Lessons to be learned at college

Evidently I was a victim of microaggresion before it was cool.

The seemingly new term for identifying overt or unintended racism, prejudice or hostility toward someone is gaining attention on college campuses and in the news because of the ongoing discussion about race and gender equality in the United States.

As stated in “Diversity in the Classroom, UCLA Diversity & Faculty Development”: Microaggressions are the everyday verbal, nonverbal and environmental slights, snubs or insults, whether intentional or unintentional, that communicate hostile, derogatory or negative messages to target persons based solely upon their marginalized group membership.
Whereas before (meaning “in my day”) it was merely ignorant behavior and remarks by ignorant people, today’s academics have conveniently labled the behavior something subtlety ominous and grave. Thanks are in order, I suppose.

Examples of microaggresion include Person A asking Person B — who looks different than Person A and the dominant culture — where they are from, which theoretically sends the message of not being a true American or a perpetual foreigner in one’s own country.

For instance, in high school a friend and I cleaned an elderly white woman’s front and backyards (feel free to insert your Latino as a gardener joke here, I won’t be offended, just disappointed that it’s such a lazy laugh). The first time she met me she remarked how good looking she thought I was and asked where I was from. When I told her San Diego she said, “I mean originally.” Slightly puzzled, I clarified “North Park?” Given that this sweet woman paid and treated my Caucasoid friend and I the same, the idea that she was a bigot, prejudiced or even racist didn’t cross my mind. At most I regarded the hunched over woman as a sweet loon.

I would encounter that same question later in life — working in La Jolla, Santa Barbara and other exotic locales — and it was only with experience that I finally figured out that what people were really trying to determine was if I belonged to their group.

The thing is, that question wasn’t asked of me only by white people. I’d hear it from blacks and other Latinos, just not as frequently. Even today I still get that question, though now my response is along the lines of “Belfast,” “Thailand” or “Norway,” any place that would mess with the questioner’s mind and preconceptions.

Making students aware of microaggressions is a positive step in fostering deeper understanding among people but more importantly I hope students are learning one of life’s most important lessons: the world is a place that can be unfair and filled with rotten, petty people. Just as important as identifying microaggressions is developing a thick skin and getting on with your life.