Microaggressions

According to Sue and colleagues (2007) microaggressions are common verbal, behavioral, and environmental indignities, whether intentional or unintentional, that communicate hostile or negative slights to marginalized groups. Perpetrators of microaggressions are often unaware that they engage in such interactions when they interact with minorities (Potts, n.d.). One of the microaggressions I detected sometimes ago was when the white lady I’m assisting in the class was trying to tell me that she’s been out of Europe since 20 years ago, that she’s been going around to work in different places as an expatriate, that she would like to go to one more place to work after leaving Ethiopia before she goes back to Europe. She continued by telling me that her children have had the opportunity to understand English as a second language and that she’s very happy. The lady continued by saying they have all had the opportunity to go to Russia, Togo, Ethiopia and Nigeria where they saw poor people on the road begging and she said but they have not found such in Ethiopia. Immediately I heard her saying that I felt somehow within me because it was an insult to me and it was as if she intentionally said it, by mentioning that they have not found poor people in Ethopia. I was later saying within me that I would have told her there is no country she would ever go to that she wouldn’t find poor people. Also sometimes I think she likes to show that she’s the one in charge of the class because at times when I tell a child to do something or not to do something she sometimes asks that child to do otherwise which I think is very humiliating.

This course has made me to be more careful the way I relate with people, trying to watch people and situation closely to see different people’s cultural perspective and their attitude towards others. One usually feels somehow when people are having negative assumption about one. It is something I notice we’ve been taught by the society according to Sarah & Rabbi. One should just need to be careful not to be too sensitive about microaggressions.

Reference:

Potts, Z. (n.d.) Microaggressions: Microaggression In Everyday Life. Retrieved from http://www.fordham.edu/academics/office_of_research/research_centers__in/center_for_teaching_/the_art_of_ teaching/microaggressions_89343.asp