I have met many new people during my time on this program. Conversations are usually sparked by interest in Canada World Youth, our volunteer work, and the experiences we’ve had while traveling. I do enjoy sharing my stories, but far too commonly I am asked, “Where are you from?”. What is worse is that far too commonly people seem to be unsatisfied when I would respond with “Toronto”, as if I didn’t answer the question. I couldn’t put my finger on it at first, but I knew that something didn’t feel right. After all, what’s the big deal? What’s wrong with them asking where I’m from? They’re just curious, right? I tried convincing myself that I was just overreacting and being sensitive, but I knew that it was deeper than that. Everything clicked when I was introduced to the term “micro-aggression” during an Educational Activity Day. It is defined as “brief and everyday daily verbal or behavioral indignities, whether intentional or unintentional, that communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative racial slights and insults towards people of colour”. With this definition now in mind, it dawned on me how many micro-aggressions I have faced: “Where are you from?” “What country were you born in?” “How long have you been in Canada?” “What other languages do you speak?” I finally figured out what caused my discomfort. I realized that people took one look at my foreign skin-tone, and asked me questions that pointed out that I was different. They were asking me questions that made me feel as if I didn’t belong here. As if it didn’t make sense that I was born and raised in Toronto. As if the 24 years I have in this country didn’t count. As if English could not be my first and only language. As is the fact that my parents immigrated to this country from the Philippines was the answer they were really looking for. What is most problematic about micro-aggressions is, as the definition states, that they are unintentional. This speaks volumes about ignorance and unawareness. While people shake their heads at evidence of racism in the news, they fail to realize the ways in which they play an active role in sustaining it. Since they are “micro” these aggressions are easily overlooked, but I can assure you that they are felt, and even though we may not mean to, they do hurt. They are small instances, but when repeated and reproduced over time, micro-aggressions have a huge impact. They are based on ideas of stereotypes, racism, and discrimination. They control what we think about people, and the way we interact with them. They derive from closed-minds that limit us from truly getting to know others. They speak a language of exclusion instead of inclusion. They support the wrongful belief that asking “Where are you from?” is definitive. Most importantly, they trust that sourcing the colour of ones skin will tell a more complete story of who he or she is. I beg to differ. Being on a cultural exchange and spending the last 6 months getting to know people from all over Canada and Ghana, I have learned that where we are from does not define us. In fact, it tells us nothing compared to the millions of other things that make us who we are as individuals. So the next time someone asks me where I’m from, I am going to smile and ask “Why does it matter?” …. Then show them this video. https://youtube/watch?v=DWynJkN5HbQ
Posted on: Tue, 09 Dec 2014 02:10:08 +0000
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