Aaaand I'm back! This story will portray a microinsult, which basically looks like subtle forms of discrimination. This is basically "racism/sexism/ableism/etc. that doesn't look like racism/sexism/ableism/etc". For example, I often am treated like a child (even by my peers!) when people over-simplify their language and offer help for things that I actually am perfectly capable of doing myself. Although that may seem like they're trying to help me, the message I receive is that because of my disability (and my gender, "gentlemanly" behavior is actually benevolent sexism- may write about that later) I am not as competent as neurotypical men.
As always, this is a safe zone, so if you'd like to chat, I'd be very happy to listen. Comment, message- whatever works! And no pressure if you'd rather not do either, just whatever makes you feel most comfortable.
The microaggression will be disarmed in a very similar manner as in the last chapter, although it will obviously look different depending on the situation. You'll see; I'll still explain it.
One thing that I forgot to mention in the last chapter is that, even though the prefix "micro" does mean "small", the impact that microaggressions have on people is huge. So it's always a bad thing, and if you ever commit a microaggression, do NOT downplay it. Think about physically punching people (an attempt at a metaphor). You don't justify punching people by saying "it didn't hurt that much" or "it was an accident", so don't justify microaggressions that way. You don't know how much it hurts the victim; indeed, some research (according to what I learned in class, don't know what study that was) indicates that the more microaggressions one experiences, the more likely they are to die prematurely of cardiovascular disease (or something like that; please feel free to do your own research and correct me if I'm wrong). So give others some grace; avoid microaggressions. And if you do happen to commit one, apologize, but don't focus too much on saving your relationship with the person (aka asking for forgiveness; let the person be angry at you. Turn the other cheek). If you are the victim of one, then do the same thing you would do if you are simply a bystander, but you might need to be a little careful (I'm always nervous dealing with microaggressions that target groups I'm a part of).
God has given me many things; however, if I pray for ownership of Hetalia, I think He will decide that He has something better for me in mind. Oh well, best to just radically accept that and make good use of what has already been given to me, right? See previous chapter for formal citation.
Chapter 2- Microinsult
Japan was good at many things; math was not one of them. His boss was well aware of that, so he always took care of it for him.
However, Switzerland was not aware of that. He had it in his head that Asians are good at math. Although he was plenty good at it, he preferred not to have to do it. Indeed, one thing he absolutely despised at grocery stores was when they didn't say the price for one item, and you were left with two options; either calculate the unit rate (which he wasn't particularly fond of) or get what you want, then wait to find out how much you have to pay for everything (which was even worse in his opinion). Therefore, Switzerland would really appreciate having someone calculate it for him.
So, when Switzerland (with Liechtenstein accompanying) encountered Japan while shopping, he thought he knew exactly who would do the math for him! Liechtenstein had proven herself to be quite bad at it, so Switzerland couldn't count on her.
So there the three of them were, in the alcohol section. Halfway between where the beer and the sake were kept, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and Japan met. At first, Switzerland and Japan didn't acknowledge each other, as they were looking for different things. However, Switzerland quickly found the beer section; unfortunately, you needed to buy "5 for 60 CHF" (do a little research on how much beer actually costs in Switzerland later), and he only wanted one pack. Not wanting to do the math, Switzerland remembered that Japan was there, so he thought he could count on him for help.
Going back toward the sake section, Switzerland quickly found Japan, who was looking at different brands. Unbeknownst to Switzerland, Japan was trying (and failing) to do mental math, as he was trying to figure out the unit rate for sake but didn't have a calculator with him (and his phone wasn't working, so he couldn't even use the calculator on his phone).
"Scusa, Kiku?" Switzerland said.
"Hai?" Japan responded, a little startled.
"I was wondering if you could try to help me figure out how much one pack of beer costs. I'd rather not do the math, but you seem like you're good with this type of thing."
This was the last thing Japan wanted to be asked to do; he wasn't good at math in the first place, and was already trying to do mental math to figure out one thing. Now he was asked to do math to help someone else out! Furthermore, Switzerland didn't notice, but Japan noticed that Liechtenstein was right next to him. Couldn't he have asked her? They did live together, after all.
And then it hit him- what if he was asked because of his race? He was painfully aware of the stereotype that Asians are good at math, and knew that that stereotype did not apply to him. That is when the anger set in.
As Japan was not one to express anger directly, he responded by saying, "Forgive me, Zwingli-san, but I am very busy trying to figure out what brand of sake to buy". He was not wrong about that; he also wanted to save money, and, since he was familiar with every brand he saw and liked all of them, he was fine with any of them; he just needed to calculate the unit rate. Unfortunately, he was not comfortable telling Switzerland "no" directly, and he was also afraid of what he might do if he found out that Japan really wasn't good at math. It also crossed his mind that his reaction might be worse than if he were white. However, he was also worried that, if he called Switzerland out for being racist, the problem might get worse and new problems could arise. So he decided not to say anything else, but was still very upset.
However, Liechtenstein could sense Japan's distress, and also seemed to somehow know that he wasn't comfortable doing anything else. So she figured now would be a good time for her to step in.
"Big Brother, why did you ask him to calculate the price of one pack of beer that you're going to buy? Why couldn't you have done it yourself?" she asked, hoping that would be an easy segue into uncovering any beliefs Switzerland might have had about race and ability in certain subjects.
Switzerland responded by saying, "Well, I'd really rather not do it myself. It takes too much time and energy, so I would rather have someone else do it. Kiku looks like he's really good at math, so since he just so happened to be here, I thought, why not have him do it for me?"
"Looks like he's good at math? What exactly is that supposed to mean?"
"Uh… well… maybe his appearance just brings to mind someone who's good at math?" Switzerland didn't want to say it was because of his race, but as soon as he said that his "appearance brings to mind someone who's good at math" he felt terrible, as he should.
At that point, Liechtenstein decided that, even though it might hurt Japan even more, in order to get a satisfactory answer out of Switzerland, she was going to have to directly ask for what she suspected.
"Are you saying that, because of his race, you think he should have different abilities than you do?"
"If you want to put it that way… oui", he said sheepishly.
Although she was horrified that her big brother, whom she adored with all her heart, believed racist stereotypes, Liechtenstein was glad that she got to the bottom of why he was treating Japan that way, which would make the next steps much easier.
"You really shouldn't", she said. "I know that the idea of Asians being good at math is a popular stereotype, and one may argue that it's a positive one, but the truth is, positive stereotypes are just as harmful as negative ones. For example, even though stereotyping Asians as being good at math may seem good, it's actually really bad, because not only does it put individuals who may not fit that stereotype on the spot, it also stems from a different stereotype about Asians, which is that they're better off than other races. That may be true for some, but it is by no means true for all. Indeed, there are plenty of Asians who desperately need financial help that they aren't receiving, simply because society denies that they need it! So, although positive stereotypes may seem good, they're actually quite bad".
Switzerland was stunned. He had no idea that what he said was bad; sure, he knew about stereotypes, and he knew that there were "positive" and "negative" stereotypes, but he didn't know that the "positive" ones are actually detrimental! So he simply apologized, and Japan just mumbled "it's ok", before Switzerland decided that he could figure out the price himself. Liechtenstein offered to help Japan figure out the price of what he was buying, and Japan took her up on that offer.
This was not a comfortable experience for anyone- not for the perpetrator, not for the bystander, and certainly not for the victim, nor should it have been expected to be. Switzerland, the perpetrator, felt awful about having offended someone, and it took awhile for him to forgive himself. Japan, the victim, obviously was offended, and decided that, from now on, he was going to go shopping with Germany so he could have someone who was good at math figure out prices for him. And Liechtenstein, the bystander, didn't quite feel heroic; rather, she was concerned about Japan's wellbeing, as well as less trusting of her brother's beliefs. Their relationship wasn't quite the same afterwards. Liechtenstein did later have Germany reach out to Japan to see if he was ok. Japan didn't want to talk, which Liechtenstein respected.
However, the lecture plus a strained relationship with the only person he had been really close with did teach Switzerland a lesson about judging people according to stereotypes. He decided that he really needed to educate himself, so he devoted himself to learning how to create a more just and compassionate world.
Aaand that's it for this chapter! So yeah, Liechtenstein disarmed that microaggression pretty much the same way America did in the last chapter. She uncovered the perpetrator's beliefs and attempted to change them. Furthermore, the lecture was unpleasant enough that Switzerland was more motivated to avoid microaggressions in the future. (While I do not consider myself to be a behaviorist, I will say, punishing the perpetrator- meaning, decreasing the likelihood that the microaggression will happen again- is a pretty good strategy.) Also, nobody felt comfortable, which is to be expected.
Positive stereotypes are generally one of two things- they could be either A. A stereotype that appears to say something good about a marginalized group (women are more nurturing than men), or B. A stereotype that appears to say something bad about a privileged group (men can't do housework). Using these examples, although saying that women are nurturing might seem good, as it seemingly says that women have certain positive aspects to their personalities, it's actually bad, because it is partly because of stereotypes such as these (along with gender roles; these are deeply intertwined) that women are not advancing in their careers as much as men are. Let's say a man is married to a woman, and the couple has young children who aren't old enough to go to school. If they can't afford childcare, someone has to stay home and watch the kids, right? If men are stereotyped as being more competent, while women are stereotyped as being more nurturing, wouldn't it make sense that the more "competent" one is the one who works, while the more "nurturing" one stays home with the kids? Unfortunately, this will likely result in the woman not advancing in her career as much as she would like.
As for stereotypes that seem to say something negative about a privileged group- although it may seem like justice is being done, those are actually detrimental. Using "men can't do housework" as an example- let's say there's a heterosexual married couple (not trying to contribute to heteronormativity, just doing this to make it easier to understand). Someone needs to do housework, right? If they can't afford to pay a housekeeper, then either the husband or the wife needs to do the chores. If men are stereotyped as being bad at housework, then, if he's really afraid of conforming to that stereotype (look up "stereotype threat"- may write more about it later), is he going to volunteer to do it! Probably not! Unfortunately, like the last stereotype, this will lead to the wife not advancing as much in her career.
Going back to the story- although "Asians are good at math" might seem like a positive stereotype, it is actually quite negative, as it is quite dehumanizing (think of the Family Guy episode in which Peter is taking a math test and pulls out an Asian kid and tells him to do math!). In that scene, Peter is basically using another human as an object, not much different from objectification of women (although it is of a different nature). So, when Asians are stereotyped as being good at math, on some level, they are actually being treated as living, breathing calculators! This is what Switzerland is doing to Japan- rather than using his own brain or pulling out a calculator (and I do headcanon him as having one on his phone, he just doesn't use it), he treats another human (technically country, but in this case he's more human) as one. This is not the way we should treat our neighbor, especially if we are doing so because that neighbor looks different from us. That is the very definition of racism!
The next chapter will feature a microassault. I will not spoil it by telling you what that is right now (if you're really eager to learn, you can do your own research or message me), but I will warn you- I believe that that chapter will be the most offensive one in the story, simply because of the nature of a microassault as opposed to other types of microaggressions. Here's what you need to know- although what will happen likely will offend some, as every chapter in this story features something offensive, that is not my intention. My intention is to educate my dear readers about things, and one thing that really helps me learn concepts is thinking of things happening involving characters I like. Idk if that works for everyone, but maybe you'll learn something regardless? Also, my intention is not to make any characters look bad, even though someone has to be the "bad guy" for this story to work. To make up for it, I will have the "bad guys" do good things in subsequent stories, which take place in the Hetaliaverse, but let's pretend that what happened in past stories never actually happened? Point is, I'm not trying to make you hate anyone.
References:
Himaruya, Hidekaz. "Hetalia: Axis Powers". 2009. Studio Deen: Dubbed by Funimation. I watch it on 9Anime.
Shah, N. (2020). Asians are Good at Math? Why Dressing Up Racism as a Compliment Just Doesn't Add Up. The Conversation
