1. My friend showed me a video of her riding a horse.
Annie: "Look at the distance between your foot and the ground, I think that's a pony"
Friend: "No... it's a horse"
Annie: "I have been on a full grown horse and it looks like a pony"
Friend: "You're from Haiti and I'm from the country. I know what a horse looks like"
Pause: (So because I'm from Haiti I couldn't possibly know the difference between a horse and a pony?)
Annie sarcastically: "Ok" (changes subject)
End conversation
2. A friend and I were discussing a mutual friend of ours and the conversation goes as followed:
Annie: "I realize when said person and I have a discussion, it turns into him saying anything in order to make his point regardless of how it makes other people feel so I just refuse to have any sort of discussions that might get heated. I avoid it altogether"
Friend: "That's being sensitive. All women are sensitive and you're no different"
Pause: (I'm sensitive because I'm trying to avoid a situation that might hurt my feelings? I thought I was being smart...)
Annie: "Because you're entitled to your opinions I will let you have this one... because what you call sensitivity, I happen to think is self-preservation but I'm going to agree to disagree for the both of us."
End conversation
3. A group of co-workers and I are setting up for a teacher training session and they begin to analyze an interaction that happen with a supervisor ten minutes earlier:
Co-worker 1: "You know she was trying to be smart right. She knows you don't know that woman's name.
Annie: "She wasn't trying to be smart. She merely said the name in order to figure out who she was referring to."
Co-worker 2 nods at both of us
Co-worker 1: "Yes she was trying to be smart. Every time she opens her mouth..."
Annie: "Oh come on guys. We all know she was not trying to be smart and you're reading way too much into it. Whatever happen to positive intent? Aren't you religious, we're suppose to rely on the good in people."
Co-worker 1: "When I was your age I used to have positive intent to and then I got older"
Pause: (What does my age have to do with having positive intent? You talk about God and Jesus every chance you get and now you're saying your age is hindering you from seeing the good in people? I'm confused...)
Annie: "OMG is there something in the air this morning? Do you need a hug? Come here give me a hug...
Annie: "Come on" I say as I chase her around the room and hug her. Everyone laughs and the issue is dropped.
End conversation
4. Statements that my friends and sometimes I find myself saying include "That's gay" or "That's homo" or "That's ((s)he's) fat" or "You're so slow" or "You're retarded" or "You're such a Woman" . These random phrase appear in everyday life and depending on the audience can and might cause psychological harm and distress.
During all microaggressions observed, whether I play indifferent or choose to challenge it my awareness made me realize what was at play every single time. This week's course media and articles made me realize that it is true that if I am not contributing to the solution I am perpetuating the problem. I am consciously choosing to make myself aware of the multitudes of ways and tactics people instrument to oppress one another. I am choosing to be part of the solution not the problem.
References
Laureate
Education
Inc. (Producer Unknown). (2010). Microaggressions in
Everyday Life. [Course Media]. Retrieved from
https://class.waldenu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_3397499_1%26url%3D
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