- Date posted
- 5y
- Date posted
- 5y
I was a resident advisor in college (just graduated in May!) and I’m black, I did a series on Microagressions. Microagressions are “defined as brief and common daily verbal, behavioral, and environmental communications, whether intentional or unintentional, that transmit hostile, derogatory, or negative messages to a target person because they belong to a stigmatized group.” Sometimes you can’t see or recognize a bias. Our media is inherently racist. I had a asian friend ask me, “why do all black people sing with soul?” And she blinked at me not knowing what she said was racist. She believed this based on what she saw in the media. How is that supported? Black RnB singers, Black Gospel Choirs, and Beyoncé. This belief was subtly pushed. Our media they’ve vilified and made certain jobs and actions belong to a certain group. It’s not your fault because that’s what we’ve all consumed. Your subconscious may have learned this but your conscious mind knows that’s not a correct thing to think. What you can praise is that you recognized this as a stereotype and harmful. You didn’t play into it. It’s scary but we’re all bias and our goal is to unlearn it. The fact you can see this as wrong and working to change, you can feel good about it.
- Date posted
- 5y
i read something once that stated “what you think first is what you’ve been conditioned to think, your thoughts after define who you are”
- Date posted
- 5y
We're conditioned into those thoughts and stereotypes. Your immediate thought about something says very little about you, noticing it and not doing any harmful behaviour based on it says lots- that you care enough to notice, and you prioritise doing the right thing over the discomfort of the topic. As anonymous said, you didn't do any microaggressions and even if you had, if you noticed it and apologised and made a note to be more mindful, then you're doing as much as anyone can expect of you. Systemic change can stop this from being so pervasive for future generations. As for the OCD suggesting that you haven't applied for those jobs in the past due to the association with Hispanics- you can only give it a maybe. It could be that you hadn't considered cleaning jobs as a prospect, or didn't think they'd hire you, or that it felt low status, all sorts. It's probably some combination. We probably all behave based on unconscious conditioning all of the time, it's not our fault and also isn't something we can change until it comes into our awareness for some reason. So let what it's telling you be just another thought. It might make you a little uncomfortable but you don't need to investigate it.
- Date posted
- 5y
Thank you guys. I'm trying to be better and educate myself everyday. Especially with the Black Lives Matter movement being so important.
Related posts
- Date posted
- 23w
I feel like a really terrible person right now, I keep replaying this, and no matter what I can’t remember what happened, it’s like my brain is purposely not letting me think about it. Without wasting any more time, I’ll get into it. Basically, I was at Walmart, and looking at cards with My Dad, I saw anime ones, took pictures of them for my sister, even ones that were anime kids, because I did my best to ignore it, so I looked at a Hunter x Hunter card, I stared at the black haired kid, being all like “ I’m glad I’m not having any thoughts about this, I’m glad I’m having normal thoughts and not thinking anything” I felt happy, then as soon as I looked at killua (white haired kid), everything collapsed. I don’t know what happened, my brain won’t let me remember. But I’ll give bits and pieces. I think that I had false attraction, and something in my head, said “oh, I wouldn’t mind being attracted.” “He is attractive, and I’m attracted to him.” “I remember a girl thinking he is attractive and he is” “ It’s not wrong to be attracted” “ I don’t care about his age” .. something along the lines of that, and now I’m panicking super hard, because I’m worried if I said those things, I feel like I ruined my life that I’m a pe//do and deserve nothing, idk what to do, I feel terrible… I remember when I was having the intrusive thoughts, I was panicking and was worrying, but it kept playing out, and I kept hearing things talk, it was drawn out too long, that now I feel convinced that I was saying those things, I tested it too, and I can confirm that I didn’t say that, but why am I still not convinced? I know I wouldn’t say those things, I was hoping the complete opposite would happen. My brain kept making me feel like it wasn’t wrong and it was okay. Maybe that’s why I’m so convinced I did that. I’m just spiraling super bad right now, I don’t know what to do or what to think, I don’t know if I said that or not… even if I did test it, I genuinely just feel like I said it, and I wanted it, because I still feel uncertain, I still feel like I said it, part of me just wants to be like oh I did and so I can move on, not because I agree with it, I just don’t know what else to do… I’m really scared.
- Date posted
- 21w
This is hard to admit, but I’ve been struggling with intrusive thoughts where the central theme is racism. I don’t use racial slurs but my brain worries that I have said something that hurts or offends someone and now I find myself analyzing every social interaction.
- Date posted
- 18w
I just left my apartment and was heading out ,when a guy who was black poked his head out of the elevator and scared me by accident. I immediately apologized bc i think i jumped or gasped a little. Then i was like 'what if he thinks I'm racist if I take the stairs like i usually do instead of the elevator ' bc i usually take the stairs since I'm on the 2nd floor. I went over and tried to go in the elevator but it was already closing. So he awkwardly held it open and I apologized again. I stood in the elevator and I think he took a step away from me. I'm scared i was racist somehow and it felt rly awkward overall.
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