Practicing Awareness of Microaggression

This week's material and readings opened my eyes on the topic of microaggression. According to the video that was shown, Dr. Sue made it a point to define a microaggression as being an insult, comment, insinuation that was usually stereotypical or racial in nature towards another individual or group of people made unconsciously (Laureate Education, 2011). I found this definition to be slightly contradictory because I did not believe that a person could unconsciously make a stereotypical or racist remark towards another group of people. However, as I really thought about what the term meant, I realize that throughout my life I had been a victim many times and maybe even a perpetrator of microaggression. One incident I can remember (among many), is being in elementary school, and a group of white kids telling me that I could not interact with their group. I went to a school that was predominantly white with only a few blacks within the classroom, and because I talked a little bit more “proper” (as stated to me by the black kids within my class), kids at that time believed that I was not black enough to be within their group, and white kids acted as if I could not hang out their group. I believe that in this context the microaggression that was used was a microassault. According to Dr. Sue was a microassault and was one that is meant to hurt a person (Laureate Education, 2011). Those kids at that Elementary school did not mean to cause great harm, but they did mean to insult me at the time of the verbal injury.

This week’s information caused me to be keener about my observation of different stereotypes. According to one of the readings, you could be a person who was constantly looking for the equal opportunities for people, and yet still have many different “hidden” biases lurking around inside yourself that you never thought you had (Teaching Tolerance, 2011). This could be something as large as an attitude or belief, or as small as a facial expression when it comes to harnessing hidden stereotypes (Teaching Tolerance, 2011). I never thought that this would be something to pay more attention to when discussing the topic of unconscious stereotyping, but it is something relative within each one of us within this society. When we can stop looking only for the large OVERT signs of prejudice and stereotyping, I think that we will see the picture more clearly.

Sources:

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

Teaching Tolerance. (n.d.). Test yourself for hidden bias. Retrieved May 25, 2011, from

             http://www.tolerance.org/activity/test-yourseld-hidden-bias.