Practicing Awareness of Microaggressions

We were in the staff bus, on the way home when a car crossed the road; not wanting the tires to touch a pool of water.  An old staff, a woman, in the bus hissed and said, ‘we are talking of cars, look at the rickety car she’s using to cause obstruction, the type of Anthony’s car’.  Anthony was a staff and was in the bus.  The microaggression happened in a neutral context; there was no form of discussion prior to the microaggression.  I felt that the target was being marginalized as the perpetrator’s statement suggested that the target was so inferior that he uses only bad things.

My observation experiences this week affect my perception of the effects of discrimination, prejudice, and/or stereotypes on people as I now have a more understanding of the feeling of humiliation it usually leaves in its trail.  I now see and feel how detrimental and damaging it is to be at the receiving end of microaggression.  In other words, there is need to be mindful of my utterances; if I imagine myself as the receiver of my utterance I would be more careful with what comes out of my mouth.

We all need to pay more attention to the way we address other people and our actions too.

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

The answers received from my colleagues on culture and diversity are as follow:

 

CULTURE:

”Culture is simply the way people behave that reflects where they are from”.

“When we talk about culture we talk about what people are made up of, like me now, my whole culture is

in me and I am full of my culture”.

“Culture means what we are individually depending on a lot of things like our upbringing; that is, family,

ethnic, environment, language and the way we speak it, the way we do a lot of things and the type

of names we bear. In fact, everything is based on culture”.

“Culture is total believe, norms, custom and tradition of a society or a group of people”.

DIVERSITY:

“Diversity means the differences in the way people behave which will affect the relationship on the long

run if care is not taken to accommodate other people’s behavior”.

“To me this could mean different ways of doing things; that is diverse ways for various people”.

“Diversity could mean the various ways people interact and react to their culture, custom and tradition in

relating with one another”.

From the answers I received, all the aspects of culture and diversity that I have studied in this course are included.  For example, culture is said to include behavior of people, the generality of who people are, people’s upbringing, language being spoken and the mode of speaking, norms and tradition of a group of people.  Diversity is said to be the differences in people’s behavior, the way they act and react to issues around them in their relationship with one another.

I could not get any omitted aspect of culture and diversity that I have studied in this course as all aspects are included in the definitions I received.

Thinking about other people’s definitions of culture and diversity has influenced my own thinking about these topics in the sense that I now have a better understanding that these topics are truly vast and very wide; the topics can be defined by many people in many ways and meaning the same thing.

My Family Culture

In this kind of situation, I know I would have to learn the culture of my host country, and learn it fast! 

The three items I would choose are:

1. My language – since those of us remaining would be moving together and probably camped together, I would continue and also advocate for the continuous communication in our language so that our children too will continue in it while hoping that some day we would be back on our land.
2. My religion – I would need this to continue interceding for my people and my nation because definitely it was because of this that I was spared in the first place. 
3. My mode of dressing – this has been part of me because hardly can I put on a sleeveless top or attire and my dress must stop below my knees at most if not ankle length.  However, since I am not sure of the mode of dressing in my host country, whether they wear cloth or leaf, I would pack some clothing for myself. 

I would explain to others that the three items I have chosen – language, religion and mode of dressing – are sources of identification for us, they signify who we are and how we relate with one another.  Language, for example is a body or group of words which we as people in this same community or country, the same geographical area, or the same cultural area have been using to understand ourselves and to get along peacefully.

If upon arrival, I was told that I could only keep one personal item and give up the other two items I took with me, I would feel totally naked and thoroughly stripped of everything I am, everything I stand for; even for me taking only three items I would feel the same way.