarding the ratio of positive interactions to negative ones in successful parenting. She said it would take at least three positive interactions with a child to nullify the impact of just one negative interaction. (Other studies I've heard of indicate that the ratio is even higher than three to one.) It doesn't matter if the negative interaction was necessary, perhaps an infraction of a family rule. Irregardless, there will need to be three other positive interactions for that one negative not to have the greater emotional impact.
This rule of thumb hit me right between the eyes, because I had been careless about creating three times as many positive comments as negative ones. It's soooo easy for me to find fault, place blame, and pick, pick, pick. I don't know about you, but it's my default setting. To do otherwise requires awareness, intentionality, and the will to follow through. I struggle to be consistent with this ratio.
If we apply this principle to the image portrayed by the media of young African American males, our culture has a lot of catching up to do. Because there have been so many negatives, we need to be very proactive in broadcasting the "positives" before the balance can begin to tip toward these young men being able to experience a high level of esteem from our society.
Two doors down the street from my house lives a 13 year old African American boy. I want him to think of himself in these terms:
Here is the largest class to ever graduate from Dr. King's alma mater -- the Morehouse College Class of 2006. Enjoy!
No doubt, your local paper did not publish any of the photos in the gallery at the following link. They weren't in mine. Perhaps this just isn't sensational enough to get coverage. But it ought to. Because the media so often casts young black men as drop-outs, gang members, or other negative stereotypes, we need to make a fuss about events like this.
When I was enrolled in a parenting class a couple of years ago, the teacher gave us a rule of thumb regarding the ratio of positive interactions to negative ones in successful parenting. She said it would take at least three positive interactions with a child to nullify the impact of just one negative interaction. (Other studies I've heard of indicate that the ratio is even higher than three to one.) It doesn't matter if the negative interaction was necessary, perhaps an infraction of a family rule. Irregardless, there will need to be three other positive interactions for that one negative not to have the greater emotional impact.
This rule of thumb hit me right between the eyes, because I had been careless about creating three times as many positive comments as negative ones. It's soooo easy for me to find fault, place blame, and pick, pick, pick. I don't know about you, but it's my default setting. To do otherwise requires awareness, intentionality, and the will to follow through. I struggle to be consistent with this ratio.
If we apply this principle to the image portrayed by the media of young African American males, our culture has a lot of catching up to do. Because there have been so many negatives, we need to be very proactive in broadcasting the "positives" before the balance can begin to tip toward these young men being able to experience a high level of esteem from our society.
Two doors down the street from my house lives a 13 year old African American boy. I want him to think of himself in these terms:
Here is the largest class to ever graduate from Dr. King's alma mater -- the Morehouse College Class of 2006. Enjoy!
posted by Linda at
3:40 PM
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