Letters to the Editor: Microaggressions
Last month, I invited Springs’ students to share microaggressions they’ve experienced at Springs. In this article, individual experiences have been compiled and organized. These microaggressions are primarily based on race and sexuality, but this article is in no way all-encompassing. It’s important to recognize and read about these microaggressions for the same reason that it is important to be informed; by educating ourselves and owning our impact, we can hope to work towards truly and equally sharing common spaces.
Sexuality
At Springs, many older students are familiar with the story of two queer-performing (but not necessarily queer) girls who were separated into individual rooms because of the conclusions made about their sexuality based on their pixie cuts. While often the subject of joking conversations, this story is, as most are, based in some element of truth. My individual experiences have distinctly informed me that queer-performing boarding students are subject to much intense and unwarranted scrutiny that leaves me–and many others around me–uncomfortable in our own home and/or fearful to divulge our sexual identities. Stereotypes are obviously at play, with easily-made assumptions leading to uneven policing and suspicion. At the same time, the way dorms are structured in an of itself leaves little to no room for gender non-binary and transgender students to fit in. At the end of the day, boarding cannot in any way be said to be equally welcoming to all.
-anonymous
Race (consolidated from multiple)
Despite the fact that Springs is very much a Predominantly White Institution(PWI), our social media seems to be trying excessively hard to present ourselves as anything but. The same few minorities are constantly selected for pictures, and when one considers how reliant our social media is on Springs’ purported diversity, it is difficult to consider this anything but blatant tokenization. Friend groups that are particularly diverse are especially photographed, and whether or not this is intentional, individual students have felt targeted by the nature of their race, gender, or with whom they associate. At the same time, the concept of “model minorities” seems to occasionally but consistently present itself; be it in the same minority students chosen for special panels or in specific individuals the school consistently highlights.
In classrooms, minority students are often expected to share their experiences, and more than once, Chinese American students have been mistaken for international boarders. Outside of classrooms, the only consistent engagement with international–and specifically Chinese–culture comes in the form of choice swear words and innuendos. When one’s only experience of another’s culture is as cursory and trite, it is perhaps time to reconsider one’s actions.
-anonymous
Again, this article is far from all-encompassing. From shortening non-European names without permission to assuming that individuals from specific geographic or socioeconomic backgrounds have more regressive social and political views, microaggressions are abundantly present at Springs, and it is time we recognized, acknowledged, and acted actively against them.
CARINA LIM’21 (SHE/HER)
Carina is the Editor-in-Chief of the Woodward Post. She is from Singapore, likes cats, and is learning how to skateboard. Unfortunately, she is not very proficient at shredding and fears the day someone asks her to do a kickflip. Carina the resident poser writes about social issues, books, and anything else that comes to mind.
Contact Carina at carina.lim@indiansprings.org