Practicing Awareness of Microaggressions

This week has been rather interesting with trying to look for examples of microaggression toward other people. The unfortunate thing is that there are times when I personally have to bite my tongue in order to keep from accidentally uttering something that can be easily looked at as a microaggression. Unfortunately, at any place that you turn, it can happen. I had an incident this week where I could have said the wrong thing to a lady in the restroom at a truck stop.

I personally did not witness an instance of microaggression but I was privy to the aftermath of one that occurred today. The incident occurred inside the gas station when my sister was getting the change for her gas. When she got back into the vehicle she relayed the incident. Then she made a comment, not directed right at her but more behind her back where she was acting like she was better than the lady who worked at the gas station just because the woman working at the gas station did not have as good of a job as my sister does. How I felt listening to that conversation was that it was probably going to be a microaggression against the class of that particular female. When it came to my perceptions of the effects of discrimination, prejudices and/stereotypes, I am becoming more aware how even just talking about someone where they do not hear the comments is considered rather insensitive.

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

When it came to asking people what their definition of what culture and diversity is, I actually asked five different people. Two of these people are from other countries, I also asked my grandparents as well as my husband. The first person I talked to comes from Russia and is the caregiver for my grandmother. She said that culture is something they traditionally do. She explains that because of culture everyone finds a different way to live. “Men first and women nothing”. My grandma gave me the definition of culture is what influence the surroundings that you live in and diversity can influence combination of ideas and beliefs.

The third person that I talked to was my grandfather and he said that culture is something we don’t have much of anymore. He described diversity as different ways to handle different problems. The fourth person that I talked to is from Macedonia and he goes to a church that I went to in Corvallis, OR. He described culture as a set of habits, traditions, and ways. He said that diversity is people from different cultures being able to talk together. The final person was my husband and he basically described culture and diversity in rather strong terms. He described it as “just another excuse for affirmative action”.

When it came to some of the answers that were given to me, the definitions given by a couple of the people that I had asked pretty much went along with what Janet Gonzalez-Mena had said in the video that we watched for this week. The terms of beliefs and traditions go with what was said in the video. The omissions were basically given by the definitions that I received from my husband and my grandfather. Those definitions were not even talked about at all and I think that those definitions are coming from two individuals that are very opinionated when it comes to the topic of politics. The thinking of all the people that I talked to has some influence over my opinions. While the definitions of my grandfather and particularly that of my husband should have a great influence and to some level I sort of agree with the two of them, the rest of the definitions that I looked at, I agree with their descriptions.

My Family Culture

Looking at this hypothetical scenario has given me some time to really pause and think. The chances of this scenario actually playing out, could actually happen but the hope is that it will not actually play out. There are so many things that I would want to take with me. The three small items that I would take with me would be my Bible, my Chinese tea set, and pictures of my family.

My reasons for bringing my Bible with me is because there is nothing of more value to me than my faith. It is something that is really important to me and being able to read the precious promises from God is what I can use to help me get through any trials that I encounter. The reason that I would bring my Chinese tea set with me is because it was something that I got in order to remember my mother by. She bought it when she was in China for a year teaching English and for me it is a piece of her. The pictures I would bring with me because you cannot replace those. They are what reminds me of memories that I have.

If I were told that I was only allowed to keep one of the personal items that I brought with me, I would have a hard time choosing which item to keep. All of these items would be kept for different reasons. If I absolutely had to choose one item, it would be a toss up between the Bible and tea set. However, knowing that I could end up in a country where the Bible was not welcome in the country, I would choose to keep the tea set instead. I just hope that it would not come down to actually having to make that decision.

The insight that I have gained as a result of this exercise about myself is a matter of finding out what is absolutely important. This exercise has made me think about exactly what my priorities are in my life. It has also made me think about the legacy of my mother in that she traveled a lot in her life and had planned on going to Russia for a visit before she passed away. She has lived and been immersed in many countries during her life. She has interacted with many people of different cultures and that is what I admire most about her. That is the biggest impact on me that this assignment has had during this week.