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May 31, 2022, 11:12 PM
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Member Since: Apr 2014
Location: Home
Posts: 8,406
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ZenZeta
In recent years, the term "microaggression" has come to the forefront signaling that it's NOT OK to make seemingly harmless statements that reek of bias or outright racism.
I have a co-worker who CONSTANTLY makes comments that make my stomach churn. From her stating that she finds it "interesting" that COVID originated in China and that all of the variants originate in Africa (incorrect) and wondering if it's tied to those countries being so "rural" . . . (incidentally, I am of African American, Korean and Caucasian descent)
To her making a point to try to pronounce someone's name on a ZOOM call (and getting it wrong several times) only to state that she's not good with the "ethnic" names (I'm sorry, but how hard is it to pronounce Mario?) . . .
...to us wishing our Guatemalan co-worker Happy Birthday on the ZOOM call that just ended. I said "Happy Birthday" in Spanish and he responded "Thank You" in Spanish to which she felt the need to say "I don't know about any of that stuff. I speak English."
I'm SICK of it!!! I went to my manager (who is an African American male) and expressed my concerns. He did nothing but say, "she doesn't mean any harm" but acknowledged that her comments are "distasteful".
I want to approach our Diversity department and ask for some Microaggression training, but being the "squeaky wheel" may land me in hot water.
We live in this beautiful kaleidoscope of a world that merits acceptance or at least the common courtesy to keep "off color" (pun intended) comments to yourself.
Her being a middle aged, southern white woman does NOT excuse this, and it's bugging me. I'm tired of "letting it go". She needs to zip the lip.
Suggestions?
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I think your diversity department is a good place to start, but really it's probably best to file a complaint to HR. I'm not sure some of these are even microaggressions. The comment about "I speak English" just seems like a flat out discriminatory comment, not a microaggression at all. And the comment about the "ethnic" names is highly offensive - not a microaggression at all, that's an outright racist remark. What I'd do is go to HR and say that these remarks, some of which are veiled and some of which are outright racist, make you feel very uncomfortable, if not discriminated against by your co-worker.
Seriously, those comments are not okay, not even from a white Southern woman, I lived in the South with plenty of white Southern women. I suspect she knows exactly what she's saying.
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Primary Dx: C-PTSD and Severe Chronic Treatment Resistant Major Depressive Disorder
Secondary Dx: Generalized Anxiety Disorder with mild Agoraphobia.
Meds I've tried: Prozac, Zoloft, Celexa, Effexor, Remeron, Elavil, Wellbutrin, Risperidone, Abilify, Prazosin, Paxil, Trazadone, Tramadol, Topomax, Xanax, Propranolol, Valium, Visteril, Vraylar, Selinor, Clonopin, Ambien
Treatments I've done: CBT, DBT, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), Talk therapy, psychotherapy, exercise, diet, sleeping more, sleeping less...
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