Basically, I chose the video about race card because it is necessary for all of us to understand how certain minorities are exposed to multiple microaggressions on a daily bases. For me personally, I had some information about this notion of “race card” beforehand, but what I had hoped to see in the video is how this race card affects some groups/minorities, being like a documentary or/ a mini-lecture. As such, I wish I saw some people telling real experiences/ situations of how they used race card, how people perceived it, and what should be done to avoid misinterpretations of such notion. This would have turned the video to be rather educational, insightful, and informative. However, the points highlighted in the video were just sets of reflections on how race card was perceived by people, which did not go beyond what I knew previously. Of course, the video did mention some points that are important to analyze. When one of the speaker mentioned that using ‘race card’ is a gateway to masking up the potential bias, I was surprised because of how people think. Instead of trying to be educated, they lean towards their unjustifiable biases.

It also struck me how the research and facts that are mentioned in the video are handled. Focusing on the “people of color” part, the video emphasized that they are the group affected by racism the most. This therefore made me feel disgusted. Nevertheless, I had hoped this video would touch on disability discrimination and bias, as it alludes to the same notion of race card.

Reflection after watching

So, after I watched this video, I felt ashamed of the concepts the world upholds with regard to bias and discrimination. I wonder, additionally, why do we reject the race card and turn it into a microaggression? It also drove me nuts to hear the woman who cited her experience with her professor saying “I was making his job more difficult by trying to engage in issues that everyone around me didn’t feel comfortable talking about”. I think that we should normalize engaging with topics like: gender, bias, discrimination, violence, and oppression. Thus, it is imperative to start not only addressing these topics but integrate them in our daily life. Let’s quit racism. Let’s start accepting people no matter of their race, gender, ethnicity. Let’s allow people to play with their race card, and even support them in their journeys.

I believe, in the future, I should read more about topics related to gender discrimination and bias. I should approach people who have their race cards dispersed, and encourage utilizing them should they be needed. Finally, allow me, dear reader, to quote the video, as I will try doing that in the future: “I wish that there were more creative ways to make people understand what a microaggression is…”. I aim to emphasize subjects related to this context within my practices; as someone who aspires to be in academia, I can hope that I will break the cycle of stereotypical notions including race and gender discrimination.

Atef, Yasser Tamer