Practicing Awareness of
Microaggressions
This
week’s blog assignment was interesting to me as I was able to learn about the
topic of micro aggressions and its impact it has on so many individuals, class,
gender, and races, etc. I’ve learned
that some behaviors and remarks are unintentional and some are regarded as
intentional/deliberate prejudices that people have and think about others. During
this week’s observations, I was able to witness a form of “microaggression”
that was played out as a deliberate insult towards a particular person. One of
my colleagues whose office is next to mine is a heavy-set white female who is
working on losing weight and is doing a great job at it. She works out every
day and is consistent at it. She has
lost a tremendous amount of weight and is still keeping her goals before her.
This week I overheard two of her employees talking and laughing about her and
how she works out all the time and is still heavy. The comment and assumption
made by one lady was that she is fat and they can bet on it that her house is not
clean and that she is a “lazy” person. This
was a microaggression in the form of a microassault with an assumption and/or
prejudice against fat and/or heavy-set people.
My emotion towards this assumption was that I was a little taken aback with the comment made. I felt like the comment was unfair and that they should give her more credit for her discipline in sticking to working out and eating properly because my colleague has been
working on her weight for a little over a year and has and is looking good. She
shared with me that she enjoys food but her health was getting the best of her
and that she needed to work on herself. Sometimes people’s assumptions and judgment
on others are inconsiderate and harsh. I also felt that they made an unfair judgement
about her. To assume that her home is unclean and that she is lazy is unfair.
She actually is a very organized person and when it comes to her weight this is
something she struggles with as we all have some issues that we need to work on.
My
observation this week has reminded me that our society has a long way to go and
that people are cruel, and are prejudice. I have been subject to prejudices as a
victim and as an unintentional offender. However, when I read of and am
reminded of their existence it makes me do better and become a better person in
keeping my comments and assumptions to myself. But more importantly, it allows
me to be open minded, compassionate and accepting of others even the more. 
Barbara -
ReplyDeleteSadly, this is a great observation. It hurt me to read what your co-workers had to say about this woman. Losing weight is hard and in today's media stricken world we are constantly reminded about what people want for an "acceptable body image." Some adds that I have seen on television are sickening. Children see these adds and are learning and copying what they see. About five years ago I babysat for a family who had three girls. The girls were probably about four, six, and ten. I remember getting ready to take them swimming one summer and the ten year old said "I look fat in this." She had just changed into the swim suit. I could not believe that a ten year old said this! I was so shocked I instantly asked her where she had heard this and she told me she did not know, that she hears it "around."
As you have said, "society has a long way to go - and people are cruel." The microaggressions that people hear and see everyday are so hurtful even if people seem to just let them roll off their shoulders. As a society we need to be careful of what we verbalize, because small ears are listening and learning how to act in our society.
Thank you for your thoughtful post!
Hi Barbara,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing the incident you witnessed this week. How sad that people can't just be happy for a person and give credit where it is due instead of passing judgement and making such nasty assumptions. I believe we have probably all been a perpetrator at one time or another as you mention, I hope we all work towards being better!