The panelist is a 25-year old Asian female born in the United States after her parents immigrated to the country in the late 1980s. The panelist shared her experiences of microaggressions related to her ethnicity, as implied by her Asian appearance. The prejudiced attitude of the so-called majority in the society toward the national or ethnic minorities is rooted in the perceived differences of the cultural and social heritage of the latter. For example, when meeting a person for the first time, the panelist is commonly asked where she is originally from, implying that they need to know why she is different. This experience is very common for minorities in the USA since a very similar episode is portrayed in the video by Tenaka (2013). In the same manner, the panelist shared that people often express their admiration about her English language expertise, although she has spoken English her whole life, like many other Americans. Thus, the microaggressions encountered by the panelist are very common and easily identifiable.
Overall, microaggression might be defined as a combination of everyday expressions of negative attitudes toward a representative of a minority group in a verbal or non-verbal form. In the cases exemplified by the panelist, her experiences were verbal and unintentional offensive messages, which diminished her human dignity as an American citizen. As stated in the video by Rain (n. d.), the daily psychological and social challenges the children of immigrants are exposed to change their lives significantly and cause deterioration in cultural heritage and force acculturation in the dominant society by means of oppression the cultural particularities of a given ethnicity.
This tendency is conditioned by the significant impact of white privilege, a concept that has a strong social impact in contemporary American society. McIntosh (1990) expresses her opinion concerning the definition of white privilege, which she identifies as “an invisible package of unearned assets that I can count on cashing in each day, but about which I was “meant” to remain oblivious” (p. 31). The author explains that being the perceived majority in society, white people take their advantages over other races for granted. The problem of microaggressions is rooted in such assumptions, where majorities take dominant positions, often not even realizing it. In such a manner, white people asking the panelist about her country of origin or expressing her good English speaking skills use their white privilege when even unintentionally insulting her identity.
The microaggressions the identified panelist experiences in her daily life are similar to my own experiences in relation to my ethnicity. Being an African American female exposes me to daily misconceptions concerning my race. These experiences are manifested through verbal expressions that imply my belonging to a different group. White privilege allows people to assume that all black people have the same experience, which is why I am often asked about my opinion concerning racial equality. Since our experiences are so similar, my emotional response to the panelist’s experience was characterized by compassion, understanding, and the willingness to support. I also felt that my professional expertise would be helpful for the panelist and that counseling and sincere discussion of her experience will help deal with the problem. I think I can easily identify with the panelist’s experience since we share similar microaggressions and go through related life situations.
One of the panelists is a 31-year old male who currently identifies as a Muslim and has always been a member of a Muslim religious community due to the family’s spiritual heritage. The individual’s spirituality is significantly impacted by his religious affiliation and family traditions. His spirituality is an important part of everyday life that coordinates his marital, social, professional, and personal spheres. Another individual to be referred to is a 42-year old male from an underprivileged neighborhood. He comes from a poor family of five, where his single mother could not earn enough to provide all necessary for the panelist and his siblings. Both panelists are impacted by the issue of privilege in society.
It is relevant to define privilege in order to elaborate on its importance in social life and its implications for counseling. According to Hays et al. (2007), privilege is an unearned opportunity to make life choices and everyday activities that others might have difficulty obtaining. As vividly illustrated in the videos by As/Is (2015), TEDx (2016), and Peter D. (2016), privilege is something that does not depend on a person’s actions but is a consequence of their positioning in the social hierarchy. Thus, being from a dominant religious community or a middle class allows the people identified with these features to have better life opportunities, while others are exposed to oppression.
Both spirituality and class play a significant role in human experiences in a given society. As Shook (2017) and Cashwell and Watts (2010) state, spirituality is one of the core factors of wellness, which needs to be appropriately addressed to maintain healthy psychological experiences in clients. The marginalized groups that identify with uncommon for the American society religions tend to be exposed to oppression and prejudiced attitude. Similarly, belonging to a particular social class determines the kind of experiences one is entitled to. As vividly illustrated in the article by Shepard and Gibson (2020), individuals from lower social classes need to survive and put effort into such normal daily things as food or clothing. However, privileged individuals do not acknowledge the easy access to these resources. It is important to note that the phenomenon of privilege, especially when applied to the realms of religion or class, emerges as a very complex issue. Since the manifestations of privilege are commonly unintentional and difficult to define, it is even more difficult to deal with them in the process of counseling.
When communicating with the two panelists and listening to their experiences related to their spirituality and class, I felt compassionate. The first panelist shared that he was the only Muslim student in his class in college, which obstructed his opportunities to communicate freely with others and make friends. The adverse image of a Muslim that the media have created in the society imposes a label of similarity between all Muslims, which induces oppression toward the minority. The second panelist talked about his continuous feeling of shame when he attended high school and could not afford the entertainment his classmates enjoyed. The deprivation of such things as new clothes made him feel abnormal and distant from the majority of privileged youth. Since I am a Catholic from a middle-class family, I cannot state that I identify my experience with those of the two panelists. However, my skills as a professional help me identify the sources of oppression and address them in counseling.
The panelist who has been an object of discrimination based on his affectional orientation is a 19-year old male who identifies himself as gay, in his words. The identity defined by the panelist aligns with the identity definitions according to the Association of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Issues in Counseling (ALGBTIC) LGBQQIA Competencies Taskforce, 2013). He stated that he acknowledged his sexual orientation to his family and the public two years ago and has been in several relationships since. The panelist shared multiple episodes when he experienced oppression and discrimination from the side of heterosexual individuals due to his orientation. Moreover, the man emphasizes that he feels that people often express their aggression not only due to the fact that he is gay but particularly because he has publicly acknowledged this. According to the panelist, such an aggressive attitude is commonly received from heterosexual males who initiate offensive conversations with vivid elements of machismo. As a young man belonging to a marginalized group, the panelist becomes an object of discrimination from the side of the dominating heterosexual group.
In modern American society where the human rights to well-being and freedom are explicitly addressed in political, social, and economic areas, the issue of affectional orientation acquires a particular place. Indeed, according to the Association of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Issues in Counseling (ALGBTIC) Transgender Committee (2010), all individuals have “the potential to live fully functioning and emotionally healthy lives” along with their gender identity (p. 2). Sexuality, as well as gender, are commonly perceived through the lens of prejudice, which consequently provokes oppression and discrimination of those who represent the minority (National Geographic, 2017). The experience of the introduced panelist is impacted by this misconception of his actual identity and the one that is labeled onto him by society on the basis of his gender.
When dealing with gender as one of the important elements of self-identification and life in a society, one should refer to the concept of intersectionality. According to LaMantia et al. (2015), it is a complex set of political and social identities a person has when living in a society. For example, an individual might be a gay black woman from an underprivileged social class. The intersection of the multiple social and political identities of this person has implied a wide spectrum of issues that might lead to oppression or discrimination. In the case of the introduced panelist, his affectional orientation, in combination with his Latino race, exposes him to an even more intensified level of oppression. Since Latino men are prejudiced to bear the features of strong heterosexual males, the disruption in gender identities or sexual orientation widens the space for discrimination.
In order to provide high-quality counseling services to LGBTQQIA clients, a counselor must be an ally for them. As it is stated in the video by TEDx (2015), counselors who work with LGBTQQIA clients care about their well-being and want to help them struggle with their challenges in the form of discrimination. Like any other individual, the introduced panelist has a right to obtain unbiased counseling, which may only be provided by a counselor who performs as an ally. According to LaMantia et al. (2015), an ally should support and empower people from the served community, as well as promote their wellness as dignified members of society.
References
As/Is. (2015). What is privilege? Web.
Association of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Issues in Counseling (ALGBTIC) Transgender Committee. (2010). American Counseling Association: Competencies for counseling with transgender clients. Journal of LGBT Issues in Counseling, 4(3-4), 135-159. Web.
Association of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Issues in Counseling (ALGBTIC) LGBQQIA Competencies Taskforce. (2013). Competencies for counseling with lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, questioning, intersex, and ally individuals. Journal of LGBT Issues in Counseling, 7(1), 2-43. Web.
Cashwell, C. S., & Watts, R. E. (2010). The New ASERVIC competencies for addressing spiritual and religious issues in counseling. Counseling and Values, 55(1), 2–5. Web.
Hays, D. G., Dean, J. K., & Chang, C. Y. (2007). Addressing privilege and oppression in counselor training and practice: A qualitative analysis. Journal of Counseling and Development, 85(3), 317–324. Web.
LaMantia, K., Wagner, H., & Bohecker, L. (2015). Ally development through feminist pedagogy: A systemic focus on intersectionality. Journal of LGBT Issues in Counseling, 9(2), 136–153. Web.
McIntosh, P. (1990). White privilege: Unpacking the invisible knapsack.Independent School, 49(2), 31–35. Web.
National Geographic. (2017). The genderbread person | Gender revolution Web.
Peter D. (2017). Life of privilege explained in a $100 race—please watch to the end. Web.
Rain, M. (n.d.). What it’s like to be the child of immigrants.Web.
Shepard, D. L., & Gibson, E. M. (2020). Cultivating social class awareness in the counseling profession.Counseling Today. Web.
Shook, M. (Producer). (2017). EP29: Spirituality and religion in counseling: Definitions, competencies, and spiritual bypass with Craig Cashwell [Audio podcast]. The Thoughtful Counselor. Web.
TEDx [TEDx Talks]. (2015). Trans liberation is for everybody: Anneliese Singh: TEDxGeorgiaStateU. Web.
TEDx [TEDx Talks]. (2016). Understanding my privilege: Sue Borrego: TEDxPasadenaWomen. Web.
Tenaka, K. [helpmefindparents]. (2013). What kind of Asian are you? Web.