I was very interested in the topic of
microaggression. As we have learned microaggression can be a type of
discrimination that isn’t physically harmful. However, it can have negative
impacts on the individual who is being discriminated against. The micro-aggressive
comments can be damaging both mentally and emotionally. On the other hand the
individual who may make micro-aggressive comments may be unaware of what they
are actually saying, or the discriminatory actions. They may also not even
realize the negative impact their comment/action may have on a particular
someone.
Although this concept is rather familiar to me I never
seemed to think much about it. I never really believed that I or any close
friends or family members partook in microaggression. I felt as if we all knew
better to say things that could be considered discrimination. True is, everyone
partakes in microaggression even if they are unaware of it. Thinking back on
this concept I have had multiple experiences with microaggression, I have just
never realized that those comments/actions were microaggression. Now that I am
more aware of this concept I seem to pay close attention to things individuals
say and even try to watch what I say. As I have mentioned, even though an
individual may not mean their comment/action in a negative way it can easily be
portrayed as discrimination.
As I was searching the internet I came across a
project called “The Microaggression Project.” I thought this site was very
interesting because there are comments from many individuals on things they
have heard or experienced. This makes me realize even more how some individuals
may be offended by certain comments. I have listed the website link below:
You provided a great summary of what microaggresions are and how they can be harmful. It's amazing how much we don't notice these things until learning more fully about how to recognize them. That website is really eye-opening for jokes/things that we say that we don't even comprehend may be a microaggression.
ReplyDeleteKaitlyn,
ReplyDeleteNice Blog. Microaggressions are an interesting topic for sure. They're one of those things where I knew they existed, but I didn't know there was a specific name or classification for them. The classic example is prefacing a racist comment with "not to be racist, but.." but I believe the most fascinating one (and often the most unintentional) form is saying something like "you speak very good english" or "you did very well on that science exam, how hard did you have to study?". All of the examples I've seen so far in this class are race related, but I believe that microaggressions can apply to sex as well. For example, saying "you're actually good at driving" to a woman or "I'm suprised how good you are at cooking" to a man could be considered microaggressions, but of course it all depends on the context of the situation and the tone of voice that was used. It's funny, because I never even thought of this until now. But I definitely think it is relevant