Correlated Facts, Science, and
Observations of Life
An Actionable DEI Insight ... Cultural Sensitivity
Social Sensitivity Self-Test
This ten question Self-Test is ABSOLUTELY PRIVATE!
It is for the personal usage and reflection of each individual. The data is not stored anywhere ... Keep track of it on your own if you like.
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It is rooted in several weeks of our group's contemplation and is based on scientific and academic research (University of Minnesota, see below) and the life experiences of this site's authors and associates.
Question One: Which of the following statements is NOT a Microaggression?
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(1) "We speak English here!"
(2) “Where are you from?”
(3) “Where were you born?”
(4) “You speak good English!”
(5) "Why do you dress like that?"
(6) A person asking an Asian American to teach them words in their native language.
The Answer None How the statements, behavior, or the observations are perceived: You are and Alien in your own land, less than a "real" american or a "normal" person. Intellectual and cultural immaturity ... For example, when Asian Americans and Latino Americans are assumed to be foreign-born. Other examples include attacking a person's gender identity or religion. Context ... Over 99% of the people living in the United States and trace their ancestry to another country or region of the world. A huge percentage of the first generation of "our families" had to learn english. Historically, many immigrants initially settle in communities where they have the support and comfort of being able to buffer their already difficult journey and transformation by speaking the language of where they were born. Spanish, French, German, Italian, etc. even including the many derivatives of English dialects are all "foriegn" languages! The percieved message You are not American You are a foreigner You are not "normal" and your identity and human value is depreciated in "our culture."
Question Two: Which of the following statements is a Microaggression?
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(1) “You are a credit to your race.”
(2) “You are so articulate!”
(3) "What makes YOU so smart?"
(3) Asking an Asian person to help with a Math or Science problem.
The Answer ALL How the statements, behavior, or the observations are perceived: Assumptions (typically negative) of Intelligence of a given culture. Assigning intelligence to a person on the basis of their race, ancestry, etc. The percieved message: Stereotypical and intellectually lazy aassumption of a social group's inferior intelligence and/or and inability to be a full/valued participant.
Question Three: Which of the following statements is a Microaggression?
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(1) “When I look at you, I don’t see color.”
(2) “America is a melting pot.”
(3) “There is only one race, the human race.”
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The Answer ALL How the statements, behavior, or the observations are perceived: Color Blindness statements that indicate that the offending person does not want to acknowledge that race, ethnicity, and/or cultural differences represent anything of cultural value. The percieved message: Denying a person of color’s racial/ethnic experiences including social status, professional achievements, and/or economic obstacles they may have overcome. One must fully Assimilate/Acculturate to the dominant culture's full perception of "normal." Denying the individual as a racially/culturally valued human.
Question Four: Which of the following statements is a Microaggression?
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(1) A White man or woman clutching their purse or checking their wallet as a Black or Latino approaches or passes.
(2) A store owner or department store's securityfollowing a customer ofcolor around the store.
(3) A White person waits to ride the next elevator when a person of color is on it.
(4) A long, uncomfortable (perhaps even aggressive) stare, facial expression, and/or body language when someone "different" enters a room or social space.
The Answer All How the statements, behavior, or the observations are perceived: Criminality – assumption of criminal nature and status. A person of color is presumed to be dangerous, criminal, or deviant on the basis of their race. The percieved message: You are a criminal. You are going to steal. You are poor. You do not belong. You are dangerous. The setting has been devalued by your pressence.
Question Five: Which of the following statements is NOT a Microaggression?
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(1) “I’m not a racist. I have several minority friends.”
(2) “As a woman, I know what you go through as a racial minority.”
The Answer NONE How the statements, behavior, or the observations are Perceived: Denial of individual racism of the existence and relevance of institutionalized prejudices. A statement made when Whites deny their racial biases, however unconscious. The percieved message: I am immune to racism because I have friends of color. Your racial oppression is no different than my gender oppression. I can’t be a racist. I’m like you.
Question Six: Which of the following statements is a Microaggression?
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(1) “I believe the most qualified person should get the job.”
(2) “Everyone can succeed in this society, if they work hard enough.”
(3) "How do you know that?" or rejection of previously unknown insights.
The Answer ALL What one are saying when delivering this message: - People of color are given extra unfair benefits because of their race. - People of color are lazy and/or incompetent and need to work harder. The percieved communication to the recipient: - Myth of meritocracy, social inheritance, and ingraining social connection ("familiarity") networks. - Statements which assert that race and ethnicity does not play a role in life successes. - Dismissal of obstacles overcome from conscious and unconscious biases.
Question Seven: Which of the following statements is a Microaggression?
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(1) Asking a Black person: “Why do you have to be so loud/animated? Just calm down!”
(2) To an Asian or Latino person: Why are you so quiet? We want to know what you think. Be more verbal ...” "Speak up more ...”
(3) Dismissing an individual who brings up race / culture in work / school setting.
(4) Misuse/derogatory usage of slang and/or vocabulary of familiarity used in established social relationships or across specific social affinity groups.
The Answer All How the statements, behavior, or the observations are perceived: - Assimilate to dominant culture. - Leave your "cultural baggage" outside. Message: - Pathologizing cultural values/communication styles. - The notion that the values and communication styles of the dominant/White culture are ideal ... "Normal"
Question Eight: Which of the following statements is NOT a Microaggression?
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(1) Person of color mistaken for a service worker or subordinate staff.
(2) Having a taxi cab pass a person of color and pick up a White passenger.
(3) Being ignored at a store counter as attention is given to the White customer behind you.
(4) Any statement that includes “You people …”
The Answer NONE How the statements, behavior, or the observations are perceived: Assumptions of second-class citizenship ccurs when a White person is given preferential treatment as a consumer over a person of color or other non-dominant Perceived message: - People of color are servants to Whites. They couldn’t possibly occupy high-status positions. - You are likely to cause trouble and/or travel to a dangerous neighborhood. Whites are more valued customers than people of color. - You are a lesser being. - You don’t belong.
Question Nine: Which of the following statements is a Microaggression?
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(1) A college or university with buildings that are all names after White
heterosexual upper-class males.
(2) Television shows and movies that feature predominantly White people, without representation of people of color and/or gender
(3) Overcrowding of public schools in communities of color
(4) Overabundance of liquor stores in communities of color
The Answer ALL What the statements, behavior, or the observations project: - Environmental and social microaggressions - Macro-level microaggressions, which are more apparent on systemic and environmental levels Perceived messages: - You don’t belong. - You won’t succeed here. - There is only so far you can go. - You are an outsider. - You don’t exist. - People of color or non-dominant gender don’t/shouldn’t value education. - People of color are deviant.
Question Ten (Final Question):
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Which pattern of behavior or dialog represents one's perception of a pattern of targeted Microaggression?
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(1) Social and/or professional disengagement.
(2) Getting quick agreement to avoid further discussion.
(3) Looks of misunderstanding and/or hurt feelings
(4) An uneasy laugh, or smirk; Uneasiness and lack of comfort
The Answer ALL Members of non-dominant cultures are subject to Microagressions from the earliest stages of develoment. The hurt, but must be endured. They cause anger that must be suppressed. Being sensitive to them ... expecting them becomes part of the individual psyche. DIrect engagement requires trained coping skills an is likely to become a "race to the bottom" of defensive and aggressive conversation. Over time, disengagement becomes a survival skill.
Summary - Microaggression Awareness!
Microaggressions ... the critical factor is how statements, behavior, or the observed behaviors are perceived:
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Over time, the receipt and perceptions of receiving microaggressions (verbal and physical) fit unwelcomed patterns. These microaggressions represent emotional trauma ... this comes from anger, confusion, and general emotional fatigue. In many cases these "mini traumas" cases makes a person sensitive to the behavior.
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Simplifying the resulting dialog, the recipient of a perceived microaggression has two choices:
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* Make the person committing the microaggression aware that they are offended by the actions of another person. In most cases, the offending party will get defensive and dismissive out of a false sense of infallibility coming from an implied social sense of implied superiority. Further conversation becomes a "race to the bottom" interaction (e.g. "Can't you take a joke?" or worst case "your self-righteous!") that will most likely create further disharmony.
or ...
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* The offended person, as an emotional and social "survival skill" will avoid direct conflict leading to avoidance and disengagement. The metaphor is that of beating one's head against a brick wall of "lack of respect", and it being better to just step around the aggressive behavior and moving on ... again, disengagement. Also, many cultures are assumed (again through immature and lazy stereotypes) to be overly aggressive and drawing attention to verbal and non-verbal microaggressions may label one as "not fitting in our culture ..."
Closing examples ...
Examples of statements and/or observation that to offend someone without really trying:
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“Indian giver.”
“That’s so gay.”
“She welshed on the bet.”
“I jewed him down.”
“That’s so White of you.”
“You people …”
“We got gypped.”
Imitating accents or dialects
"How did you do in high school"
"Where did YOU go to college?"
"Why don't you go back to where you came from?"
"Can't you take a joke?"
Final Key Note:
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80-90% of communications are non-verbal. Looks, smirks, acting dismissal to any element of dialog that doesn't align with your perhaps limited life experiences, projecting dismissal of feelings or insights, and/or probing questions that are looking for opportunities to either project superiority of downgrade life experiences or achievements ALL reflect micro-aggresive behavior.
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Microaggressions and the conscious and/or unconscious biases they represent are the antithesis of collaborative behavior and lead to lost human AND lost business potential.
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Augmented and adapted from:
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Wing, Capodilupo, Torino, Bucceri, Holder, Nadal, Esquilin (2007). Racial Microaggressions in Everyday Life: Implications for Clinical Practice.
American Psychologist, 62, 4, 271-286
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Research complete and compiled at University of Minnesota