Practicing Awareness of Microaggressions

Practicing Awareness of Microaggressions

This week in EDUC 6164 we observed our own and other people’s verbal interactions to detect examples of microaggression. In this Blog Assignment, I will share what I experienced and what I learned from my observation.   I will describe at least one example of a microaggression which I detected this week or from another time. I will describe what context in which the microaggression happened. I will describe what I think and felt when I observed the microaggression.   Last, I will describe what ways did your observations this week affected my perception of the effects of discrimination, prejudice, and/or stereotypes on people. 

Microaggressions are brief everyday indignities that carry intentional or unintentional hidden messages.  Microaggressions are cumulative and they zap the human spirit because they make the victims feel marginalized, uncertain or inferior.  The cause severe emotional stress or harm over time.  Microaggressions can be behavioral, verbal or environmental and can affect those in marginal groups due to their gender, race, sexual orientation, ethnicity, culture, etc.  There are three types of microaggressions:  microassult (deliberate assult), microinsult (demeans social heritage), microinvalidation (invalidates experiences or reality) (Laureate, 2011).  

There are several forms of microaggressions:  clash of racial reality, unintentional microaggressions that are invisible to the perpetrator, perpetrator’s perceived minimal harm on victim. Microaggressions can be prevented through the following behaviors:  creating a sense of interconnectedness, providing leadership that is viewed as supportive, interacting with one another on equal footing, having an accurate exchange of information not stereotypes, providing a cooperative not comparative environment, creating mutually shared goals and seeking intimate contact with people other than oneself (Laureate, 2011). 

My experiences with microaggressions have all been in the form of microinsults that have been delivered unintentionally.  The few that come to mind are when I have been out driving in the city which friends; friends who are part of the same culture as me. When we are driving in the city we automatically lock our doors.  It is almost instinctual.  We do not even think about it.  We do this anytime we are driving where there are cultures of people different than ours. I cannot imagine what would happen if we locked our doors while someone who lived in our neighborhood was in our car. Would they be insulted?  Would they say something? 

I know I shouldn’t assume that people of different cultures would do harm to me.  However, when you see the media share stories of people getting attacked in unfamiliar neighborhoods you cannot help but be even a little afraid.  What do those people think when they see strangers driving around their neighborhoods and locking their doors?  Do they understand why we do it?  Or are they insulted?  To me I am merely thinking of my safety in a strange neighborhood.  I do not even know if I even think as far into it as prejudicial. The same goes for when someone of another culture walks by and we pull our purse more closely or make sure our wallets are secure.  We don’t even think of the microinsults we are sending to those of another culture.  Do they lock their doors and protect their purses and wallets when around us?  I have never thought of it this way.  Are they just as nervous around us as we are around them?  Do we need to work on creating more connections between cultures that have little to none? 

Laureate Education (Producer). (2011). Microaggressions in everyday life[Video file]. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu