Practicing Awareness of Microagressions

This week my daughter, 3, wanted to ask a black man why his teeth were gold, (I am white, she is white and Navajo).  I didn’t have an issue with this because I don’t want to shush her from learning about each other’s differences and similarities.  She asked him, and he replied that he wanted them that way because he thought they looked cool.  She said, “Oh, they are pretty and cool.”  Then we talked for a while about how his teeth were different looking from hers but that didn’t mean his teeth or her teeth were not the right way.  We talked about being different and how that made the world beautiful.  Even I have turquoise strands in my hair and that is really different and cool.  Then she told everyone something that her and I always say, “If everyone were the same, then the world would be boring.”  I really appreciated the man not getting upset with her for asking and he did seem relieved after we discussed how great his teeth were.  But this experience allowed me to feel that he may have been feeling microagressions from my daughter and me.  He may have felt as if we were ganging up on him to make him feel inferior by asking and also I am sure that asking might have made him feel uncertain about his smile.  Although I knew that this might occur with him, I wanted to show him and my daughter that differences were special and we should admire them.  I hope that our talking together and pointing out how awesome his teeth were helped with any microagressions I may have caused. 

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

I’ve been asked to get the perspectives of three people on what their definitions are of Culture and Diversity.  These are the responses I received…

Chris-

“CULTURE - WHEN I THINK OF CULTURE I THINK OF THE ART OR THE ARTS. SOPHISTICATION AND THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX FROM DANCE TO PAINT TO ACTING.

DIVERSITY - THE FIRST THING THAT COMES TO ME IS CHOICE. MORE THAN ONE.”

Melonie-

“Culture is the ideas and behaviors that are passed through the generations.  Diversity is the differences in characteristics and beliefs coinciding together.”

Mia-

“To me culture stems from tradition and religion. And diversity is like the color wheel...you can make so many different colors and shades and they are all beautiful in their own way!”

Reflection Questions:

Which aspects of culture and diversity that I have studied in this course are included in the answers I received—and what are some examples?

                I found similar aspects of culture when Melonie and Mia especially talked about “tradition” and “passed through the generations.”  Chris mentioned that diversity to him included the words, “more than one.”  I think this statement helps us to realize that there are more than one race, group of persons, and ideals.  Melonie made an interesting point when she developed her idea of diversity as stating, “differences in characteristics and beliefs ‘coinciding together’.”  She has already formulated that living together and perhaps even getting along helps in the diversity explanations.  She just doesn’t mention the differences and then leaves it at that.  Mia mentions colors.  She explains that “diversity is like the color wheel…”  Then remarking that “they (the colors) are all beautiful in their own way!” 

Which aspects have been omitted—and what are some examples of such omission?

                Chris contended that his example of culture was more related to our arts systems and artistic forms of expression.  Although culture has been used to define our arts systems in our society, this is not the particular form of definition that I have been learning in class.

In what ways has thinking about other people’s definitions of culture and diversity influenced my own thinking about these topics?

                Learning about diversity has allowed me to really understand that others, who are not like me, could possibly see the way I live or my culture as odd and uncanny.  I have always welcomed others’ opinions on topics because I find that relying on my one-sided observations does not always define topics thoroughly.  I enjoyed learning what my friends had to say about their definitions of culture and diversity and how they interpreted what each meant to them.    

My Family Culture

Imagine the following:

A major catastrophe has almost completely devastated the infrastructure of your country. The emergency government has decided that the surviving citizens will be best served if they are evacuated to other countries willing to take refugees. You and your immediate family are among the survivors of this catastrophic event. However, you have absolutely no input into the final destination or in any other evacuation details. You are told that your host country’s culture is completely different from your own, and that you might have to stay there permanently. You are further told that, in addition to one change of clothes, you can only take 3 small items with you. You decide to take three items that you hold dear and that represent your family culture.

A description of the three items you would choose and how you would explain to others what each of these items means to you.

I would take with me…

A small Statue of Liberty statue- this represents the country and culture I came from and that we are considered the land of the free. 

My dog tags- this represents the time I spent serving my country and how that time changed my life and my culture.

A family photo album- pictures from my past and present will always remind me of my culture. 

Your feelings if, upon arrival, you were told that you could only keep one personal item and have to give up the other two items you brought with you.

I would have difficulty giving up two of the items.  Only three items seems limited to begin with.  I suppose the actions I take and the personality I carry will always guarantee that my culture will remain with me.  However, I must also incorporate some of the country’s culture that I am to mesh myself within their surroundings. 

Any insights you gained about yourself, your family culture, diversity, and/or cultural differences in general, as a result of this exercise.

I thought that I may have difficulty finding three items to represent my culture, and I realized afterwards that having those items made me no more of myself.  I have been able to understand culture more because I realized that my culture lies within me as well.