Microaggressions

Microaggressions

When I attended the weekly prayer meeting for an organization to which I belong, the topic was the Special Olympics.  A member shared about his experiences with volunteering with the track team for this yearly event for people who are mentally challenged.  During the fellowship time after the meeting, the discussion turned to characteristics of the people who participate in the Special Olympics.  All of the comments were positive and accepting but full of stereotypes.  Topics discussed were whether "they" ever went to college, lived on their own or got married.  The speaker answered that some do and they even get married to others "like them".  I consider this unintentional microaggression because the people were consistently talked about as a group and not as individuals.  I would say this is an example of ableism. 

This made me uncomfortable because I have a very close friend who participated in the Special Olympics.  Yes, he lives on his own, has attended some college and is even engaged to a "normal" person.  I did not say anything during that discussion because I do not feel it is my place to tell my friend's story.  Later I asked him how he would have reacted in that situation.  Would he have shared that he had been in the Special Olympics?  He said he just doesn't know.

It is a good idea to put yourself in the shoes of someone who is different from the majority of the population.  To themselves they are normal.  Many don't go around thinking about their differences all day.  Their life is their life and their friends accept them the way they are.  Everyone appreciates being treated like human beings first and foremost.

I am not angered by my friends at the prayer meeting.  Part of our organization's mission is to love and serve others.  It just shows when you don't know people as individuals, it is easy to commit microaggression without even realizing it.