Читать книгу Microaggressions in Everyday Life онлайн | страница 31
Microaggressions, Marginality, and Harmful Impact
Earlier we stated that microaggressions can be directed at any marginalized group. Groups that are marginalized by our society exist on the margins (lower or outer limits) of social desirability and consciousness. We may view them in negative ways (undesirable) and/or be oblivious to their existence and life experiences. Many sociodemographic groups in the United States are defined by disability, class (poverty), and religion (Islam and Judaism); are confined to the edge of a system (cultural, social, political, and/or economic); and may experience exclusion, inequality, and social injustice. When microaggressions make their appearance in interpersonal encounters, they are reflections of marginality and a worldview of inclusion/exclusion, superiority/inferiority, desirability/undesirability, or normality/abnormality (D. W. Sue, 2003).
Like racial, gender, and sexual‐orientation microaggressions, microaggressions toward members of all marginalized social‐identity groups are a common and continuing experience in their lives. Microaggressions against these groups are plentiful, as indicated by the next examples.
A man with visual impairment reports that, when people speak to him, they often raise their voices. A well‐meaning nurse was actually “yelling at him” when giving him directions on taking his medication. He replied to her: “Please don't raise your voice, I can hear you perfectly well.” (Hidden message: A person with a disability is defined as lesser in all aspects of functioning.)
During a parent‐teacher conference, a teacher suggested to a mother that her son, 16‐year‐old Jesus Fernandez, had learning problems. He was inattentive in class, unmotivated, late with homework, and frequently napped at his desk. The teacher was unaware that Jesus worked four to five hours after school to help support the family. (Hidden message: Lack of consciousness about how dealing with poverty can sap the energies of people.)
In referring to an outfit worn by a woman on TV, the viewer described it as “trashy” and “classless.” (Hidden message: Lower social class is associated with being lesser and undesirable.)