About Racial Micro-aggression

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.

WW(b)

Last week we talked about the oppressions in education, which can be political powers, social discrimination, or even cultural biases. Different oppressions may affect adult learning experience in a variety of ways and levels. One of the goals of adult education is to raise individuals’ awareness of these oppressions that they may have already been subjected to and try to liberate their thinking from the cage.

From my personal experience, the deepest and most invisible oppression comes from the political power and other powers related to it. The political power has the authority to decide what kind of information the learners will have access to. According to Marx, one’s basic concepts and cognition can only be derived from and be built on what he has been exposed to. By controlling and limiting the information resources, the “power” shapes people’s perspective of view on any subject fundamentally.  

One of the example stands as the block of Facebook in China. Since there is a wide range of information accessible on Facebook, much of which opposes the official voice in China and hurts the profit of Chinese government, Facebook was required to censor this information on the Chinese site. Since Facebook refuse to limit the information, it was blocked by the Chinese government.  Using the political power, the Chinese government eliminates the information that does not match with its interest, silences the opposite voice and advocates its own notions.  People, thus, only have access of one interpretation of a certain event, which inevitably leads to bias. So when discussing what the impact Chinese economic development has on the global economy, Chinese people usually take a positive point of view, regarding it as beneficial to all nations.

But recently I watched a video on Facebook from CNN about how Chinese economic projects in Africa damaged the local economy. The video portrayed a totally different picture of Chinese businessmen in Africa from what I was informed in China. They made the employees work overtime without extra salary. They injected special hormones into chicken so that they grew faster, cost less, but tasted worse. Instead of helping develop the economy of those poverty-stricken areas, they looked out for their own interests.

The tricky thing is that both of the Chinese government and Facebook have the evidence and eloquent arguments to support their notions. When people only listen to one of them, it’s very easy to be misled and fall into the trap designed by the “power”.  It happened to me, and I am sure it also happens to many Americans who only have access to American news reports without realizing the danger of it. That’s why one of the main goals of adult education is to raise people’s awareness of the invisible powers that manipulate their point of view. Since adult learners can hardly be satisficed with one single notion, the instructor is supposed to provide materials from different resources and bring the whole picture to the learners to facilitate a thorough understanding of the issue.

WW(a)

The Analysis of My Undergraduate Learning Environment

The college learning experience as an English-major student in China is the first and one of the most influential learning experiences in my adulthood. Like other learning experiences, it is influenced by several external conditions, including technology, globalization, and demographics.

First and foremost, the technology serves as the primary factor in shaping the learning experience for its fundamental impact on the way of knowing. Multimedia devices have been introduced to the classroom to facilitate the learning process and enhance students’ achievement. The listening class stands as a persuasive example.  Compared with English learners in 1980s who used taps to practice listening comprehension skills, I take tremendous advantage of computers and the internet, listening to the latest news on VOA and watching CNN live shows. With the continuous and vivid resource of newly updated English material, my listening skills are sharpened while I keep track of the development of language and culture. 

Though beneficial significantly, hi-tech devices may also interrupt the learning process when used inadequately. It is always disturbing for both students and professors when a cellphone rings during the lecture.  Also, technical challenges, such as difficulties in opening the PowerPoint file, usually waste the time of class meeting and affect the professor’s readiness to give the lecture. Inevitably, the more that technology is engaged in the learning experience and people take advantage of it, the more challenges it will pose.

Second, globalization has an impact on the content of English learning.  The increasingly tight connection contributes to widen the topics in the classroom discussion. My horizon is no longer limited to domestic affairs or the selected stories on those domestic newspapers. For instance, during the Wall Street Protest, opinions and information from different angles are presented on a variety of media, allowing a hot debate in my classroom in terms of social equality, governmental responsibility and human rights.

Moreover, as the most significant product of globalization, the marvelous development of economy and business makes  the financial success the final goal of many students’ English learning process. To meet the need, courses, such as business English and business courtesy in western culture, are offered in the English learning program and soon become the most popular ones.

There are both dispositional and societal barriers that limit learning in my undergraduate program.  My university is not a top-notch one, which means that many students there have been persuaded that they are not top students or future leaders, and working hard will not make a big difference to their destiny. The lack of motivation and confidence results in unsatisfactory participation during the class and insufficient research after class, thus prevents learning progress.  Also, since English has become one of the most popular majors in China for nearly two decades, the career prospects are not preferable in recent years. English is increasingly regarded as a tool that everyone should obtain, but not a sophisticated major that can only be handled by a small group of experts. Consequentially, English-majored students are less appreciated in job-hunting, leading to a negative atmosphere in classroom.

2nd class meeting

I thought I would be sleepy during this class since I didn't get a noon-nap but went shopping and cooked for my friends. But it turned out that Dr. Muth and his class was fun enough to attract ny full attention for the fleeting 2 hours and 40 minutes.

At the begining, we were showed of some pictures of the text books in different time of America. It didn't seem to be special or inspiring when first seen. But when Dr. M asking what's the indication about the content of the textbooks, a new perstective which had never occured to me presented itself. The context shows the historical background of the time when it was designed.
In the first picture, there is a page of textbook for kids, with jingles and pictures. The content is about God, Christan and Bible. That's what kids were supposed to know and to believe at that time. It seems like that the kids would be brainwashed by the textbook.
The second picture is a page of Webster concerning of pronounciations. "Why people care about pronouciations?" For uniformation and Americanization. That's when America tried to establish its own culture.
The third picture is of a kids' textbook. " the kid likes to ride his car in his yard". Well, just something about car. It was from 1950s, when Russion outsmart America in technolege and American education system were blamed for that. So more content with technolege were added to early education.
How amazing these perstectives are! I never expected to interpretated the content in this way, but it works! I am so glad that I am here, exposed to these ideas and ways of thinking!

The second part dealt with the reading assignment < Learning in Adulthood>. Dr. M showed the outline of the chapted we read. Pretty much like what I do. He had to turn off the lights so that we could read the PPT clearly. And it was very considerate of him to remind us close our eyes when he turned the lights on. It was such a tiny thing, but so impressive!
He showed a TED talk in which a rich man argured that it is not the super rich businessmen who create jobs, but the middle class, since only when there are more costumers, more emplyees are needed. So the right way to facilitate American economy is not to cut the tax of the very rich, but to help develop and thrive the middle class. That makes sense to me.

During the break, some discussion were raised about Women's Way of Knowing. I expressed the frustration after reading the parts of "Entering into the Moral Community" and "Conceiving the Selfless Self". I thought these ideas shoule be seen only on the women who are poorly educated in the poverty-striken areas. But I found them on myself, and that felt not cool. But it was very helpful to know that I was not the only one who felt this way. There are always certain rules that women are supposed to perform. And once they fail on these roles, no matter how outstanding they are in other aspects, they will be judged to some digree.

Then we worked on some class discussions and brainstormed about the educational biography, which is quite helpful.
One new word learnt during the discussion is "Social Capital", which means Guanxi in Chinese. It mean the social network and social resource one have that facilitate him in social life. Finally, the transliation of Guranxi present itself! I am gonna post it on Renren!

Today's class has been quite enjoyable.
To learn is the best thing.