Title: The effects of patronizing and marginalizing minority groups
Headings: Marginalization: The pendulum swings both ways
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Marginalization: The pendulum swings both ways
By Dr. Nathaniel Granger
Recommended read: “ Embodied racism”
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Content: The marginalization of individuals with disabilities is prevalent today, despite the legislation intended to prevent it in most Western countries, and the academic achievements, skills, and training of many disabled people. There are also exclusions of lesbian-gay-bisexual-transgender (LGBT) and other intersexual people because of their sexual orientations and gender identities as individual marginalization. The Yogyakarta Principles require that the states and communities abolish any stereotypes about LGBT people as well as stereotyped gender roles. One of the most difficult feelings to rid oneself of is the emotional turmoil associated with being marginalized by a person or group in the position of power. Feelings of anger and confusion are often followed with those of inferiority. The internal struggle is exacerbated when it seems obvious that the perpetrator had no ill intent in conveying the denigrating message, particularly when patronizing. Society is replete with these microaggressions that more often than not go unnoticed but have a lasting impact on the recipient. In “ Perceptions of Racial Microaggressions Among African American Males in Higher Education: A Heuristic Inquiry ,” Solórzano, Ceja, and Yosso define microaggressions as brief, everyday exchanges that send denigrating messages to certain individuals because of their group membership (people of color, women, the LGBT community). The term was first coined by Chester M. Pierce in 1970 in his work with African-Americans where he defined it as “subtle, stunning, often automatic, and nonverbal exchanges which are ‘put-downs’.”