This week, so far has been extremely hot and humid, which was a great time to spend time together at a waterpark/amusement park with my three children and cousins. As I packed up our things, I thought about this blog assignment and put on my microaggression glasses. Wasn't hard to immediately notice microaggressions around, including with my own family and even within myself (if thinking and becoming upset inside, rather than speaking outloud is a type of microaggression). Let me explain the example of feelings within myself, that may have slipped out a little! Before the park opens our National Anthem is played and the announcement is to please remove your hats out of respect for our country. As I looked around I was appalled at the number of adults that chose to leave their hats on, not to mention the talking, people of all races. So I motioned to a man across from me to take off his hat, he did and smiled. My opinion is that someone shouldn't have to tell you to do that. You should be proud of living here in the United States and respect our country. I guess this may not be a form of microaggression, but rather peoples disrespect behavior towards our country. Ok, enough of that situation that had me a bit fired up.
Major microassault came from the mouth's of my cousins. There was something to say about every race and ability there. Such as "don't you know blacks can't swim?", "I couldn't even understand what he was saying". The sad thing was that there 10 year old son makes similar comments about people to my son. So, I had a talk with my son and mentioned that what he is saying is disrespectful and to walk away when he is making those comments. Soon the boy got the hint and I didn't hear anything else. The parents on the other hand finally got the hint when I did not respond to there comments.
I truly believe that working with such a diverse group of individuals has made me accept and appreciate differences among people. And to hear the blatant remarks that really were uncalled for (the victims were doing nothing harmful or disrespectful) really made me cringe. Now I need to figure out how to address those making such microaggressions in a respectful but matter of fact way.
Hi Amanda. I'm going to go out on a limb here. Out on the left coast, I almost never hear an announcement to take off one's hat. I know that many people do. Having said that, I am one of that minority of Americans that does not like the National Anthem. You may have heard of us. We have issues with the military nature of the anthem. You may have also heard that some of us would prefer America the Beautiful for instance as our National Anthem.
ReplyDeleteI am also one of that small number of Americans that doesn't salute the flag or say the Pledge of Allegiance. As an atheist, I don't recognize the "one nation under God" part of it. Did you know that "under God" was not in the original Pledge of Allegiance but was added later?
I don't mean to be disrespectful. I just have to answer to my own values (anti-war and atheist).
I only post this to say that even among people with many shared values (children are our greatest national resource, children and families deserve the best we can give them, all children deserve safe, quality early childhood experiences) there are also many differences.
Hi Amanda,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your honesty in regards to your personal experiences with microaggression. I personally feel the same as you in regards to taking off our hats to show our respect to the National Anthem. I feel being patriotic shows appreciation and respect to our country's leaders and military. I understand many people have their opinions regarding war. I do feel strongly that war is not always the answer, and I hope one day we can find an alternative to solve global issues. However, without war and the military we would not live in a country that is safe and free, and my utmost love and respect goes out to those who make this possible for my family. I also understand many immigrants may be unaware of our country's traditions, and I am not even sure they are taught in school. I feel it is ok to model this behavior to others and even teach them about what it means. If they do not wish to participate that is their choice, but as an American I want to share my pride with others.
Thanks for your post!
Sarah
Hi Amanda,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your insightful information about microaggression. Dr. Sue did a great job giving the definition of microaggressions. Microaggressions, whether intentional or unintentional are insults. This has opene my eyes to a lot about prejudicies and discriminations. I enjoyed reading you blog.
HI Amanda,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your post. I, too, feel very strongly about the National Anthem and the respect that our country and all branches of the military deserve. I think this is one example of a symbol of our nation that has become lost over the years. As a teacher, I never forced a child to participate in anything that mentioned God (pledges, prayers, songs etc). As a parent, I feel differently. My son and daughter (at ages 6 and 4) immediately put their hands over their hearts and they know not to talk while the National Anthem is played. While I respect everyone's values and beliefs I also believe that some traditions should be recognized or at the very least not ignored. For example, I attended church when I was younger with my aunt and her family. They are Catholic and I am Protestant. While I did not participate in their communion and other Catholic traditions because I was in their house I simply stood or sat quietly. I think if you choose not to honor the flag by placing your hand over your heart or reciting the words, removing your hat and standing silently would be appropriate.
Amanda,
ReplyDeleteI have had similar situations in my family when a family member has made a comment that is offensive and stereotypical. I choose to speak up in those situations because I feel like silence will only make them think that it is okay. I usually tell them that what they said is not true, and that it is unfair to make generalizations about a group of people because everyone is different. I am glad you were able to redirect their comments so that your son does not make those same judgements toward another group.
Thanks for sharing,
Krista
Amanda,
ReplyDeleteI understand your concern with those who didn’t take off their hats, but some people just don’t view that as disrespectful or simply forget. I wore a hat for hat day at school and when we said the Pledge of Allegiance, I forgot to take mine off. It can be hard to deal with incidences of microaggessions when confronting others about it. Some people may understand, but others may take offense to you bringing it up and get angry for “correcting” them. It’s kind of a touchy situation at times.
Arica
Amanda,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your thoughts and feelings on the matter. I, too, have heard ignorant comments before and it makes me really sad. I don't know why people think it's okay to say such stupid things, and it makes me think to myself, "were you actually thinking before you spoke?" I know that I cannot react in the manner that these comments make me feel, but I have to be honest, sometimes I just want to knock on their heads and ask, "hello? is there anybody in there?" because I just cannot fathom the words that are spoken. Thanks for sharing!
Andrea
Amanda,
ReplyDeleteAs you have witnessed, microaggressions can come from anyone. Sometimes the "catch 22" that Dr. Lang discussed is better to use. People have preconceived notions about others who may be different in ethniticity, but the problem is not with the other people but the one who is too small to appreciate the differences. Nice post.