Practicing Awareness of Microaggressions

      An example of a mircoagression that I have experienced this week is one that I experience almost every time I go out for a cruise in my classic car. I get comments from people like, "Wow, is that car yours?" or "You must sell illegal drugs to be able to afford a car like that." I take these comments as complements towards my car. The microaggression that I can pull from these comments is of the racial kind. Most of the people that tell me these comments are from white upper class white men. I drive my car up the California West coast line known as the Pacific Coast Highway and a lot of upper middle class white people reside here. A stereotype for a Mexican who drives a fancy car is that he must sell illegal drugs to be able to afford it. I sometimes feel a sarcastic tone when they tell me so It then does not feel like a complement. It makes me feel like I am not worthy of such a car. I have worked three jobs to help pay for it. As far as classicism goes, I consider myself to be in the working class and when someone who looks to be in a high class and makes comments like that, I would think that if would make them feel powerful over me.   These racial microaggrssions reflect a view of superiority. I do not pay attention to these details because I do not have time to wonder what and if people are using subliminal messages with their comments. I try to take comments for what they are, word per word.