Practicing Awareness of Microaggressions
Observing
people around me at work this week with the intent of noticing microaggressions
was interesting. I
honestly saw very little in terms of the interactions among my staff that could
be categorized in that way until today.
I met with 3 supervisors to work on planning for the upcoming school
year. In discussing placements, one of them made a comment about a family
worker who is morbidly obese. She
complained about this person expecting others to do her work because she is so
overweight and that she was just plain lazy.
She continued to insinuate that her obesity prevents her from doing what
is required and that families wouldn’t want to work with her. Her comments were
not founded. Finally, the other woman who supervises the person that was the subject of
the comments spoke up and said many
assumptions were being made about her job performance that were not true . I purposely did not comment initially. I wanted to let the conversation continue to
see where it would go and how many other things she would blame things she
would blame on the woman’s obesity. As
I sat and listened, I realized that microaggressions can occur even among
professionals. It was not a good feeling
to know that someone in a supervisory position could be so judgmental in such
an inappropriate way.
My
observation clearly pointed out that when there is insulting commentary based
on a person’s appearance it can make everyone involved in the conversation very
uncomfortable. Taking it a step further,
I observed a change in the interactions among the group even after the
conversation moved on. The body language
of the supervisor who was listening to the derogatory comments about her staff
person changed as did the amount of conversation being exchanged by the
two. Also, the supervisor whose staff person was
the subject of the comments seemed to pull back from the conversation. This
exercise has made me aware of how the tone of a group interaction can change
when microaggression surfaces.
Hi Judi,
ReplyDeleteYour post is very interesting. Microaggression occurs on a daily basis, they are just sometimes hard to notice unless you are looking for them. I really appreciate your noticing how uncomfortable microagression can make everyone involved. In fact, in your situation, the person targeted was not even present. It was her supervisor who was left to defend her, and then she was left to feel awkward. Thank you for your insight on how microaggression can affect everyone, not only targeted individuals.
Sarah
Hi Judi,
ReplyDeleteI think you handled yourself very professionally in a delicate situation. You have witnessed the microaggression that many people are exposed to on a daily basis in regard to their weight. Microaggression is not just about race; it's about looks, body style, language and many more components. Thanks for sharing your observation!
Judi,
ReplyDeleteThat would be a hard situation to be in. What I am starting to really take away from this course is to not be afraid to stand up for someone and speak up if you think there is any type of aggression being aimed at them. People should not blame laziness on obesity. Unfortunately, our society links the two characteristics together. Thanks for sharing this week!
Judi,
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, I feel that covert microaggressions happen more in the professional setting than what we really see. Especially, among the mini-groups or cliques that are developed. I am glad that you allowed for the discussion to continue to really get a clear understanding of how microaggressions affect everyone.
Thanks for your post and insight.
Judi,
ReplyDeleteYou made a great point. Professionals do make microaggressions. I usually imagined people other than professionals making derogatory commments. Microaggressions are sometimes made by professionals against other professionals. Thanks for sharing and making a difference!