Microaggressions, Microinsults, and Microinvalidations - Essay Example

MCS 105 Section _______ Worksheet # 2: Microagressions Question Microinsults I witnessed many instances of microinsults being hurled at African American students when I was in high school. These were basically remarks expressed to make fun of the appearances of these students of color. Although it was not directly expressed to them because these were raised while white students were talking with each other. However, those who did hurl the microinsults said these in a manner that is loud enough to be heard by any black student that was passing by. Terms like ‘nigger’ and ‘monkey’ were easily blurted as though these were normal. Having a friend who belongs to the said racial group though, I felt that it was demeaning. As I recall now those episodes in high school, I realize that I was probably not just a witness then. Although I somehow felt that those microinsults were really demeaning, my passivity or inaction towards such incidents was probably reflective of my own distinct biases to people of color. It was clear that students who were clearly not Caucasians were being treated as second-class citizens. However, it was not just because they were of color that they were treated as such. Most of the African American students in high school did not come from well-off families. Their economic status was also a factor that contributed to the treatment. I believe that passivity towards the issue then could be attributed to the fact that while I might not have been very particular about race, I held the belief that society is stratified on the basis of economic status and that such status quo should be maintained. Incidentally, most African Americans and other students of non-Caucasian lineage that I knew in high school were relatively not well-off compared to many of the whites. It was because of this concept that made me think that their being second-class citizens has made them vulnerable to microinsults. I was caught between my belief that they should expect such treatment as second-class citizens and my tendency to develop sympathy to their plight. Such sympathy, however, was also constrained with the idea that in stratified society, such treatment is only normal. Question 2. Microinvalidation Not knowing how to react to over racism, I managed to make a stand that I now realize to be a case of microinvalidation. As I tried to make friends with fellow African American students, I actually introduced myself to them as being color-blind. Every time I meet African Americans whom I wanted to make friends with, I always try to insinuate that I do not mind about the color of one’s skin. Through different ways of expressing it, I tell them that human beings should not be identified by race since everyone is basically the same, regardless of skin color. My case of microinvalidation though was definitely unintentional. It was just my personal attempt to avoid being labeled a racist myself. However, after the discussions made in class regarding microinvalidation and its particular form, color blindness, I realized that I was just trying to deny the obvious. All the while I thought that by denying that there are racial identities and differences, I could contribute to the end of the causes of conflict. However, I did notice that some of the African Americans I know, who are quite proud of their African heritage, would react through facial expressions when I say something about my being ‘color-blind.’ The existence of races in society just cannot be ignored. However, this does not mean that harmony among the races is not possible because of the differences. Genuine harmony among races can be achieved through the respect for cultural and ethnic differences. I did notice that attempting to negate the reality that racial differences exist does not really result in solving conflicts. It only results in passivity. It is like preaching peace in a land where oppressed peoples are rising against tyranny. By being blind to color or by denying the differences among races, I also turned my back to the reality that there are members of the dominant race in society who are discriminating the minority. My neutrality indirectly supports the continuation of racist tendencies. Question 3. Microinsults or Microinvalidations with Gender, Social Class, and Sexual Orientation I was not an athlete in high school but having friends from among the cheerleaders and the players of the basketball team, I learned about some things that happened involving them which, according to my understanding now, were proofs of environmental microagressions. The members of the basketball team had this tendency to consider themselves as an elite group among the students. Not only were they taller and bigger, and, therefore, more intimidating; they were also making the school proud because they were winning games. It was natural for the school administration and the students to express appreciation for what they have done. But the problem here is that this treatment only galvanized their sense of superiority. It is in the locker room and the gym that, from my point of view, that they consider themselves to better than all the rest. These places are, after all, their kingdoms. This sense of being superior is then reflected in the manner that they treated the cheerleaders. Composed mostly of the physically attractive female students in our school, the cheerleaders are given the task to encourage our team to play better and to win. While cheering for the team though, they also projected the image of women relegated to the role of mere cheerers or adornments while the men do the more important job of hurdling obstacles in order to bring home the trophy. I believe that such image or environment clearly has an impact on the mindset of most members of the team. The picture of women adoring them and cheering them while they try to win games certainly strengthened their notion that women are inferior to men and that, therefore, they should be dominated. Because of this, it is not surprising to see the players taking liberties at the female students. Of course, the cheerleaders, being the very representation of women who are servile to men, were the usual victims of choice. Apparently, high school culture was an environment that encouraged such microagression. Question 4. Dr. Derald Sue’s Flight Story After reading Dr. Sue’s flight story, my initial reaction to was annoyance. I was annoyed at how female white flight attendant treated Dr. Sue and his African American companion. For me, it was clear that her singling out Dr. Sue and his companion as the passengers who should move to the back of the plane was a decision that was influenced by racism, the kind that she probably was not even aware that she has such prejudice. However, when I read that part when Dr. Sue expressed his disgust verbally, I also tried to entertain the possibility whether I would have said the same thing or experience that same level of anger that Dr. Sue encountered. I realized that I could not say the words that Dr. Sue verbalized nor could I feel anger in the way that he did. I was simply annoyed. I was annoyed at the flight attendant for not being able to see that the persons she transferred to the back are people of color. She was definitely insensitive and she exactly admitted it when she said she did not see color. It was microinvalidation. But while she may truly be unaware of her racist tendencies, people of color who experienced her treatment would surely notice the microagression. As I tried to discern why I only feel annoyed and not anger, I came to realize also that such annoyance is probably the reaction of a witness to a microagression; a witness that does not exactly have the same situation as the victim. Since I was not the victim, nor a part of the race of which he is a part of, the reaction was more mental than emotional. This is the result of being an outsider of Dr. Sue’s reality. Although I understood his concrete circumstances and although I considered his arguments valid, my being an outsider to such reality prevents me from being emotional. Question 5. Invisibility of Unintentional Biases I have an uncle who is quite close to me and the rest of my immediate family. This closeness is maintained by his habit of going to the house every weekend just to play with his nephews and nieces. My neighborhood has a good number of African American families, as well as immigrants from Asia. The kids would usually troop to our place, especially because my father had built us a mini playground on out spacious backyard. While my uncle is normally warm to the white kids, he always kept asking me questions when the colored kids come to play. I had to tell him where they live, from what country did they come from, and do they speak English. Those were easy to answer. As I remember now the other questions that he would ask, like how long have kids’ families been living in the neighborhood and where are the parents working, I found out that he actually had an unintentional bias against people of color. The signs were obvious. He did not mind asking about the backgrounds of any of the white kids but he was inquisitive when it comes to those who were black or of Latina or Asian descent. While I was a child, I actually thought that he was probably just more curious with those that looked different. This was because I too was at one point quite curious about them. This attitude changed, however, when I grew up with friends coming from different races. My uncle never admitted being a racist and he never even spoke one derogatory word that would expose him as such. It was not even because he was simply careful enough not to offend the sensibilities of others. However, if I appraise the questions he used to ask about the kids in the neighborhood, I realize that he did have an unintentional bias against people of color. Why should he ask about the jobs of the parents of kids of color? Do they not also have the right to work in jobs that pay well just like the whites? Unintentional biases became visible if one simply analyzes the underlying factors of such kind of questions. My uncle may have no ill-intention behind his queries. However, he was still biased. Read More