Microaggressions

Have you ever said something that offended someone?  Has someone ever said something to you that offended you even though that wasn't their intention? Whether it is an intentional assault on someone else, an unintentional insult or invalidating someone else's feelings, these microaggressions often occur in everyday life and the results can be psychologically and emotionally harmful to the recipient.  Microaggressions are often targeted at people due to their race, gender or sexual orientation but can be aimed at any person identified with any ostracized group.   As I studied this week about microaggressions,  I was made more aware of these instances as I observed interactions around me and also as I interacted with others. 

While traveling this week I was standing outside of a hotel when the valet opened a car door for someone pulling up to check in.  The valet obviously recognized the couple and welcomed them back to the hotel.  The gentleman commented to the valet "When we pulled up, my wife said "There's that guy that looks like Arseno Hall that was here last year".  The valet didn't respond but went about his work.  This struck me as an inappropriate comment as I stood there and watched and I wondered what the valet really thought of these guests.  I wondered if the valet had been offended.  Had I been the recipient of that comment I may have been offended because it really devalues you as a person when someone refers to you as someone else or views you only by a characteristic.  What may have been meant as a compliment could quickly turn into an insult.   I know how I would feel if someone referred to me as Melissa McCarthy...lumping me into a category with someone else based solely on one characteristic without knowing my name or anything about me.

Observing for and considering the implications of microagressions this week, has made me more considerate of others.  It has made me review  my own actions, the things I say to others and how someone could be unintentionally offended by something I say. 

My friends' perspectives on Culture and Diversity

For this week's blog I enlisted the use of facebook to ask my Friends how they would define culture and diversity.  The following are the responses that I received

• Diversity-celebrating differences and culture maybe the way we live/things we believe that make us unique
• Culture our beliefs and how we live. Diversity different cultures, different races ......etc....
• Diversity deals with variety and culture is more the ideas/beliefs of a group of people
• Culture- our environment, family, beliefs- how/where we are raised has the impact of who people become. Diversity is the difference of all people in their differences of race, beliefs, language, culture... And all other differences that people have. 
• Culture ~ our religious beliefs, food, fashion, music, family function. Diversity ~ the things that are different about us such as culture, and ethnicity. it seems that when we use the word diversity it is used in a positive way. Our differences that allow us to function together. Just a thought.
• I define culture as the traditions, beliefs and religions of specific groups of people. Food, home styles, clothing, parenting styles, education and government define the culture we live in. I define diversity as an inclusion and acceptance of people with differing abilities, beliefs, religions and ethnicity.

Reviewing these answers based on what I have learned this semester about culture and diversity I noticed that many of the answers actually contain more that what would normally be associated with culture-dress, holidays, artifacts and food- the surface things that people usually associate with culture.  Instead the answers contained many references to deeper culture, including beliefs, family function, language, traditions, the way we live which could be reference to things like gender roles, relationships, work, ideas about education, etc. I also saw reference to diversity including more than just ethnic diversity.  Diversity actually includes many aspects like abilities, beliefs, class, etc.  One aspect of culture that I did not see included was showing emotions.  I think that this is a part of culture that is easy to overlook because we may not associate emotions to culture as much as we would attribute it to individual tendencies.  However, I believe our culture has a great deal to do with how we express emotion.  As one of my friends pointed out diversity actually seems to have positive meaning referencing how differences can actually be viewed as a positive thing.  Another friend pointed out that how people are raised has an impact on the people they become.  SO TRUE!  As I have learned throughout this course, culture is the lens that we view the world through.  This is so important for the young children who we care for and educate.  They are so impressionable and even at the preschool age they are figuring out their own identity and how they "fit" into the world.  They often form their own identity by seeing how their parents fit into the larger culture of our society.  This has a great message for Early Care and Education Professionals.  We need to make our programs reflective and of the cultures of the children and families with whom we work.  We also need to build relationships and partnerships with the families of the children.  Last but most importantly, we need to be respectful of the children, their families and their cultures despite how that may differ from our own culture.  All children deserve to feel safe and valued.  One way that we can do that is to show them that we value them and their families. 

My Family Culture

This week's assignment:  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.  What would you take?  How would you feel if upon arrival you were told you had to give up two of the items?  What are any insights gained as a result of this exercise?

The three items I would take that represent our family culture are:  a Bible, a scrapbook, and a SMART phone.  The Bible obviously represents my families beliefs and values.   I also keep things to remember loved ones in my Bible...cards, pictures, etc. of special occasions.   I use the Bible to guide my daily living.  When I have a dilemma, I look for the answer within it.  I have often found it not only helpful but also a comfort during all the different times of my life.   The second item I would take is a scrapbook.  The scrapbook contains memories and information about things that our family has enjoyed doing from swimming to taking vacations and the things we do everyday life.   Our family culture revolves around spending time together and being with one another.  The third item is a cell phone because it represents the connection to others from the use of facebook to reading about current happenings on the internet and music that is a part of our everyday lives. Everyone in my family loves music...from Gospel to Top 40 hits.  But most importantly, the cell phone represents my connection to others through the phone and also through social media.  I talk with other members of my family daily and share stories with friends and family using facebook.

If I had to give up two of the items...my bible and the connection with family and friends would be the hardest to give up. I would probably keep however my cellphone because I could access on online Bible and also have photos and memories that I have stored on it.  That is if the other culture has internet access...  If it is completely different then the chances are that cell phone and internet service are not a part of that culture. In that case I would keep my Bible.   

The insights I have gained during this exercise is that my family culture is not necessarily tied to material things.  I found it difficult to identify things that represent my family culture...my family culture goes beyond the "stuff" we have.  It's more about our beliefs and our time spent together.  I have other things that I have collected from my relatives...a chair my grandfather made, dishes that my grandmother gave me, etc.  but these things are just things and only hold value due to the memories and the people that gave them to me.  So to say that culture goes way beyond the "stuff" is an understatement.   This holds true for children when they are a part of the early childhood environment.  Including culture means more than having food and items that may or may not represent a child's culture,  It means recognizing and valuing the beliefs and the family's way of doing things.  Culture goes far beyond and is much more significant than "things" (Derman-Sparks, L., & Edwards, J. O., 2010).

Derman-Sparks, L., & Edwards, J. O. (2010). Anti-bias education for young children and ourselves. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) pg. 56.