The example of microaggression I observed this week was at Walmart. Several people were in line for Customer Service returning items. There was a couple two people ahead of me who spoke limited English. I think they may have been they may have been of German or Polish descent. The person in front of me was extremely rude remarking that if they didn't want to learn English, they should have stayed wherever they were from. She was loud and boisterous. The couple obviously did not understand what she was saying and the customer service person did a great job trying to help them and make them feel comfortable. After they left, that person continued her little tirade and the clerk hurried her along as quickly as she could. Obviously to her, her behavior was amusing, because she laughed and carried on like she was at a party. No one else in line was laughing.
I personally, felt horrible for this couple who expressed no idea they even knew what she was talking about. I was also pleased to witness that no one else in that line agreed or participated with her. Perhaps, we are further along in our understanding of how microaggressions affect the people they target.
My perception of the way some people still react to non-English speaking people has widened to know that as many steps forward we make towards unity, there is always someone available to move us back 2 steps! Sad, but true. Being in the 21st century makes little difference to some people, who living in a small town like I do, do not get enough exposure to the real world!
My sister-in-law is German, my brother met her when he was serving our country in the military and he was stationed in Germany. When they married and were re-stationed in the states I know my sister-in law heard comments like that a lot. Through hard work she learned to speak English and hardly has an accent. She told he years later that she learned English as fast as she could because she hated all the comments. The lessons on microaggression have made me see how such small comments can affect a person. Even back when my sister-in-law told me why she learned English so quickly I never viewed that as a bad thing. I hope that people continue to learn to be mindful of their words.
ReplyDeleteIt is always sad to hear people say mean and hurtful things about other or towards others. I hope that they really could not understand what the women was saying about them, I am sure that they were aware it was directed towards them they just have learned to cope as well as they can in times like that. When you think about it the loud lady was the one that was being difficult and hard to deal with.
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ReplyDeleteI have to admit I felt comfortable confronting the people in my scenarios because I knew them. The people that acted rude at Wal-Mart were ignorant as well as attention seekers. I think in that situation calling someone out may be more dangerous. I think you may get away with it if you spoke in a soft voice telling them that talking in that manner is racism and inappropriate. On the other hand they could turn their aggression on you. Let's ask Dr. Dartt her opinion. How should this scenario be handled Dr. Dartt?
That is such a sad story. That couple probably came to this country so they could have a better life, and unfortunately, people can force others to feel as if they made horrible decisions when trying to better themselves. Hopefully that couple did not understand what the lady was saying about them.
ReplyDeleteWhen you confront someone that is loud and disrespectful, you can actually cause their aggression to turn on you. However, if you have enough people to stand and confront someone like this, it may be a great lesson for her to learn. Unfortunately, in this day and age, this could be very dangerous.....
It's a shame how people carry on about another person whether someone of the same culture or a different culture. Sometimes the things people say makes you want to confront them about their ignorance. Learning about microaggression has helped me to see just how much affect a person's comment has.
ReplyDeleteDeb- How tragic that people in our country are still subjected to these types of discriminatory remarks. I am deeply saddened by your story, and can relate to a similar story that I witnessed. At one point while witnessing such a tirade, I asked the person if their family was Native American. They said, "No". I said to them, what if someone treated your family member the way you're treating those people? I don't believe they really understood the question, but hopefully before they do it again, they might think about their words.
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