Microaggressions

I had noticed this week at work that a couple of my co-workers, whenever he talked about people, would mention their race.  If something happened at work, they would notice that one person would be treated differently, and this was automatically because of race.  Since I didn't know either of them that well, I just listened, but it made me wonder why when we talk about people in general, why race has to be mentioned?

I wonder if for some people it is just a natural part of their conversation, to mention someone's race, as if the other person would understand what they were saying better.  Whether or not we mean to say something, or mention a person's race during a conversation, we need to keep in mind the damage this may do to somebody, especially a child.

Definitions of Culture & Diversity

Some of the definitions of culture I received:  ideas, experiences, music, art, philosophy, etc, that are important to a group of people; shared unique customs, foods, music, etc that differentiate a group from another; can cross racial, ethnic and gender lines; it is learned and helps you to fit in with/belong to a certain group of people.


Definitions of diversity:  the variables that make us all uniquely different from one another; differences among individuals that could encompass, race, gender, religious preference, culture, customs, age, economic status etc., the opposite of segregation. if a group is diverse, there is more interest as each person can bring something different to the table.


Some of the culture definitions from my friends were similar to what the book stated, such as ideas, experiences, music, art, etc.  It is hard to say exactly what was left out, because culture encompasses us as a whole person.


As for diversity, the idea that what makes us each different is what makes us diverse was right on point.  I was pleasantly surprised at the definitions my friends had given; they actually had more ideas about culture than I did when I first started!

If I had to leave the country...

If my family and I were the only survivors of a catastrophe that hit the states, and we had to move to another country, only allowed to take 3 things that would represent our culture, I would take music, books and art.  The reason for this is because all 3 of these things can represent who my son and I are.  I would take some CD's (or my iPod, I guess), because that contains a variety of music that makes us feel good, laugh, and represents our religion.  Books and journals can tell our history, which is why this would be the one thing I would keep, if I had to get rid of the other two.  Finally, art can represent so much of who we are, that which we can't express in words.

This was a hard exercise, because it is hard to really narrow it down to just a few things.  It made me realize that I may know plenty about what I like to do, but as far as history and my background, I don't know really anything, which means my son will not know anything either.