Microaggression Essay

Microaggressions is a biased form of language tone, looks, gestures, and regular conversations with the intent of belittling or creating a gap with another person since they are different from the norm. For example, a fair-skinned, full bearded man wearing a long, white headscarf walking into a department store. However, the storekeeper asks that man to leave because, he is making the other shoppers feel uncomfortable. So, this scenario is a demonstration of a microaggressions. Furthermore, this type of bias is not equal to that of discrimination of skin color or individual racism, on the contrary, he has been asked to leave the store because of his headscarf which is a part of him and his belief. In addition, the storekeeper is rating the

man as second best compared to the other shoppers in the store and for all the storekeeper knows that man could probably spend a large amount of money in the store. Yet, the storekeeper will never know it due to his microaggressions.
I experienced microaggressions in high school, when the White school counselor walked into my homeroom class and asked to speak to me by pointing directly at me and signaling to walk toward her.

Then, we stepped out of the room into the hallway where she began to say, “I know about your problem and I will help you with it.” I was shocked because I did not realize that I had a problem. She continued with, “Just tell me when the baby is due and I’ll make sure to retrieve your homework assignments so, that you don’t fall behind.” Again, I was thrown back by what she had just said. In a slow-motion type of way, I answered her with, “I am not pregnant. I have no idea what you’re talking about.” She proceeded with, “Your name is Erica M., right?” “Well, yes. That is my name but, I am not pregnant,” I said. She glanced over her paperwork and realized the name of the girl who was pregnant was that of a Hispanic girl whose name was Erica M. but, her last name was a Hispanic last name and my last name was that of Anglo decent because, I was adopted. Then, I said to her, “You have the last names wrong. My last name is not Mireles.” “Oh well, you fit the picture,” she said and walked away. In the end, this scenario reflects the perception of Whites in the psychological dilemma

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The acculturation of taking on the cultural ways of another group in order to fit in is the most realistic to me. For instance, the clothing displayed in window shops attracts patrons who want to be trendy with fashion and style. Furthermore, this applies to vehicles, restaurants, neighborhoods, and even indoor pets. Ultimately, the latest trend is appealing to different cultures since, most people want to fit in.
The video, When Your Parents Speak Broken English, hit home because, I was that kid and still, to this day my mother relies on me for everything. I would become upset because sometimes my White elementary teachers would not understand why my mother could not communicate with them, so they would brush us off at open house. The other video that has helped me understand my biases is the What Does My Headscarf Mean to You? As I was walking my children into school, on the first day of school, I noticed a woman wearing a headscarf just like Ms. Abdel-Magdied. I turned toward my children and thought, “I hope she is not their teacher,” what awful thing to say but I said it unconsciously. In conclusion, I hope to refrain from microaggressions or biases in the future.