This week I had to rack my brain about an incident because I just have
not been in a micro-aggression situation. Therefore, I will discuss an incident that
happened to a friend. We all went to a night club and it was about six of us. They
had a dress code and so that was followed and we went in to find a table. We had
not been in there a good two hours before one of our friends was being asked to
leave. Now, we were all together but our friend, who is six feet and very dark,
black man. He happened to be dancing and we saw the commotion because we had a
table that faced the dance floor. Keep in mind, we had not been there long and
he had been in our view the whole time. We went over to see what was going on
and they just wanted him to leave. We all left but after just getting there, we
were dumbfounded about the whole situation. In our opinion, he was sized up but
was a case of mistaken identity because we had just got there and we were all
laughing and together. There was no way he could have done anything. This can
be put in the category of micro-invalidation, which “is considered to be the
most insidious form because it invalidates a person’s differentially reality” (Laureate
Education, Inc., 2011, Video). He felt they were picking on him because he was
a tall, dark-skinned man. He was very hurt about it because we all knew but especially
he knew, which made it worst. He was a target of a stereotypical incident. The reason
why we know this is true, because we went back a couple more times and he had
to leave most of those times to where we have not even been back. He has not
been targeted, since, in any other club.
My observation of this incident was a stereotype incident because the
club was a predominantly Caucasian type atmosphere. Unfortunately, they saw him
as a troublemaker, I guess, but he is so harmless. His dad is African but he
was born in America but he is extremely dark and so he gets picked on. Dr. Sue (2011)
stated, “Most people of color will ask themselves, is this really happening to
me” (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011, Video) and it can be a very painful incident
for one to go through, especially a black man, because it takes them back to
terrible times in history. Racism is not good at all.
Reference
Hi Nakita
ReplyDeleteThat is such a shame, just trying to have a great evening could turn out very frustrating for someone if they look like someone else. Well I would just say there are a thousand other places that he can go to have a nice evening.
I was saying that I had no micro aggression experiences but when I thought about it, I found many subtle incidents that were definitely qualified. Have another look and you will chuckle to yourself about it as you realize it. You know how you can't find many blessings but when you start counting you are blown away? This class was really an eye-opener for me. Thanks for sharing!
Nakita,
ReplyDeletethis is indeed a case of micro-aggression with big complications. Something similar happened to me when I was a kid. I was a Hippie and when ever I went into a Woolworth store the clerk followed me around the store. If I went in to the store dressed up they didn't bother me. I thought it was funny but in the case of your friend it could have ended badly or with legal action on one side or the other. Sorry that happened to your friend
.
Nakita,
ReplyDeleteI also had a hard time thinking of a microaggression that was geared toward me. However, I thought of plenty in the work place. I did not think of any microaggressions in my personal life. However, in the bars and night clubs in Minneapolis there are multiple clubs that have "dress code" policies similar to what you were talking about. Pants can not be too low, you cant wear backward hats, no team apparel, and no white-tees