Your culture matters
CONTENT WARNING: Please know that the experiences mentioned in this blog post are based on my own personal lived experiences. They do not reflect the lived experiences of all cultural backgrounds. No two or more cultural backgrounds are exactly the same. Commentaries published on my First Former Buddy Club President influencer page represent diverse experiences. If you would like to submit a commentary, please contact me for more information. All experiences are welcome here.
TRIGGER WARNING: If you are affected by cultural trauma, this blog post may be triggering. If you need support right now, please seek help from a therapist or other mental health professional who is qualified to do so. You can also call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 (press 2 if you are a Spanish speaker) or text "HOME" to the Crisis Text Line at 741741 if you live in the USA, text "CONNECT" to the Crisis Text Line at 686868 if you live in Canada, or text "AYUDA" to 741741 and/or dial 442-AYUDAME in WhatsApp if you are a Spanish speaker. You can also visit my hotline resources page by clicking on the following hyperlink: Hotline Resources.
Advocacy and activism for diverse groups intensifies during cultural observances and matters all year round. Some of the ways that topics related to these diverse groups are addressed can be helpful or triggering for individuals. So, it is important to show respect and kindness and provide safe spaces. Currently, I am learning how to heal from cultural trauma. I have never felt like my cultural background matters, especially being Spanish, because of my unconventional intersectionality. Prejudice comments and being compared to stereotypes has made it worse. I have decided to be vulnerable by opening up to support other people with similar lived experiences. It is worth mentioning that I included symbols from my own culture in the graphics featured in this blog post for my own personal healing; however, people of all cultural backgrounds are welcome to use these affirmations.
Your culture matters...
🌋No matter how much oppression you face
Experiencing discrimination does not define anyone's worth.
🥫No matter how you identify
I am a spiritually Christian, white Hispanic, Italian, Irish, German cisgender heterosexual woman who stutters with Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome (PMOS) (formerly known as PCOS, short for Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome) and shoulder length, dark brown, curly hair and brown eyes. When encountering any individuals, it is common for people to assume what their backgrounds are based on their physical appearance and other limited observations that are only snapshots. These common assumptions about backgrounds based on physical appearances are typically in regard to but not limited to skin color, hair, and/or clothes. These common assumptions based on other limited observations are typically in regard to the following:
- Whether they have an accent or not
- Which foods they do and do not eat
- Which languages they do and do not speak
- Which holidays they do and do not celebrate
- Their birthplaces, traditions, socioeconomic status, abilities, limitations, flaws, challenges, strengths, achievements, interests, beliefs, experiences, lifestyles, sexual orientation, and gender identity
- Which things they have and have not opened up about
Not all characteristics of anyone's backgrounds are obvious while some characteristics are more visible. All because a person does not appear to have obvious characteristics associated with a certain race, ethnicity, and/or culture does not guarantee what their race, ethnicity, religion, and/or culture is and is not. Everyone's racial, ethnic, religious, and cultural backgrounds naturally show up differently. This prejudice is often why so many people are reluctant about opening up about their diversity, which decreases opportunities for cultural, LGBTQIA+, and disability visibility.
Related Links:
🫱🏻🫲🏿No matter what your skin color is
In general, throughout my life, there have been many people who insist that I am not Hispanic because of my skin color. Contrary to popular belief, however, while certain skin colors are a common characteristic among different ethnicities and races, no one needs to have a certain skin color to be any ethnicity or race. Melanin is a natural pigment in every person's body that determines the color of their skin, hair, and eyes. Skin color, ethnicity, and race are biologically inherited.
💬No matter what language(s) you do and do not speak
In general, throughout my life, there have been many people who insist that I am not Hispanic because I do not speak Spanish. Same with saying that I am not Italian because I do not speak Italian, that I am not Irish because I do not speak Celtic, and that I am not German because I do not German. FYI I have nothing against Spanish speaking individuals nor any languages, origins, cultures, ethnicities, skin colors, and races. Coincidentally, as a white Hispanic, Italian, Irish, and German person, I have just never had any desire to learn how to speak Spanish. My immediate family and I do not fluently speak any languages other than English in our home, and this is not because of any bias. That is just the way that we do things. My thirty-year-old brother fluently speaks English and Spanish from choosing to learn Spanish in sixth and twelfth grade, but I have not. It has nothing to do with not accepting myself or not caring about my culture. I am just not interested in learning it and am interested in other things. I even tried to learn Spanish when I was in high school to see what it would be like and presume competence in myself since the majority of my other grade level peers were taking World Language classes. I dropped the course after one week because I was not interested and the content was too hard for me. My parents and principal supported all of my decisions in this process. There was a disabled Spanish grade level peer who shamed me for dropping the course and for it being too hard for me to learn. They should have known better to be more compassionate since they were also disabled and an English Language Learner (ELL). They shoved cultural stuff down my throat because they expected me to conform to everyone else in the Spanish community and our grade level peers. I have always supported people who speak any languages and have any cultural backgrounds. In fact, I reinforce cultural backgrounds as a teacher.
🗣️Even if you do or do not have an accent
In general, throughout my life, there have been many people who insist that I am not Hispanic because I do not have an accent; to reiterate, however, insisting that people need to have an accent and other characteristics based on limited observations is a harmful stereotype. Everyone's cultural backgrounds innately show up differently and that is valid.
🌮No matter which foods you do and do not eat
Another way that not all but many people have stereotyped me is all because they have not seen me publicly eat Spanish foods; however, this is a ridiculous assumption to make because the people who have said this are not with me every single second of my life to see what I eat. My immediate family and I enjoy homemade Taco Tuesdays for dinner every now and then and eating spaghetti for dinner every Sunday (My mom cooks spaghetti every Sunday and makes the gravy from scratch). We also enjoy going out to eat quesadillas at Provecho Mexican Grill (AMAZING local restaurant in Huntingdon Valley, Pennsylvania😍💯🔥) and eating at Olive Garden. Nevertheless, I enjoy eating a variety of foods besides Mexican and Italian food. In addition, it is culturally/trauma insensitive to shame people for what they eat regardless of whether you are or are not 100% aware of which foods they eat as part of their culture.
One year all of my students proposed the idea of wanting to try shamrock shakes on Saint Patrick's Day as a festive daily living skills lesson. As an Irish woman who drinks a shamrock shake every Saint Patrick's Day, I loved this idea. I printed a recipe with written/picture visuals and brought in my blender from home and one of my student's mothers purchased and sent in the ingredients to celebrate her birthday that day. While I would never force anyone to eat or drink anything and a simple "No thank you" is valid, I believe that five of the staff members who refused to drink the shamrock shakes did so as a microaggression associated with body image. This is because they gave pushback about how much food coloring the recipe said to add and were constantly shaming students for what they ate and drank no matter how much carbohydrates and sugar was in it. When I constructively responded by this unfiltered commentary, I was given more pushback that showed up as intragroup marginalization, which is when a person is rejected or treated with bias by members of their own diverse or marginalized group because their actions, values, or presentation differs from established group norms. To particularize, another Irish person insisted that all because they do not drink shamrock shakes on Saint Patrick's Day due to all of the sugar in them no one should and dismissed the validity that everyone expresses their culture differently. On the other hand, if we did not follow that part of the recipe, that would have not been modeling following directions and people can drink anything with sugar in it on a balanced diet as long as it is nothing that they are allergic to. Plus, like I said everyone who wanted to partake was allowed to drink ONLY ONE shamrock shake. These culturally, body image, and trauma insensitive comments were also made in front of the students, which is unethical. Overall, ALL school staff are morally responsible for being role models that set positive examples of how to behave in all situations for students.
Related Link:
📅No matter which holidays you do and do not celebrate
I have been stereotyped and shamed for not actively celebrating Cinco de Mayo and not observing the Feast of the Seven Fish tradition on Christmas Eve. Again though, I do not have any bias against any cultural traditions. This is just not the way I do things and every person's cultural background is different and equally valid.
📿No matter which parts of your culture you are and aren't interested in
While I reinforce usage of all languages and acknowledge all cultural backgrounds as much as possible as a teacher, I have no interest in personally learning how to fluently speak Spanish, Italian, Celtic, or German at home. That is how I choose to live my life and I do not owe anyone an explanation or lifestyle change.
🌍No matter what your origin story is
Many people think that people need to be born in a certain country to be of a certain ethnicity, race, or cultural background. Contrary to popular belief, however, people need to have biological family members of those ethnicities to inherit the ethnicities regardless of their birthplace. For example, besides being American on both of my parents' sides, I am Hispanic and Italian on my mother's side and Irish and German on my father's side. My parents, brother, and I were all born in Philadelphia and have older relatives who are deceased or still living that were born in Spain, Italy, Ireland, and Germany.
🇪🇸🇺🇸No matter where you have and haven't traveled
I have never traveled to Spain, Italy, Ireland, Germany, or anywhere outside of the United States of America at least yet in my lifetime. I do not owe anyone an explanation as to why this is nor are anyone's biased assumptions appropriate as to why this is. I live in Pennsylvania and have only traveled out of state to New Jersey, New York, Delaware, Maryland, Connecticut, and Florida. My family and I go on vacation in Ocean City, New Jersey and stay there in a hotel suite for a week in July every summer because we love it there so much.
👢No matter what clothes you do and do not wear
🥑No matter what activities that are supposed to be culturally responsive you were excluded from
[Image Description: The graphic is taupe with my First Former Buddy Club President logo in the bottom left corner. "Your culture matters..." is in center-aligned italicized bright red text at the top of the graphic. "No matter what your intersectionality is" is in left-aligned bright red text below a plate of spaghetti. "No matter what people say about stereotypes" is in left-aligned bright red text below a photograph of Fettuccini Alfredo. "Even if your ethnic identity has been invalidated" is in left-aligned bright red text below a cactus. "No matter which abilities, challenges, strengths, and interests you do and don't have" is in left-aligned bright red text below a tan skinned dancer with shoulder length black hair wearing a light pink dress. "No matter which traditions you do and don't have" is in left-aligned bright red text below a rainbow striped pony pinata. "No matter which cultural items you do and don't have" is in left-aligned bright red text below two bright red, yellow, and green maracas. "No matter which parts of your culture you do and don't open up about" is in left-aligned bright red text below a photograph of ziti. "No matter which cultural beliefs you do and don't have" is in left-aligned bright red text below a thought bubble. "No matter how many people accept you for who you are" is in left-aligned bright red text below a bundle of several breadsticks. "No matter the size of your family" is in left-aligned bright red text below a family emoji of a white, blonde father, mother, daughter and son.]
🍝No matter what your intersectionality is
Intersectionality is how multiple identities overlap to create unique experiences of discrimination and privilege. For example, a disabled white Hispanic woman may face barriers in schools and workplaces that combine both biases against certain disabilities, genders, races, and ethnicities. Her experience may be different from that of people outside of the disability community and even different in comparison to people with opposite disabilities, genders, races, and/or ethnicities because of her overlapping identities. For example, unanticipated bullying can aggravate stuttering, Tourette's Syndrome tics, and anxiety making it difficult to organize thoughts quickly under pressure. Customers, colleagues, and higher-ups may misinterpret avoiding eye contact due to cultural beliefs, being autistic or on the autism spectrum, and/or anxiety or Tourette's Syndrome tics may be misinterpreted as carelessness, disrespect, or dishonesty. Customers, colleagues, and higher-ups may make false accusations that an employee with this profile is "making excuses" or failing to try hard enough when disability characteristics show up. As a white Hispanic woman, she may encounter cultural stereotypes, such as biased All or Nothing Thinking expectations of high sociability and emotional expressiveness, which directly clash with neurodiverse communication styles. To elaborate, there may be a tone policing double standard regarding any flat affect or direct, concise communication style stemming from a white Hispanic woman's neurodiversity. This might be culturally misread as coldness, a lack of warmth, and unfit, which society heavily expects among female leaders.
Additionally, women, Hispanics, and Latinxs are historically underdiagnosed and diagnosed late with disabilities due to a lack of structural support. Some people may think and say to employees in the disability community, "Why don't just get accommodations?" or "Why don't you just find somewhere to work that doesn't treat you that way?" However, it is not that easy to access these privileges. According to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), employees in the disability community in the United States of America (USA) need to request accommodations if they believe that they need them and not every employee in the disability community's requested accommodations get approved. Also, employees in the USA have the legal right to choose to disclose or not disclose their disabilities in the workplaces as protected by ADA. Additionally, all workplaces are legally prohibited from deciding not to hire someone based on their disability, race, ethnicity, age, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, or socioeconomic status according to the Equal Employment Opportunity Act of 1972; however, it is common for employers to openly or secretly violate this law and affording lawyers is a socioeconomic privilege that people among low or middle class may not have access to. This legal issue is so common among workplaces during and after hiring candidates that makes it unpredictable for employees to know where they will experience discrimination and disclosing their disability can jeopardize career opportunities. They may not be able to afford risking these chances if they need the money to survive.
All of these experiences and masking often lead to extreme exhaustion and burnout. Many teachers and leaders are not only helping customers navigate the world but also masking their own disabilities to pass a composed, professional educator/leader in front of customers, colleagues, and supervisors. This exhausting double standard drastically elevates the risks of extreme chronic fatigue, clinical anxiety and depression, suicidal thoughts, extreme chronic fatigue, eating disorders, and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). When people only focus on the rigid, institutional structure of workplace settings that introduce professional barriers, they miss the fact that employees' intersecting identities can create a profound paradox. This is especially common among school staff in the disability community who can possess immense, lived disability affirming empathy that makes them uniquely qualified to understand their students.
To reaffirm, every person's cultural background shows up differently. Not all but many people have the rigid mindset that people need to have certain characteristics in order to be of a certain race, ethnicity, or culture; however, these stereotypical associations are not always accurate or helpful. None of these assumptions are correct and making these assumptions based on stereotypes sends a potentially harmful message: that people need to look, behave, or live a certain way in order to be from certain diverse groups at all. The belief that certain skin colors, races, ethnicities, countries, religions, disabilities, and identities are "bad" is also a myth. Acknowledging intersectionality is a way of showing respect for individuals and creates an inclusive, emotionally safe environment just like using a person's name when speaking to and about them is another way to show respect. While it might not be your intention to harm, assuming and insisting whether a person belongs to certain diverse groups or not based on stereotypes and how people from these diverse groups identify can cause harm. This is because these rigid mindsets erase intersectionality's existence among all diverse groups and implying that there is only one way to be from those diverse groups and that only certain diverse backgrounds are acceptable.
Related Link:
🍤No matter what people say about stereotypes
Monolithic stereotypes are appearance-based racial stereotypes that incorrectly treat ethnic identities as a single racial category rather than a diverse ethnicity. This specific stereotype operates through several layers of rigid cognitive bias and historical misunderstanding. For example, people often insist that people need to have a certain skin color to have a certain ethnicity. Contrary to popular belief, however, ethnicities refer to ancestry, culture, or origin tied to language and traditions, not a specific skin color. For instance, people of Hispanic descent can be white, Black, Indigenous, Asian, or mixed race. I am a white Hispanic American because both of my parents are white and we were born in America along with my mother being of Spanish descent. I am also Italian on my mother's side and Irish and German on my father's side.
There was a time when someone from my past repetitively stated that I was "too dumb to be Hispanic." There is no such thing as being "too dumb to be of a certain ethnicity" and insisting this relies on a negative cognitive stereotype and a form of discrimination based on intelligence expectations. Often, statements like these are deeply tied to colorist and classist stereotypes and structural racism depending on the context. For instance, in many media representations and societal biases, Hispanic identities are falsely conflated solely with manual labor or lower socioeconomic status. When someone exhibits actions that the speaker associates with a lack of intelligence and education, they express surprise that they person belongs to the group they already marginalized in a different way. There are many specific layers involved in this type of comment. To elaborate, the underlying foundation of this comment is a negative outgroup stereotype. The speaker holds a baseline assumption that people with certain ethnicities need to possess a certain level of intelligence, educational attainment, or professional status. By saying someone is "too dumb" to belong to a diverse group, they are implying that they expected the person to be smarter because they do not fit their biased expectations of the demographic.
In social psychology, this is an example of subtyping. When a biased person encounters someone who does not fit their stereotype, rather than changing their overall worldview about the group, they create a "special case" or an exception. In this case, they view the individual as an anomaly while maintaining their broad, prejudiced views against that larger diverse community. This comment often occurs when a person's physical appearance, accent, or socioeconomic background causes others to misidentify them or hold them to different standards. For example, a biased individual might associate someone with higher intelligence due to Eurocentric biases. This means a worldview that centers European and Western history, culture, and values as the "normal", superior, or sole measure of human progress. Then, when that person struggles academically or professionally, the biased individual experiences cognitive dissonance, which is the mental discomfort people feel when their beliefs do not match their actions, or they hold two contradictory ideas at the same time and expresses it through this offensive comparison. Avoiding cognitive dissonance and being a true diversity advocate takes more than just saying, "I do believe in...", "I am....", "I did....", and "I will..." People need to practice what they preach (act the same way that matches their alleged beliefs).
Comments about someone's appearance and intelligence invalidating their heritage function as subtle, everyday slights marginalize individuals with mixed or non-stereotypical backgrounds. Media portrayals often reinforce these narrow expectations by repeatedly featuring a limited range of character types.
Related Links:
🌵Even if your ethnic identity has been invalidated
To reiterate, I have been told that I "do not look Hispanic" because of my skin color, having no accent, abilities, limitations, and other stereotypes. I have also been told that I "do not seem Irish" because I have chosen to no longer be Catholic due to religious trauma that I experienced. Even if the speaker believes that there is nothing wrong with what they are saying, the comment is rooted in relying on cultural religious conflation stereotypes and essentialist stereotypes. This comment reduces a rich, multifaceted national and ethnic identity down to a single institution. It operates through several specific sociological and psychological layers.
The core mechanism here is conflation, which is mistakenly treating two entirely different concepts as if they are the exact same thing. Hispanic and Irish identities are ethnicities, nationalities, and heritages. Catholicism is a religion. While Irish history is deeply intertwined with the Catholic Church due to centuries of political and social struggles, being Irish is not a theological state. When someone uses this stereotype, they fail to separate a person's genetic and cultural roots from their personal faith practices. In addition, this comment stems from essentialism, which is the false belief that a specific group of people has a fixed, unchangeable set of characteristics that every member must possess to be considered "authentic." In the speaker's mind, the "essential" definition of an Irish person includes being Catholic. Biased individuals question the authenticity of people who step away from the Church because they are nonconforming to the biased individuals' rigid inaccurate blueprints of what an Irish person is allowed to be.
This stereotype also relies on an outdated worldview known as historical anachronism based on a snapshot of Ireland. While the Catholic Church historically held immense institutional and social power in Ireland, modern Irish society has undergone massive secularization. Decades of revelations regarding institutional abuse and religious trauma have led to a significant shift with a rapidly growing number of people of Irish descent currently living in and outside of Ireland distancing themselves from the Church. People who make this comment are ignoring the reality of modern Irish culture and the lived experiences of Irish people today.
By stating, "You don't seem (name of certain ethnicity/nationality/race/religion/cultural background)" because of natural characteristics or personal decisions, the speaker is exhibiting identity erasure, which is a very harmful practice. Identity erasure completely ignores the historical and present existence of intersectionality among individuals are fully, undeniably of those descents by fact. Examples of this intersectionality include but are not limited to Irish Hispanics, Irish Protestants, Irish Jewish people, Irish Muslims, and Irish Asians. Crucially, it invalidates anyone's religious trauma. Instead of acknowledging the pain that led to your decision to leave the Church, the stereotype prioritizes a superficial checklist of cultural expectations over personal well-being and healing which is essential for survival and daily living.
The context of stating, "You don't seem (name of certain ethnicity/nationality/race/religion/cultural background)" can also be a backhanded compliment by framing your lack of stereotypical characteristics as positive, desirable traits. Even if the speaker genuinely believes that they are saying something nice, the comment is rooted in Eurocentrism and colorism. It operates as a backhanded compliment through several distinct biases. In societies heavily influenced by colonial history and media representation, Eurocentric beauty standards dominate. Lighter skin, lighter eyes, or straight hair are frequently associated with beauty, status, and privilege. When someone says that "You don't seem (name of certain ethnicity/nationality/race/religion/cultural background)", they often mean that they associate their limited observations about your physical appearance, wealth, education, and success with beauty and high status. The underlying insult is the belief that looking stereotypically like a certain ethnicity, nationality, race, from a certain religion, or cultural background is inherently less attractive or less desirable. Stereotypes frequently conflate ethnicity with social class. In the United States and parts of Europe, systemic biases often associate certain ethnicities, nationalities, races, and religions with certain levels of income, manual labor, or a lack of institutional power. The speaker may mean, "You look polished, wealthy, or well-educated" as a backhanded compliment even though it relies on the prejudiced assumption that a "typical" person of a certain ethnicity, nationality, race, or religion "looks poor, uneducated, and lower class."
Mainstream media has often historically relied on narrow, negative tropes to portray certain diverse groups. People who rely on these biased portrayals may mean "You don't seem (certain ethnicity/nationality/race/religion/cultural background)" to send the complimentary message of "You don't look like the negative caricatures I see in the media"; however, these biased portrayals generalize an entire, diverse population based on fiction and imply that the group as a whole is something to be avoided or looked down upon.
Ultimately, a backhanded compliment like this sends the message that cultural identities are something to be hidden or overcome and increases stigmatization. It treats certain heritages like a flaw suggesting that the best thing that people can do for themselves is to blend into the dominant culture so successfully that people forget their actual background.
Related Links:
- Intro to the New Church Doctrines Journal #1
- Intro to the New Church Doctrines Journal #2
- Intro to the New Church Doctrines Journal #3
- Intro to the New Church Doctrines Journal #4
- Intro to the New Church Doctrines Journal #5
- Intro to the New Church Doctrines Journal #6
- Intro to the New Church Doctrines Journal #7
- Intro to the New Church Doctrines Journal #8
- Intro to the New Church Doctrines Journal #9
- Intro to the New Church Doctrines Journal #10
- Intro to the New Church Doctrines Journal #13
- Intro to the New Church Doctrines Journal #15
💃No matter what your abilities, challenges, strengths, and interests are
AGAIN, not every person is the same. Ethnicity and race do not define anyone's intelligence, abilities, challenges, strengths, and interests no matter what anyone's biases are. There is no need to conform societal norms and assumptions regarding disability, ability, success, and culture. Every cultural background is different and that is okay.
Related Link:
🪅No matter what traditions you do and do not have
Besides wearing green and drinking a shamrock shake on Saint Patrick's Day and not celebrating Cinco de Mayo and not observing the Feast of the Seven Fish tradition on Christmas Eve, there are many other cultural traditions that I observe with my immediate family. Every year my family and I celebrate Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, and the 4th of July. My immediate family and I enjoy eating turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, salad, and pie in the dining room on Thanksgiving followed by going out to breakfast at The Dining Car in Philadelphia on Black Friday. We decorate a Christmas tree and go out to dinner at a different restaurant on Christmas Eve every year. We unwrap presents under the Christmas tree first thing on the morning of Christmas Day and eat dinner together. We go out to dinner at a different restaurant every year on New Year's Eve. Also, believe it or not, I am twenty-eight years old and still get an Easter basket on Easter Sunday😂 I also enjoy wearing red, white, and blue on the 4th of July and being festive for all holidays. Furthermore, even though I am not Jewish, I purchased and wore Hanukkah earrings from Amazon last year to support my Jewish students.
Related Links:
🪇No matter which cultural items you do and do not use
🧄No matter which parts of your culture you do and do not open up about
Being able to open up about culture is a privilege. Not everyone has easy access to finding safe environments to do this, which is why not everyone from ethnically, racially, and religiously diverse groups actively discusses their cultural backgrounds as much as other members from the same groups. This is especially a valid concern and decision if they have constantly faced prejudice. People who have constantly faced oppression that pick and choose who to open up and not open up about their culture and any other personal information to are probably doing so as a survival mechanism. I also do not parade around constantly talking about my culture.
💭No matter which cultural beliefs you do and do not have
It is important to provide opportunities for everyone to talk about issues that matter when socially appropriate to do so. While not everyone needs to agree and have all of the same mutual cultural beliefs, they can agree to disagree. People can have healthy debates and civil discussions with some overlap in their personalities and values without one side being a dictator. People can have lived experiences of the world that do not match and still be valid. The following things can be harmful and unhealthy for anyone for this matter:
- Aggressively or persistently forcing/demanding people accept or agree with certain beliefs, opinions, and ideas
- Using ethnicity, race, skin color, religion, disability, and/or trauma as an excuse for disrespect
- Pressuring people to open up about their cultural backgrounds, intersectionality, and personal information (Again, the privilege to a safe space to be candid is not always accessible to every single individual among any diverse groups.)
- Derogatory, vitriol language also known as hate speech
- Shaming people for their challenges and limitations
- Presuming incompetence
- Treating people from certain diverse groups as aliens, nonhuman, second class citizens, abnormal, or tragedies
Doing any of the above creates hostile in-person and online environments for diverse individuals. In reality, many people have been harmed by these actions that cause damage and emotional distress. We live in a very angry world right now that can be very scary at times with many people who are outraged for several understandable reasons; however, that does not make acting aggressive, threatening, insulting, and harassing people, and being elitists appropriate. There are many people who get too carried away (becoming so involved in something that someone loses control of their actions and/or words). Bitter, harsh, or aggressively defiant hate speech stated verbally or in writing expressed through cruel words and severe criticism is fully of malice and deep hostility. The intentional purpose of this cruel and venomous language is to be criticism designed to cause emotional pain and misery. In truth, behaving in such a manner is disgraceful. In fact, doing so can result in serious, unfortunate, and even tragic consequences that make people uncomfortable leaving their own homes, walking to their cars, or going out in public. No one should ever assume that these consequences will or will not ever happen.
Alternatively, things that can be helpful include:
- Providing a safe space for people of all diverse backgrounds to be open about their lived experiences that they feel comfortable sharing
- Actively listening to people of all diverse backgrounds speak about their lived experiences with compassion, empathy, and genuine acceptance
- Following, reading, listening to, and/or sharing educational content
- Providing opportunities for conversations about topics related to culture, ethnicity, race, skin color, religion, and other types of diversity
- Inviting everyone to participate in culturally responsive and all-inclusive activities
- Using language that people from any diverse groups identify with
If you find any content or harmful practices triggering, it is okay if you need to do any of the following strategies to manage self-care:
- Be assertive
- Move physically away from the situation
- Cut off any toxic people (This includes ANY emotionally immature family members, colleagues, and people who are supposed to be your friends after you have tried talking to them about it.)
- Set and stick to boundaries
- Take social media breaks
- Talk to a loved one and/or therapist
- Call a hotline or helpline
- Engage in activities that make you happy
- Sleep, eat, bathe, brush, and take care of your skin regularly
Related Link:
No matter how many friends of the same culture you have and no matter how many family members you continue to have a healthy relationship with, your culture matters.
👨👩👧👦No matter the size of your family
If you are affected by cultural trauma, you are not alone and there is hope. If you or someone you know needs support right now, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 (press 2 if you are a Spanish speaker) or text "HOME" to the Crisis Text Line at 741741 if you live in the USA, text "CONNECT" to the Crisis Text Line at 686868 if you live in Canada, or text "AYUDA" to 741741 and/or dial 442-AYUDAME in WhatsApp if you are a Spanish speaker. You can also visit my hotline resources page by clicking on this hyperlink: Hotline Resources
To find more resources and information for supporting mental health and anti-discrimination among culturally diverse groups, click on the following links:
- Anti-Defamation League (ADL) is a leading international anti-hate and advocacy organization. - https://www.adl.org/
- No Place for Hate is a school climate improvement initiative run by the ADL that helps PreK-12 schools combat bias, bullying, and hatred. No Place for Hate's goal is to create physically and emotionally safe, equitable, and inclusive school environments. - https://www.noplaceforhate.org
- The American Civil Rights Union (ACLU) is a nonpartisan (neutrally inclusive), nonprofit organization dedicated to defending and protecting the individual rights and liberties guaranteed by the United States Constitution. - https://www.aclu.org/
- American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP): Supporting diverse communities - https://afsp.org/supporting-diverse-communities/
- American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP): Mental Health Resources for Hispanic and Latinx Communities - https://afsp.org/story/mental-health-resources-for-hispanic-and-latinx-communities
- National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Compartiendo Esperanza: Mental Wellness in Hispanic/Latin American Community - https://www.nami.org/programs/nami-compartiendo-esperanza-mental-wellness-in-hispanic-latin-american-community/
Did you enjoy and find this post helpful? If you want to see more content like this and my other content about teaching and advocating for the disability community, please follow me on Instagram and like my Facebook page if you have not already by clicking on the hyperlinks below:
Instagram: @firstformerbuddyclubpresident
Facebook: First Former Buddy Club President
Give feedback! Questions? Compliments? Suggestions? Let me know in the comments section below and/or email me at ehoffbuddyclub@gmail.com !
Comments
Post a Comment