Micro-aggression
is understood as a kind of insult which is implied by the tone or
certain words of others’ expressions. It seems to be ubiquitous in
learning, working and other social environments, some times conscious,
while others unintentional. In the reading material, 9 kinds of racial
micro-aggression toward Asian American are identified, some of which I
have experienced, while others I cannot fully agree with. In this piece
of reflection, I will focus on the first type of micro-aggression
mentioned in the reading material, alien in own land, and explain why I
disagree with the authors.
In the beginning, I need to clarify that I am not an Asian American, but an Asian who is in America, so my experience is different from what is discussed in the paper in some aspects. What we share may be the Asian apparent and the first impression on others, but what differentiate us are the cultural backgrounds and the self-identifications. I believe this is the primary reason why I find the authors’ opinion on “alien in own land” disagreeable.
According to the paper, Asian American are often recognized as foreigners from Asia, and some of them take offence from it. They get uncomfortable when people praise their fluent oral English or ask where they come from, because they feel separated from their homeland, America. This kind of situations is identified as micro-aggression by the authors.
However, I do not recognize it as racial micro-aggression from others, but racism and over sensitivity of those who feel offended. The reason why they feel uncomfortable is not being alien from their homeland, but being alien from America, which they believe is the noblest land in the world. As a Chinese, I feel quite normal when asked where I come from, and quite pleasant when being praised for my English. When people ask me these questions, it means they assume that I can speak another language, or I know a lot about another culture, which is good and well-intended. I cherish my cultural background and feel proud of my appearance which indicates it. When occasionally mis-recognized as Japanese and Korean, I feel OK about it and understand that Asians look similar to Americans. They do not mean to discriminate my cultural background, so that it is not an insult.
Those Asian American who feel insulted in these situations are more or less racist towards Asian cultural themselves. They unconsciously or consciously believe American culture is better than others, and American citizenship is a symbol of higher social status. Thus, when recognized as Asians,who are from less privileged background, they feel discriminated. I think this can be explained by the concept of “expectancy” in social-cognitive orientation. Those Asian American assume that other people look down upon Asians (and usually they themselves discriminate Asians subconsciously), and may belittle them for their Asian look. So when asked about their hometown, they take it as an racial discrimination, even when others do not mean it. If Asian is highly respected by those Asian Americans, the question “are you from Asia” will be regarded as a compliment.
I am not advocating that micro-aggression does not exist, or the victims are those who are to blamed. To distinguish racial micro-aggression from over-sensitivity, the key is to identify the intention of the speaker. In many cases, when the speaker is well-intended and purely curious about other cultures, there is no reason for the listen to take offence. However, if the speaker means to imply discriminating message, it is justified to confront with him and defend one’s right. Usually, the two circumstances can be easily identified by the context, including the tone, the usage of words, the facial expression and the body language of the speaker. When people are genuinely curious about other’s cultural background, they may lean towards the listener, look at him or her with interest and ask in a cheerful tone. If this is the case, the best way to respond is to be open-minded and tell the truth. If the speaker means to be racist, being self-confident, elegant and authentic would be the most positive attitude toward it.
There is an example in China, where micro-aggression is found among different provinces and areas. Being in the most famous and developed city in China, citizens in Shanghai are well-known for their discrimination against people from other provinces, especially the poorer provinces, such as my hometown, Sichuan. They make fun of accents of other dialects, so that many immigrants in Shanghai try to speak standard Mandarin, or even Shanghai dialect to avoid being recognized as aliens. They are afraid of being revealed of their background and try to related to the native cultural in Shanghai. But I didn’t feel necessary to do that when I was there, because I am proud of my province, which is not that wealthy, but fantastic in many other ways. It is huge and highly diversified, both geographically and demographically, and nationally appreciated for the tastiest food in China, the most famous animal, panda, and the highest rate of beautiful girls. So when asked where I came from, I was glad to label myself as “from Sichuan”. The main reason for the opposite feelings I had about these questions to those who try to hide their background is that I do not discriminate the economically less developed area. It is not embarrassing for me to acknowledge the difference and my ignorance in some aspects. Once one respects himself, he will not take unintended insult and manage to deal with micro-aggressions decently.
It is very natural for humans to feel humiliated when associated with things we belittle. Therefore, one’s perspective shapes, in a large degree, how he take other’s words, especially when the speaker is unaware of it. In other words, if the listener is racist himself, he will take a simple question about his hometown offensive. So, for those who feel discriminated, it is important to examine if the sense of discrimination is rooted in their own minds, and if it is their illusion or expectancy that leads to the negative feeling. Moreover, the very first step for the victims to help remove racial micro-aggression is to feel secure and confident about themselves. Only when one respect his own background can he enjoy others appreciation and respond to negative comments gracefully.
In the beginning, I need to clarify that I am not an Asian American, but an Asian who is in America, so my experience is different from what is discussed in the paper in some aspects. What we share may be the Asian apparent and the first impression on others, but what differentiate us are the cultural backgrounds and the self-identifications. I believe this is the primary reason why I find the authors’ opinion on “alien in own land” disagreeable.
According to the paper, Asian American are often recognized as foreigners from Asia, and some of them take offence from it. They get uncomfortable when people praise their fluent oral English or ask where they come from, because they feel separated from their homeland, America. This kind of situations is identified as micro-aggression by the authors.
However, I do not recognize it as racial micro-aggression from others, but racism and over sensitivity of those who feel offended. The reason why they feel uncomfortable is not being alien from their homeland, but being alien from America, which they believe is the noblest land in the world. As a Chinese, I feel quite normal when asked where I come from, and quite pleasant when being praised for my English. When people ask me these questions, it means they assume that I can speak another language, or I know a lot about another culture, which is good and well-intended. I cherish my cultural background and feel proud of my appearance which indicates it. When occasionally mis-recognized as Japanese and Korean, I feel OK about it and understand that Asians look similar to Americans. They do not mean to discriminate my cultural background, so that it is not an insult.
Those Asian American who feel insulted in these situations are more or less racist towards Asian cultural themselves. They unconsciously or consciously believe American culture is better than others, and American citizenship is a symbol of higher social status. Thus, when recognized as Asians,who are from less privileged background, they feel discriminated. I think this can be explained by the concept of “expectancy” in social-cognitive orientation. Those Asian American assume that other people look down upon Asians (and usually they themselves discriminate Asians subconsciously), and may belittle them for their Asian look. So when asked about their hometown, they take it as an racial discrimination, even when others do not mean it. If Asian is highly respected by those Asian Americans, the question “are you from Asia” will be regarded as a compliment.
I am not advocating that micro-aggression does not exist, or the victims are those who are to blamed. To distinguish racial micro-aggression from over-sensitivity, the key is to identify the intention of the speaker. In many cases, when the speaker is well-intended and purely curious about other cultures, there is no reason for the listen to take offence. However, if the speaker means to imply discriminating message, it is justified to confront with him and defend one’s right. Usually, the two circumstances can be easily identified by the context, including the tone, the usage of words, the facial expression and the body language of the speaker. When people are genuinely curious about other’s cultural background, they may lean towards the listener, look at him or her with interest and ask in a cheerful tone. If this is the case, the best way to respond is to be open-minded and tell the truth. If the speaker means to be racist, being self-confident, elegant and authentic would be the most positive attitude toward it.
There is an example in China, where micro-aggression is found among different provinces and areas. Being in the most famous and developed city in China, citizens in Shanghai are well-known for their discrimination against people from other provinces, especially the poorer provinces, such as my hometown, Sichuan. They make fun of accents of other dialects, so that many immigrants in Shanghai try to speak standard Mandarin, or even Shanghai dialect to avoid being recognized as aliens. They are afraid of being revealed of their background and try to related to the native cultural in Shanghai. But I didn’t feel necessary to do that when I was there, because I am proud of my province, which is not that wealthy, but fantastic in many other ways. It is huge and highly diversified, both geographically and demographically, and nationally appreciated for the tastiest food in China, the most famous animal, panda, and the highest rate of beautiful girls. So when asked where I came from, I was glad to label myself as “from Sichuan”. The main reason for the opposite feelings I had about these questions to those who try to hide their background is that I do not discriminate the economically less developed area. It is not embarrassing for me to acknowledge the difference and my ignorance in some aspects. Once one respects himself, he will not take unintended insult and manage to deal with micro-aggressions decently.
It is very natural for humans to feel humiliated when associated with things we belittle. Therefore, one’s perspective shapes, in a large degree, how he take other’s words, especially when the speaker is unaware of it. In other words, if the listener is racist himself, he will take a simple question about his hometown offensive. So, for those who feel discriminated, it is important to examine if the sense of discrimination is rooted in their own minds, and if it is their illusion or expectancy that leads to the negative feeling. Moreover, the very first step for the victims to help remove racial micro-aggression is to feel secure and confident about themselves. Only when one respect his own background can he enjoy others appreciation and respond to negative comments gracefully.
Well put. There's too much of an emphasis on being PC and forgetting to judge the intention behind the remark (even if it is ignorant).
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