Hello Trent University Students and Staff,
I am a brown, queer Punjabi Sikh from Punjab, India. This introduction depicts the multiple layers of my identity and the unfortunate intersectional challenges I face, making people like me particularly vulnerable to subtle forms of discrimination. Growing up in a small city in Punjab with limited exposure to diverse perspectives, I still faced these subtle biases from my own community. These biases are deeply ingrained in our society, making comments like, "Why do you have body hair?" or "If I shave, people would ask me, 'Aren't you a Sikh? Sikhs are supposed to have a lot of hair, right?” apparently seems acceptable. Kaur life in their article, “A Sikh’s Guide to Dealing with Bullies Throughout Life” says that these subtle discriminations, known as microaggressions, are minor insults directed at minorities, which can be either verbal or non-verbal. These actions are often so subtle that the person delivering them may not even realize they are being hurtful, while the person receiving these comments might struggle to find why a certain remark or action made them feel so uncomfortable.
When I moved to Canada, I encountered numerous microaggressions. For instance, whenever I told people my name and where I am from, they would respond with, "You don't look like someone from Punjab." Why? Because I have short hair, dress a certain way, and speak in a particular manner. They expect people from Punjab to fit in their stereotypical image, assuming we lack communication skills or should conform to their predefined notions. Witnessing my Sardar and Sardarni friends (Sikhs who wear turbans) face derogatory comments like "towelhead", “gorilla girl”, and "balle-balle" (A Punjabi word typically used as a celebratory cheer while dancing) deeply upsets me. Once, I confronted a friend about a homophobic remark, they defensively claimed they couldn't be homophobic because they have gay and brown friends. Constantly facing these microaggressions has certainly sometimes left me feeling powerless and pressured to conform to certain expectations to avoid reflecting poorly on my fellow Sikh or Punjabi community.
So, how do I deal with these microaggressions? Firstly, I understand that I can't completely eliminate them from my life, but I can educate myself about microaggressions and their impact. By doing so, I can identify them and engage in conversations with the person who made the remark, if I believe it could lead to a healthy conversation. We can have these constructive conversations with people we know, considering the context of what they said and their intentions. However, it's challenging to have this conversation with a stranger who yells "balle-balle" or "towel head" from a distance on the street. It's also not reasonable to address this with everyone in our lives because it isn't just our responsibility to educate them. People have access to numerous resources now, and they should utilize them to educate themselves. So, I encourage you all to utilize your resources to learn about topics you may not be familiar with. Reach out to people on campus or explore your university’s website to find workshops related to the topics you're curious about. Attend informative & educational workshops to engage in healthy conversations, eliminate your doubts, and learn new things.
Author: A Trent University International Student
Resources
Kaur, L. (2021, May 6). A Sikh’s guide to dealing with bullies throughout life. Kaur Life. https://kaurlife.org/2019/04/07/a-sikhs-guide-to-dealing-with-bullies-t…;
Bhatia, A. (2021, June 30). Ho jayegi balle balle: Where does the iconic “Balle Balle” actually come from? ScoopWhoop. https://www.scoopwhoop.com/opinion/ho-jayegi-balle-balle-where-does-the…