I'd like to approach this blog in a more interactive way :D
(hopefully I don't lose credit for it!)
Can you spot the microaggression? What type of microaggression was it? How would you feel in the situation?
(All three situations happened this week!)
Scenario #1:
While waiting for my coffee, I was talking with the baristas. One was explain a type of stretching that would help the other's back pain. She had a slight lisp as she talked, and after explaining, the other barista mimicked her lisp and stated how they loved it.
Scenario #2:
While talking to a co-worker about my first experience at a local country bar. I was expressing my annoyance of not knowing any of the line dances and how I was determined to learn them all! She responded with, "You don't know how to line dance? But your Filipino. ALL Filipinos know how to line dance- they love the electric slide!"
Scenario # 3:
While out at karaoke with some friends, one Caucasian and the other Mexican, a Caucasian woman was called up to sing and she started singing a very common Mexican song. Everyone was hollering and rooting her on (she was on it- sang it correctly word for word). My friend who is Mexican stated, "Is she really singing this. This is like the Mexican anthem- she better not butcher this."
Please comment with your answers to the questions above :)
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It's funny that I noticed these slight microaggressions because I don't think I would have if I was not taking this class.
In the first situation, I pointed out that microaggression. The barista that made the statement is a friend and I started out explain how I was learning about microaggression this week and provided a definition. He looked at me, and said, "Wait, did I just do one? Was it the comment about the way she talks?" We had a conversation about it and later in the week he brought it up again about how aware he was of them now.
In the second scenario- I got defensive and started justifying why I didn't know the dances and that I did know how to do Electric slide. I didn't tell my co-worker about the microaggression because I know her and she wouldn't have taken lightly to the information.
In the third scenario, I just kinds of laughed it off but thinking on it now- I realized that it took me by surprise that he made the comment. Which then got me thinking about interpersonal oppression and how that type of comment is a patterns of behavior.
Hi Amy,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing all three different scenarios of the microaggressions you experienced this week. I enjoyed reading all three of them and believe that everyday we let so many microaggression slide off of us and wonder if it is because we have become so numb to it all and if this class is re-focusing on them. I think I would feel more comfortable in pointing microaggressions that a friend makes versus a coworker. In your third scenario, I feel like I would of offended someone like your coworker if I called them out on their comment. I am glad to hear that you were able to point it out to your barista friend and it gave him more awareness of future microaggression.
Amy,
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun way to present your blog post this way! I appreciate how insightful you have become to microaggressions. I still find it tricky to notice in public situations. I think you bring up a good point about interpersonal oppression, like in scenario three. I find it to be more socially "acceptable" when microaggression occur between similar persons, like their own little secret because they aren't saying them aloud to the other party. I have a tendency to notice them more between my husband and I when talking about other people, which I totally understand is still not ok. However, if the potentially offended party doesn't hear the comment is it still a microaggression?