<p>To be honest, I find the general focus on microaggressions with minority/oppressed groups kind of draining. As someone with a visible disability, I’ve gotten my fair share of weird looks and rude (or just bizarre) comments–from people speaking loudly for no reason to people offering to faith heal me. Similarly, my family has gotten odd comments for not being part of the majority religion here (conversely, people of that faith get weird comments outside of our region). It’s annoying, yes, and sometimes hurtful, but it’s ultimately minor. People say and do weird stuff all the time, to all people and for all reasons, and if you take every glance or odd motion or “huh” comment to heart as a form of cruel oppression, you’re going to exhaust your emotional resources within 10 minutes of being outside. Sometimes, people are being prejudiced. Sometimes, people are simply being rude as an equal opportunity thing. Sometimes, they’re misguided but well-intentioned. Sometimes, it has nothing to do with you, and they were just thinking about a TV show they watched last night or a presentation they have in an hour or whether or not they’ll miss the bus. At some point, you really do have to choose your battles, because otherwise it will wear you down and do so very quickly.</p>
<p>I think it’s reasonable to ask more of Harvard, where every member of the community is hand-selected to contribute to the growth and education of all other members, than of the world at large. It’s a residential liberal arts college; there should be no strangers there. At a minimum, I believe Harvard should be <em>striving</em> to do better than the streets of America. Students speaking out about their experience there make it possible for others to understand their point of view and engage in dialogue. Harvard agrees; its spokesman says: “This is an important conversation for all Harvard students, and for college students across the nation. All our students belong at Harvard.”</p>
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<p>Amen. Decades ago I made the mistake of saying that one of my co-workers looked like Dionne Warwick. Little did I know. It resulted in her and another black co-worker attempting to humiliate me by insisting that whites thought all blacks looked alike, and the co-worker repeatedly asking me whom I thought she looked like.</p>
<p>It didn’t work because I’m not easily humiliated. :). But it did teach me a lesson… it just wasn’t the one they thought they were teaching. </p>
<p>Yow. Is this turning into why we don’t need to be aware of how others may react? That all that’s important is what we “meant,” not how we stated it and it was received? We’re not talking about crumbled folks, second guessing every look. We’re talking about how often- and how easily- some people in this country, even at Harvard, think it’s fine to both make assumptions about others and then actually voice those assumptions. </p>
<p>It’s too easy to just wipe it away with: he’s too sensitive, she’s got a victim mentality. Or that we got through it, why can’t they? Can we see that even when “they” (whatever category) choose their battles, the ongoing nature can still wear people down?</p>
<p>I say: the fact that “I too am Harvard” bugs people is very telling. We don’t want to hear we should sometimes filter, reconsider- and think.</p>
<p>One more time since several posters clearly missed it: <a href=“http://www.mymodernmet.com/profiles/blogs/kiyun-kim-racial-microaggressions”>http://www.mymodernmet.com/profiles/blogs/kiyun-kim-racial-microaggressions</a></p>
<p>dadx, perhaps it’s because, like my husband, one or both women had heard, maybe more than once, how “You all look alike.” Again, sure, these are not major cases, but really, is it took much to ask people to think before speaking? I think that’s what the project is trying to say. My H is one of 2 black men in his department. At a reception, someone called him Mr. X, the other guy, who’s much older and in a more visible position, as well as a more prominent one. H politely corrected him, then went and mentioned this to Mr. X and they had a good laugh. “You know how it is,” Mr. X said, “They think we all look a like…”</p>
<p>It’s called ‘The Other Race Effect’…<a href=“'They All Look Alike': The Other-Race Effect”>http://www.forbes.com/sites/rosspomeroy/2014/01/28/think-they-all-look-alike-thats-just-the-other-race-effect/</a></p>
<p>But it is often beneficial to take what is a biological limitation and make a political statement. Seems that accepting this limitation would be in the benefit of everyone…think of who you would like in YOUR jury…Then, if you want a jury of only your race…that would make you a racist…on dear…the mobius strip of PC.</p>
<p>OHmom, they left out the Italians. Just an oversight?</p>
<p>Maybe the Italian students at Fordham don’t have any micro-aggression incidents to report, or they were too busy playing bocce ball ;)</p>
<p>^In the absence of context like tone, facial expression, it’s hard to determine whether some of the comments are truly racist or just ignorant and/or immature. For example, some person might have been legitimately curious about the vision of Asians, and that sparked the question–the same sort of question that individual may have asked of any person or group who is different in some way from people he normally encounters. No one over the age of 4 should have actually asked that question of an Asian person, but I’m not convinced it’s a racist comment. When people ask H where he’s from and he names a country in South America, I can’t tell you how many people think that country is in Africa and then ask why he’s not black. Is that racism? No, it’s ignorance. </p>
<p>^^ I think the point of both the projects is not to identify types of overt racism, but (mostly) to show that people with good intentions sometimes say or do things without realizing how they might be perceived. Calling such incidents ignorance is, I think, a big part of what these kids are up to.</p>
<p>These kids have too much time on their hands. Society would be far better off if they used the time to volunteer in the community helping people who really need it. </p>
<p>Maybe it’s time to bring back the draft.</p>
<p>This stuff is wrong and should end. That said, calling idiotic comments racism or “micro-aggression” runs the risk of distracting from the serious racism that actually deprives people of safety, opportunity, civil rights, and justice. I think the sort of statements being highlighted in the second link are akin to dumb blonde and dumb jock jokes: ignorant and offensive, yes, but not exactly a big social problem. As for the Harvard kids, there were obviously a heck of a lot of teachers and other people in these students’ lives who taught them well and gave them great opportunities or they wouldn’t be where they are now: at one of the best universities in the world. Similarly, while I have no doubt that the Obamas have experienced evil, nasty racism in their lives, it would be sort of tasteless to complain about it in their current elevated position.</p>
<p>@GP: LOL… Reminds of certain UC protests…seems that the folks in lab coats (STEM’s) somehow went to class and did their work…THEN they go out and change the world.</p>
<p>@Hanna
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<p>Oh my…Me thinks there is a problem in that hand-selection method. ;
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<p>Not necessarily. You may not have noticed it, but some engineering/cs majors were involved in various campus protests during their college years. </p>
<p>A few even happen to have been my supervisors. </p>
<p>Also, my experience studying with and working with engineering/CS majors has been most of them split to being strongly libertarian right or proudly call themselves “dirty f&*&&n’ hippies”. Both tend to be pretty active in advocating for their respective causes outside of work and during our lively lunchtime “discussions/debates”. </p>
<p>I wish I could unsee this thread and go back to pretending that most people aren’t racists…</p>
<p>cobrat: I’m sure at Oberlin the graduation requirements included participation in an appropriate number protest. From MY ( I was a STEM major at a CSU, spent time at a local UC and now live in the traffic fluster cluck often caused by another UC) experience at the UC’s it’s not the STEMS that are holding barricading traffic, living in trees, or shouting in the student union.</p>
<p>But…YMMV</p>
<p>This Avenue Q songs hits the mark <a href=“AVENUE Q - 'Everybody's a Little Racist,' Broadway Cast - YouTube”>AVENUE Q - 'Everybody's a Little Racist,' Broadway Cast - YouTube;
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<p>Oberlin doesn’t offer engineering and none of my engineering/CS major supervisors/colleagues are alums from my LAC. And you’re wrong about Oberlin requiring participation in protests. There are quite a few who don’t actively participate, contrary to popular stereotype which I admit is well-deserved. </p>
<p>My supervisors’/colleagues alma maters were more schools like MIT, various UCs including Berkeley, and various private and public colleges across the nation and around the world known for their engineering/CS programs. </p>
<p>As I said, most engineering/CS folks I worked with tend to split between libertarian-right or DFHs who’d fit in very well in Oberlin’s campus culture…though they’d feel it isn’t techie enough for them. </p>
<p>^ have you seen the newish Science center at Oberlin? Or the new environmental sciences building? Pretty sweet :)</p>
<p>So is Photo Project Part 2 a display of signs that show all the words of encouragement, support and praise that they may have received throughout the years?</p>