Saturday, March 29, 2014

Practicing Awareness of Microaggressions


 

My husband is someone that experiences microaggression often. Cedric, my husband is an African American male that often gets asked if he is Polynesian.  Because of his broad shoulders and facial structure is the reasoning behind it most of the time.  But those that ask are very consistent with saying there must be somewhere in the blood line Polynesian.  My husband just brushes it off but as I look at him I can see that he gets tired of answering that question.  I feel that sometimes as human beings we are so curious that we do not think before we speak. 

I do not feel that this certain microaggression was instigating discrimination, prejudice, but for stereotyping this could be seen as the first step in that process.  I wonder if it would be stereotypical to assume all Polynesian people were tall, broad shouldered, with broad noses.  I want to think my husband gets tired of defending his race as many are in the United States.  It is important to educate others on microaggressions and remind them that having those feelings of others should make a person feel hurt or feel inferior to them.  That could be dangerous to themselves and others.

2 comments:

  1. Hi Chrissy, my husband experiences the same thing. The only difference is they think that he's Hispanic. He has even had Hispanics come up to him and start speaking Spanish. He has never said that he is offended by it, but I know that it aggravates him. People should think before they speak or like you said educated on microaggressions!! Good Post!!

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  2. Hi Chrissy, i
    My sister husband experience the same thing because he's from Trinidad and people just assumed he is from Jamaica, because certain speaks with a accent they just say he from Jamaica and people should think before speaking. I have commented on two post that I found very dear to my heart.

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