I do know what "dumb" means. I don't think anyone realizes that using the term "Deaf and Dumb" encourages mircoaggressions and mircoinsults. Every deaf person we have had met is a "mute"? Can they speak for themselves? What about hard of hearing and deaf people who have learned how to speak and lipread? Are they still "mute" or "dumb"? Why do people labeled them the term "deaf and dumb?"
How many of you guys know what the word "micro-aggression" means? I learned it from taking culturally diverse on theory and practice class. The definition of mirco-aggression is "brief, everyday exchanges that send denigrating messages" to a target group such as people of color, women, and gays (Sue et al,,2007). If a person is showing mirco-aggressions toward a gay person, it is often subtle in nature and can be manifested in the verbal, nonverbal, visual, or behavioral realm. The person might be done it intentionally or unintentionally (Sue et al., 2007).
Mircoaggressions are
1. tend to be subtle, unintentional, and indirect.
2. often occur in situations where there are alternative explanations
3. represent unconscious and ingrained biased beliefs and attitudes
4. are more likely to occur when people pretend not to notice differences, thereby denying that race, gender, or sexual orientation had anything to do with their actions (sue et al.,2007)
A person can be mircoinsult if she or he made comments or behaves that convey rudeness or insensitivity or demean a person's racial heritage identity, gender identity, or sexual orientation identity. How many people have done this? I believe that many of us have done it intentionally or unintentionally.
Sue, D.W., Bucceri,j.mLin,A,. nadal, K,. Torino, G. (2007). Racial microaggresions and the Asian American experience. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 13, 72-81.
