Practicing Awareness of Microaggression

This week I was not a target of a microaggression nor did I clearly witness any. I do have a memory of a couple microaggressions- microinsults that happened in a one week period a few months ago. There was not any one present that was the target but the slight remarks that were made bothered me on a deeper level because they were narrow-minded, hurtful and ignorant (not sure how else to describe it).

The first scenario: A customer was explaining how he ran out of gas and people came to his aid. He was excited and grateful in his retelling of the incident and exclaimed “You have got to love those [ethnic group] they always know how to push a car”. Hearing this made me sad, but sadder for him because he did not realize how he sounded. He didn’t realize his words were an insult to his own humanity.

The second scenario: Another customer came into my friends shop wanting to get a discount on her contract. She was explaining how her husband and she were financially burdened because of taxes this year and they needed to cut as many corners as possible. In this recount she stated to the owner “I don’t mean to [religious affiliation] you down”. Again this stung my ears. She did not realize how uneducated and unfeeling she made herself and her explanation sound.

I truly found myself in the dominant culture when these scenarios took place. These two customers seemed liked they only made these microinsults because they felt safe do so or rather assumed no one around was part of the cultures they slighted. Reflecting on these phrases is hearing like little bombs going off. Being aware of microaggressions creates small firecrackers off awarenessall around me.

Reference

Sue, D.W. (2012). Microaggressions in everyday life. Walden University. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp