Practicing Awareness of Microaggressions

     This week I noticed that a person in authority critical analysis of most of her staff was a form of microaggression because each time she would say that she meant no harm. She said one lady was like a dumb blonde, this young lady is African American with very light skin. She told her how smart and forgetful she was, if her head was not attached she would be looking for it.  A compliment before the insult was my first clue of the microinsult form of microaggression (Laureate Education, 2011). I first thought she was unaware of the effect of the things she would say, but as soon as the individual was out of her view she would insult them again. These little insults are almost constantly hurled out of her mouth, as if they were pearls of knowledge. Dr. Wing Sue said that:” …. everyday individuals who are unaware of their biases who indeed do the greatest harm…” (Laureate Education,2011). But I wonder if knowing how to use microaggression by people in authority is a close tie in being harmful.

 Words are powerful, and it is the responsibility of all to use their words to encourage and uplift, with respect. I know that I have used words carelessly in my past, but I hope my future words are more caring and sensitive to the hearer. I must be responsible and diligent that I use my words to heal and not harm intentionally, I am ashamed to recognize that I have unintentionally use my words for harm. Moreover,I am encouraged that I will remember to be:"swift  to listen,slow to speak, and slow to anger"( James 1:19). The tongue is one of the smallest members of our body, and the hardest to control. Microaggressions can be stopped, one mouth at a time, one thought to do no harm, and recognition that we all have feelings easily hurt. Prejudices and biases are a part of our world and we have the choice and chance to push it out individually with self-reflection, and respect for all.

                                                   Reference

Laureate Education (Producer). (2011). Microaggressions in everyday life [Video file].

      Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

     I asked a Madam Clerk, a Broker, and, a first-year college student their definitions of what diversity and culture meant to them. And the Madam Clerk said diversity means a variety of people, culture means a familiar atmosphere. And the Broker said diversity means people from different races and gender, he said culture means where individual grew up, their religion, foods they eat, customs they have. And the first-year college student said that diversity is when there are different people around, from different countries, and she said culture is the way people do things in their countries or families.

  All three individuals answered with understanding mentioning several things that have come up in my studies. Such as their familiar atmosphere which I deduced means their homes, religion, foods, and customs all are partial answers. Just recently I learned from listening to our webcast from Gonzalez-Mena, Derman-Sparks, and Benavides that culture is everything about a person (Laureate Education,2011). As Gonzalez-Mena (2011) said:” …. it’s like an iceberg, that only the tip shows…”.  We all are learning every week more aspects of what culture is, so I was not surprised by the short answers I received. The one answer that omitted much was “familiar atmosphere” that was a surface answer because it left out the depth of an individual. It was the answer used in times past by most ;it did not touch the innermost person perspective, but the  surface of what is viewed like foods, holidays, and music. In fact, that was the answer I would have given if I had not taken this course.

   I think that the answers show that most people are not going deep into the culture of others without a personal reason. It is a superficial way which keeps up the barriers and lets people off the hook from investing their time and understanding. And I want to be different from that, I would like to genuinely care enough about others to consider what is important to them.

                                               References

Laureate Education (Producer). (2011). Culture and diversity [Video file]. Retrieved from

          https://class.waldenu.edu

Laureate Education (Producer). (2011). Family cultures: Dynamic interactions [Video

        file]. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu

My Family Culture

If I was being taken from my country to live with only three personal items, I would take my bible, a family portrait, and my kindle. If I had to explain why those three items, I would say one is my life and future my bible, the other is my heart , my family, and the other is my joy,  the kindle with my favorite books.

Given a choice of taking only three items from my home and country, to only be told that I had to give up two would truly hurt. Because, I would have adjusted to the fact that I only had three things that belonged only to me. Taking two items that apparently meant something to me after losing my home and country, and this would make me want to fight to keep them.

My grandparents reverence the bible as the words of God, which shaped my parents and their children.  I remember my grandmother saying: ‘family is important” and that statement never left me.  My father liked to read, and I took it up a notch and became a lover of books. As a child I would read, and when I became a teenager, I would read and miss cooking lessons but  I could not avoid  washing the dishes.

One thing I learned from this, is that everything I love is a part of my family. Also that I love my country with all it problems, and would not want to live in any other country.