Racial Microaggressions, Portraits of People Highlight Every-Day Racism

[ismnotwasm]

http://www.123inspiration.com/racial-microaggressions-portraits-of-people-highlight-every-day-racism/

[Nye Bevan]

1. The trick is to treat everyone the same, regardless of their race.

Then you won't say any of that stuff.

(Yes, I know, this is a somewhat politically incorrect stance to take these days. But if I am banned for expressing such a controversial view, so be it....)

[ismnotwasm]

2. First nobody is going to ban you

Second these are real experiences of people of color. If "nobody was saying any if that stuff" it wouldn't be there. I think racism is a social disease that needs acknowledging and combatting.

[Blanket Statements]

3. Is dumbassery automatically racism?

All racists are stupid but not all stupid people are racist

[El_Johns]

10. +1. Nothing there that carries the assumption that the people being addressed are "less than".

Nothing there that carries any threat. Nothing there that couldn't be addressed with polite education, e.g. "My family has lived in the US for generations, so we speak English, not Spanish."

[ismnotwasm]

13. Hmm

Be sure and let people of color know they owe white folk answers to ignorant racist questions. Let me know how that works out for you.

[Blanket Statements]

16. How do you know it was a white person asking the question?

I have plenty of friends, with Hispanic surnames that were born here and don't speak Spanish, they're constantly asked by other Hispanics if they habla the S Pan Yol

[El_Johns]

19. When people ask me stupid questions about my severely handicapped sibling, I just find that

polite education pays off better than anger, rudeness & outrage.

Not everyone who asks a stupid question is prejudiced or has ill-will.

I ask stupid questions myself, because I tend to blurt things out or have my mind go blank when I'm stressed.

I just find that where there's room for doubt about people's intentions, usually better to assume the best unless you're in danger.

[JustAnotherGen]

27. I used to do that

But I don't have time anymore.

[El_Johns]

37. To each his (or her) own.

[Blanket Statements]

15. And really, the pictures give no context

I hardly believe an adult asked an Asian woman about her eyesight. Some of the stuff is too cliche to be real

[kwassa]

45. I heard a guy serious believed that this was the reason Asian drivers ...

were such bad drivers in LA. He thought they had no peripheral vision because of their eyelids.

[Bonobo]

53. On the other hand

Denying people's identities is not the way to go.

"I don't see you as black" is, for example, denying someone their reality, their identity.

So, no. "Color blindness" ain't the way to go either.

I sort of hagte the term "micro aggressions"...It's as if, getting rid of "macro aggressions", someone felt the need to invent this concept to keep it going. I know that isn't ENTIRELY accurate, and yet I can't help but feel that it is PART of what some people do.

[Nye Bevan]

63. Not so much "not seeing people as black",

more "seeing people as whatever they are, but not treating them any differently because of it".

[ballabosh]

67. More as seeing a fellow human being as a fellow human being. N/T

[Lunacee_2013]

4. Even though I'm white,

I've actually gotten the whole "no, where are you really from?" line of questioning. Apparently I have just enough Native American blood in me to make me turn really tan in the summer, which means when I say I'm from here (America) I really am from here. But sometimes other white people assume I'm of a different race and sometimes get a little argumentative when I tell them that I was born here. But however bad I might get it, my little sister gets it worse. She gets really tan too and her face is a little bit more narrow than mine, which somehow makes her look Middle Eastern, at least to some people. So you can probably just imagine some of the shit she's gotten. And the crazy thing is we're mostly German-Irish!

And the one about not seeing as well as white people? Jesus *everyone* should know that's racist.

[Warpy]

5. A sweet young thing from the south asked me "But what IS he?" about a fellow nurse

Well, I'd never considered the subject beyond knowing he was a very bright and caring fellow nurse, so I just reminded her it was NM, "who the hell knows or cares what anybody is out here?"

She looked shocked so I think it worked. At least she wasn't tacky enough to ask him. It was just vaguely insulting that she picked me out as someone who gave a shit.

[Lunacee_2013]

64. Ha, I live in the south

so I can totally see that conversation happening. When my sister worked at wal-mart customers would constantly ask her what she was, then try to start a debate with her when she told them. Hell, even I've had some trouble convincing other white people that I'm white. And I don't mind people asking, I just wish they wouldn't try to argue with me about it.

[Shandris]

6. I find it interesting, if problematic, that it is simultaneously racist to ignore someone's...

...culture, and racist to ask them what their culture is if you're not certain.

Seems an odd way to 'combat' 'racism'.

Edit: For clarity, it should be noted that some of those are outright offensive (especially the one about seeing because of her eyes). Of course, it should be obvious which ones I'm referring to as problematic.

[Skidmore]

7. I thnk it is as simple as

treating others with respect. You can always get to know a person without making a judgment based upon their appearances and your assumptions based upon what you see. That would mean having a respectful conversation and many people do not seem interested so much in investing these days.

[Blue_Tires]

8. ttt

[redqueen]

9. "Where are you really from?"

He's like, 'Hey, man, where are you from?' So I told him, 'I'm from Queens, New York.' And then he's like, 'No, I mean where are you really from?' Which, for those of you who don't know, that's code for, 'No, I mean, why aren't you white?'

See Hari Kondabolu Tell it
http://www.comedycentral.com/jokes/nbvksj/stand-up-hari-kondabolu--hari-kondabolu--where-are-you-from-

[bullwinkle428]

11. K&R. As a white person, I can kind of relate to what each of these

people deals with in terms of perceptions, as I've heard "You don't look Jewish" more than once in my life!

[MrScorpio]

12. Excellent!

K&R

[Starry Messenger]

14. .

[The2ndWheel]

17. Not one picture with a white person with a sign saying

"No, I'm not ignorant"

That's a shame. If you don't point those kinds of things out, people might start to think all white people are the same. Put these quotes up on a picture and a caricature of white people starts to form. Just walking around dumb all day.

[Blanket Statements]

18. How do you know the people, referred to in the signs, are white?

Are we to assume ignorance and moronic activity is the sole property of chez whitey?

[The2ndWheel]

20. I don't "know" know, but I'd say it's pretty clear where it's coming from

If the people referred to in the signs aren't white, then at the very least it's referring to a, say, white mindset. Because yes, from that particular group of pictures, I think we are to assume ignorance and moronic activity is the sole property of chez whitey. Like I said, there are no white males in any of those pictures. Any potential white females in those pictures have something about being biracial on the signs. The pictures highlight the every day racism against people of different backgrounds...except for that one background. The one with the racists in it.

All the signs are vague enough(although a few specify white people being referred to) that you can imagine anyone saying it. But, I'd say, the context of the whole thing has a certain message to it.

[Blanket Statements]

21. A "white mindset"...what IS a "white mindset" and

How does it differ from general dumbassery that's found in all races, ethnic groups and cultures?

[The2ndWheel]

24. First thing, I'm pretty sure we're in agreement in this thread

Yes, the white mindset that is general dumbassery. White people are boorish idiots who don't understand anything that isn't white. I think it's obvious from that group of pictures that that's the message. You don't see a picture of a white person with a sign saying "I'm not a boorish idiot who doesn't understand anything that isn't white", probably for a reason. That reason being, white people are boorish idiots who don't understand anything that isn't white, and prove it every day if these signs are accurate.

[Blanket Statements]

25. That has to be the most ridiculous thing I've ever read

Right up there with blacks and Mexicans are lazy freeloaders.

[truebluegreen]

26. Your concern is noted.

[Blanket Statements]

31. What "concern"? I find it hilarious

When a person tries to paint an entire race of people with a behavior, pretending it is exclusive to that race.

I know black men who only date light skinned women and have told darker black women that they are "cute for a dark skinned girl"

Are they racist?

[truebluegreen]

32. Um, yeah.

At least, they have bought into a light-skin-color standard of beauty. Isn't that obvious?

[Blanket Statements]

34. Were they now? And how could you pretend to know this?

If one has a preference for red haired women, were they brought up that way?

[truebluegreen]

41. Not interested in your little games.

Enjoy your stay.

[gollygee]

29. They are actual things they've been asked/told

They are examples of actual interactions. They aren't made up.

[Blanket Statements]

36. How do you know?

[gollygee]

39. The project was to show examples of microaggressions people have experienced

That's what the whole point of it is. You assume they're lying?

[Blanket Statements]

44. Well, for one, I doubt any adult would ask a grown

Asian woman if she could see as well as a white person unless they had never met an Asian person in their lifetime

[gollygee]

47. So you think they're lying

and I think you're naive. People can ask shockingly stupid questions.

[Blanket Statements]

49. Ahhh, so they were subconsciously being racist

And not just dumb?

When people have to look for racism, they must never have experienced the real thing

[gollygee]

51. You don't think people can be subconsciously racist?

And you also don't think people can be racist AND dumb? You look to me to be an expert on managing both at the same time.

Enjoy your stay.

[Blanket Statements]

54. Racists are dumb, that doesn't make every dumb person a racist

There are people with no common sense and even more that say things that sound stupid even though they were truly inquisitive...that doesn't make them racist not even subconsciously

[treestar]

22. That proves that there are some pretty

Stupid white people out there

[Blanket Statements]

23. Or some overly sensitive college kids

Who think being asked their ethnic or racial background is racist.

[GladRagDahl]

28. I don't see any "aggression" at all...

just stupidity. One is never going to be able to totally insulate themselves from perceived insults of this type. People say stupid things. Educate them and move on.

[gollygee]

30. Wow. People at DU don't understand and/or believe in the concept of microaggressions

quelle surprise

[Blanket Statements]

33. Dumbing down racism to acts of dumbassery

What a concept

[gollygee]

35. You must not have seen the "micro" at the front of aggressions

these are small things that add up when they happen over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over again.

[Blanket Statements]

38. Overly sensitive

[gollygee]

40. That's your opinion

But you could always try having empathy for what others have gone through.

[Blanket Statements]

43. If you get offended because some dummy

Doesn't know Japanese is spoken in Japan then you're looking for something to be offended by.

[gollygee]

46. Again, these are MICRO aggressions

Asian people get asked these kinds of stupid questions regularly - all the time. Yeah, no big deal if it happens once, or a few times, or several times. But they are asked this over and over and over again. If you were asked a stupid question over and over and over and over again, at some point you'd start to get annoyed.

[Blanket Statements]

50. Do they now? And it's now an aggressive act

To be ignorant of the languages spoken in the countries of the world?

Ignorance isn't aggression

[gollygee]

52. These are Americans

It's racist to assume they speak whatever language. No one asks me to read French or German for them. No one assumes I can. And no one assumes I can read Swedish because they can't tell the difference between a person of Swedish descent and a person of French/German descent.

[Blanket Statements]

55. So it's racist to not know japanese is spoken in japan?

This is utterly ridiculous.

There are a couple signs that are overt examples of racism...the China Doll would be racist

[gollygee]

57. To go up to an American you know is of Asian decent

but you can't tell what Asian country her family comes from

And assume

1. She's Japanese - or that all Asian people know Japanese

2. She would know a foreign language because her ancestors are Japanese any more than I would know a foreign language because my ancestors are French and German

is racist. Asians get treated like they are foreigners - even Asians whose families have been here for generations. That is racist.

[Blanket Statements]

58. How do you know that happened from the sign?

You don't.

[gollygee]

59. Tell me, what do you assume happened?

You are assuming she isn't American, right? That's just what the sign is getting at.

[Blanket Statements]

60. I don't know if she's an American or Canadian

Or native born from another country from looking at a picture.
I don't know that the red haired girl isn't from Ireland either.

[gollygee]

61. Well she certainly doesn't look Japanese

and you had some assumptions. Everything you've said here shows them. These are American students form Fordham University in NYC.

[Blanket Statements]

62. Neither does my sister in law but she is

I have assumptions when I see cliches on signs from a bunch of kids who have to invent acts of "racism"

If you've experienced REAL racism, you don't need to invent it

[kwassa]

56. I partially agree with you and partially don't.

Having lived in extremely multicultural environments, like now, where there are 90 different nations in the local elementary schools, I assume nothing anymore. I know I know nothing about the stranger in front of me merely by the appearance.

There are indeed dumb asses in every ethnicity. I've heard people of different ethnicities ask stupid questions about each other. I've heard dumber questions than the ones in the OP. By adults.

At the same time, there is an assumptions about non-whites that are quite irritating to those who don't conveniently fit in the preconceived categories of white people. Not all, but many white people do this. And some of this is ignorance, and some of the ignorance, a subset, is racist in nature. Some is not.

[seabeyond]

66. overly sensitive?who are you to decide. what you are doing is giving us an example of microagression

over and over and over in this thread, to where it builds up to such an extent to present yourself as a racist. i think it is interesting how your participation on this thread has given me the example so i can exactly understand what these people are expressing.

[aikoaiko]

69. And the jury results are in...

AUTOMATED MESSAGE: Results of your Jury Service
Mail Message
At Fri Dec 13, 2013, 11:43 PM an alert was sent on the following post:

Overly sensitive
http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=4174711

REASON FOR ALERT:

This post is disruptive, hurtful, rude, insensitive, over-the-top, or otherwise inappropriate.

ALERTER'S COMMENTS:

This new poster has taken over the thread. He refuses to allow a conversation on microagression. Du has had a handful of day of racial conflicts and battles. This poster stating blacks are over sensitive is rude and insulting to our black community. I think that are black community has had about enough. This would be an example of microaggression. Not big, but over and over and over.

You served on a randomly-selected Jury of DU members which reviewed this post. The review was completed at Sat Dec 14, 2013, 12:01 AM, and the Jury voted 2-4 to LEAVE IT.

Juror #1 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE and said: The post isn't a violation, but MIRT will take a look at this thread
Juror #2 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE and said: I understand why the alerter is not happy with Blanket Statements, but participating in a thread isn't a problem and he didn't say anything specifically about "blacks".
Juror #3 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE and said: No explanation given
Juror #4 voted to HIDE IT and said: I think this poster has malicious intent
Juror #5 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE and said: No explanation given
Juror #6 voted to HIDE IT and said: No explanation given

Thank you very much for participating in our Jury system, and we hope you will be able to participate again in the future.

[WillyT]

48. Thank You !!! - And For You...

DULink: http://www.democraticunderground.com/1002623564

[Jasana]

65. I'm white. I live in the USA....

and I'll admit I'm privileged as hell here but I often wonder...

Why doesn't anybody ask me what kind of white person I am? They don't bother. They just throw me into the classification of white when, in fact, I am Scottish, Irish, English, French, German, and Dutch. (Canadian too if that counts.) That's a lot of different tribes there. That's a lot of different culture but it all gets thrown under the classification of "white." You know that's just like insisting a Japanese person is Chinese just because they're Asian. Can I roll my eyes now?

[Nye Bevan]

68. That's just wrong. Your culture is just as worth celebrating as anyone else's.

The Irish, Italians and all the other European ethnicities have wonderful and rich cultures and traditions, and it is offensive that people ignore this significant part of you.