When you are a privileged individual you never really think of your privilege. It is just something that you are born with. Certain things just aren’t your problem or don’t affect you, this is no fault of your own. How could you know you are privileges if oppressions were never placed on you or people who look like you. I myself am very grateful that I can say I was privileged growing up. Because I did not grow up on the continental US, I didn’t have to deal with what typical people of color in this country go through. I didn’t experience racism until I was an adult and I always felt safe in my environment. My skin color, thank goodness, was never a problem for me. Micro-aggression, however, is a different story. I couldn’t count on all my fingers and toes how many times I have been micro-assaulted or micro- insulted. As a women I can recount anytime that I have been cat called or someone is talking to my boobs instead of to my face. There have been times where I’m told it doesn’t matter if I’m smart because I’m pretty or they are surprised that I am smart. Being from a Caribbean island also seems to be a trigger for people. They assume English wasn’t my first language, they talk to me slowly as if I don’t understand. I’ve been told that the homes in the US must be amazing compared to where I come from because they assume I lived in a hut. People have come up with the craziest theories.
To keep my sanity I just chop it up to ignorance. I try to inform people on how their words can be offensive. Education seems to be the best way to fix this problem. Teaching people to break their set stereotypes and gender norms. Information and knowledge are the best tools against ignorance. Besides educating others on what is offensive to me I try to brake every stereotype a person might have prescribed to me. I don’t want to fit any of their boxes. It helps, shocking people into having open mind.
Hello Adynah,
Thank you for sharing your feedback with us. you stated “Besides educating others on what is offensive to me I try to break every stereotype a person might have prescribed to me. I don’t want to fit any of their boxes. It helps, shocking people into having an open mind”. I love the statement because you have to let people think what they want of you until they actually know the real you .
Hello Adynah,
Its honestly so rude and annoying when people judge you off of stereotypes. As you mentioned, we must continue to teach others, especially those whose behavior is unacceptable. As women, we deal with a lot of micro-aggression. I once obtained a position that I so deeply desired, and my boss at the time, who was a man, came to me and said “how did you even get that job.”
Hey Adynah,
I know exactly what you mean. I was always so small and skinny so I never really had any men paying attention to me. When I was going into my sophomore year of high school I started to really gain weight and get more curves. I started getting a lot of attention and I still do. Its really annoying and disgusting the things men say. I think eventually at some point in time even women goes through this.
Hi Adynah,
Thank you for sharing your post, I agree with you when you said privilege is something that people just born with it because it is hard just to get it, society will make sure on making things difficult. As a woman, I have been in certain positions which are very uncomfortable because of the fact that your are walking somewhere and somebody just keeps looking at you but instead of my face or even my curly hair. people just don’t understand how can things they said without knowing you can change you.
Hello Adynah Richardson, i totally agree with you “Education seems to be the best way to fix this problem” on this point. that is the reason that i am trying really hard to educated myself so i can educated others. i don’t even bother talking to people who seem clueless, uneducated and title to their opinions anymore, it is a waste of time.
Thank you for sharing your feedback with us. I also experienced microggregation because I am a man and sometimes, I help out my mother with the house shores. My cousins always made fun of that, they said “that’s for girls man. Or aren’t you supposed to be the man of the house?” I always tried to help out around the house because I know that gender does not limit people to help out and still be useful. Stereotypes always play big roles in this situation’s, it is our job to break those ignorant thoughts.
Hello Adynah, it’s upsetting just how engraved racial stereotypes are in this society and how you are judged based on the stereotypes rather than your own personality. I also agree with your statement about education being the best way to fix the problems.