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.
3 comments:
Hi Shannon,
I don't think I realized how much race is a part of everyday conversation either. It is even evident in children's conversations. For example, when a child may be describing another person they may point out their racial identity or assumed racial identity first and foremost. I personally correct children when they do this just because I feel that people should be identified by name if at all possible.
Shannon,
Thank you for another perspective about microaggressions. Thinking about this, I realized I may also be guilty of mentioning race without recognizing the underlying message or harm that may come with it. A child will definitely pick up on this. Right now I am trying to help children (4 year old class) understand that calling others names is not acceptable and instead they should talk to each other to try and solve a problem. Thanks for the insight!
Shannon,
I noticed the very same thing this morning in our Sunday School class. During our classroom discussion time, a member referred to the race of a former co-worker while telling a humorous story. His race didn't really help me to understand the story - it was funny no matter the race of his co-worker. I think for some people it is a matter of habit. Even the news depicts race in its reporting. Sometimes it is pertinent to the story, but how many times is it not?
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