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QUESTION
Instructions
Select one of the incidents of discrimination or microaggression in the Riverbend City media activity and use that incident to write the following
Describe your selected incident of discrimination or microaggression from the Riverbend City: Microaggressions media activity.
Analyze why the incident was an example of discrimination or microaggression rather than just bad manners.
Cite – scholarly sources to support your assertions.
In what ways did cultural beliefs or socioeconomic factors impact client functioning and clinical presentation in the incident?
Analyze the ways a client or human services professional in the Riverbend City scenario was privileged by race or other dimensions of social identity. How did privilege contribute or not contribute to this incident?
What surprised you? What had you not considered before exploring this media activity? Analyze how your beliefs about the people in this scenario affected your reaction.
ANSWER
Social Work and Human Services: Micro-Aggressions in Riverbend Media Activity
Microaggressions are more common than people think because they are often hidden within the implied language. Some arise from conflicting ideologies and cultures that some individuals do not take the time to understand. Statements with microaggressions often express subtility, are unintentional, and are perceived as “small” that marginalized groups take offense. As social service workers working with people from different backgrounds rich in culture and diversity, awareness of microaggressions is essential as we may be contributors to microaggressions unknowingly.
One of the famous microaggression incidents in Riverbend is the Vang family incident. Jason Vang, a 16-year-old high school boy, received news of his little cousin Mee who had been rushed to the hospital. Due to her having Asthma, Jason was worried and rushed to the Hospital because his school was blocks away from the hospital. Upon reaching the hospital, he tried acquiring information about his cousin Mee, but the nurses were not responsive. Instead, Jason reported they were rude and only congratulated him for his English. Their explanation that he was young to be given patient information didn’t answer why they behaved the way they did. Jason felt that they were insulting him because he was born in the United States. This situation became tense with more media attention and tension between the Hmong community of Riverbend City and the Riverbend City Medical Center.
Microaggressions are often microinsults, microinvalidations, or micro-assaults. In this case, Jason recognizes that it was an insult to compliment him on his language despite being born in the US. Williams (2021) argues that recognizing microaggressions is easy when you experience it personally, and Jason has helped determine that this was a microaggression case and not bad manners. The Diversity and Inclusion Subcommittee & Caring Communities provide an anti-racism action guide that describes micro-aggressions as put-downs or insults directed at marginalized groups by individuals who may be unaware of their offensive and demeaning actions or language. They provide an example of micro-aggression, like complimenting a black person for being “articulate” or “not sounding Black.” In their explanation, they identify the insinuation that they didn’t expect the Black person to sound intelligent and the underlying stereotype that Black people are less intelligent. The Vang family’s case is the same as the Diversity and Inclusion Subcommittee & Caring Communities’ explanation of micro-aggression, i.e., the demeaned Jason by complementing his language skills.
After attempting to address the situation, a social worker found out that the Vang family was struggling financially and couldn’t afford a primary care physician. In the social worker’s words, the situation could have turned out differently if Mee had been taken to see a primary care physician. This is one of the socioeconomic factors at play as coining method and language intertwine in the cultural aspects of care. Consequently, the assumption that Asian families are educated and knowledgeable played a role in assuming the family would seek medical help instead of the coining method that was part of their culture.
Some groups are privileged by race and other dimensions of identity that they forget others do not share the same (Harrison and Tanner, 2018). Such a case is the social worker who was called in upon suspicion that Mee was being abused. The social worker thought it was a frustrating experience that the child was not taken to a family primary care physician or doctor instead of the coining. This is particularly common in individuals from a higher socio-economic class who assume that every family has a primary physician to attend to them on standby. The problem lies in the unaffordable medical care that leads to traditional healing substitutes. Therefore, privilege contributes to assumptions that are often micro-aggressive depending on the recipient.
Initially, I had not considered the weight of the Vang family incident. Upon further inquiry and understanding of the microaggression concept, I now understand why the Vang family reacted the way they did. The amount of insensitivity to culture displayed is enough to show how deep the situation was. It was surprising to know that healthcare workers, who are supposed to have exemplary cultural competence, could assume that speaking English was attributed to a certain group. I had not considered the reaction from the organization after the boy revealed that the encounter with the nurses was demeaning. I believe that when such an incident happens, the focus should be shifted to the impact of an event rather than the intent. If the hospital had proceeded differently as opposed to ignoring Jason and his family, the outcome would have been different.
More often than times, people have assumed different things about other groups of people. Minorities and marginalized groups continue to be victims of microaggressions from people who believe it is normal to stereotype certain mannerisms. What is more surprising is the party involved, which should be a safe harbor, at least for a community suffering discrimination on the outside. Professionals ought to be knowledgeable and exercise cultural humility and competence to ensure cultural safety for all patients. In summary, healthcare, social service workers, and everyone in the human services field should be sensitive to other people’s uniqueness.
References
Diversity and Inclusion Subcommittee & Caring Communities. (n.d). Anti-Racism Action Guide: Recognizing and Responding to Microaggressions. Emory University. https://med.emory.edu/departments/psychiatry/_documents/_documents1/microaggressions.pdf
Harrison, C., & Tanner, K. D. (2018). Language Matters: Considering Microaggressions in Science. CBE Life Sciences Education, 17(1), fe4. https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.18-01-0011
Williams M. T. (2021). Racial Microaggressions: Critical Questions, State of the Science, and New Directions. Perspectives On Psychological Science: A Journal Of The Association For Psychological Science, 16(5), 880–885. https://doi.org/10.1177/17456916211039209
