Throughout
the week, I have been taking note of microaggressions in my observations and
interactions with others, hoping I would not witness any. Unfortunately, one occurred in my work
environment when a coworker told a child “you know, you really do think very
well and act nicely.” At first glance,
this appears to be a compliment however; the child my coworker was talking to
has operational defiance disorder so behavior is a challenge. The statement also implied the person’s shock
that the child behaved so well unlike others with his condition. I think that
the child experienced mixed emotions when he heard this statement because he is
young and may have taken it as praise; however, I believe that he also felt
hurt because his teacher felt this way about him. I would have been hurt myself because I would
have felt judged. I also overheard
several stereotypical statements and have even caught myself thinking some as
well. Although, I was disappointed myself I believe that the first step in
preventing microaggressions and stereotypes is to realize when you are thinking
them, reflect on, and redirect your thoughts.
Discrimination, prejudice, and stereotypes are harmful not only to the
victims but to the perpetrators. Over
time, victims are likely made to feel “less than” what they are and that they
should live up these stereotypes.
Stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination also affect the perpetrators
because it dehumanizes us. I, also, believe
that to some extent or another everyone has stereotypes and bias, which is why
it is important to learn to recognize them so that we will not act on them.
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Joseph,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, and I too believe everyone at times can stereotype or have biases. Often we have hidden biases that we are not aware of. I think we have the wonderful opportunity of learning about microaggressions to address our own biases and stereotypes so that we don't inflict greater harm or trauma on others than we may have unintentionally done up until this point. I realize that in my job we often speak of statistics regarding attrition rates and default rates on student loans. We spend so much time studying trends it almost seems as though we are creating more stereotypes.
Joseph,
ReplyDeleteI agree everyone has some stereotypes and biases. I think they have to be recognized. I also think it is important to become aware of where they came from and why they are present in an individuals life.
Joseph-
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your observation. I was focusing my search for microaggressions in interactions between adults, I hadn't stoped to think about the number of times we impose these ideas on the young impressionable children. Microaggressions can have such a huge impact on young children especailly when they are just learning about who they are and their own value.