Microaggressions, as defined in the Sue et. al. article, are :
“brief and commonplace daily verbal, behavioral, or environmental indignities, whether intentional or unintentional, that communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative… slights and insults”
Thus, they are the covert and subtle mannerisms of people that although harboured no ill intention, still cause offense to the receiving party. The defining characteristic that makes these microaggressions so toxic is that they are, as the namesake says, micro. Such a small incident will most often get downplayed, ignored or incorrectly justified. As each incident is viewed only in the scope of the singular event, the wider view of many microaggressions adding up is generally not seen by the aggressor. This then builds a covertly racist environment where those microaggressions are not seen as being racist or discriminatory in that they are just too insignificant on their own.
In a classroom environment, these microaggressions typically stem from the everyday behaviour and social vocabulary of the students. Even during my schooling years I would often make derogatory remarks using terms such as “Thats gay as” or “thats so retarded” as well as racial jokes poking fun at my friends belonging to those races. As of then, I would never imagine myself doing those things as being covertly racist and thoroughly offensive, mostly because it was never brought up to me. Of course, had anyone actually taken offense and voiced their objections to me I would have changed my behaviour accordingly. But the fact of the matter remains, and this is the crux of the issue with microaggressions, is that no-one did raise those objections to me and for me the time passed with me just assuming I wasnt being blatantly offensive and I could pass it all off as jest.
Minikel-Lacocque's study of minority students at Midwestern University (MU) (A predominately white university) shows these microaggressions and their effects on the people victimised by them. Incidents ranging from just unnerving stares from other students to blatant acts such as a bus not stopping for them and even just plain insensitive and offensive comments in passing (much like I was doing) created a very hostile and created a sense that the interviewed students just didnt belong there. Yet again, as mentioned frequently in the paper the microaggression is not obvious to those committing the act and others in the social environment that are not the subject of the act.
However, one single sentence challenges the entire concept of the microaggression.
“.. if the ‘‘subject’’ of the stereotype claims to be only mildlybothered (or not bothered at all), can one conclude an offense such as a microaggressionoccurred?”
Drawing back to the Leprechaun metaphor; one microaggression by itself is rather insignificant, but the combined effect of many is quite adverse. But also you must consider that what if the person subject to the microaggression does not take offense to the act? Does the microaggression, like a Leprechaun, simply not exist?
On a final, ironic note; the metaphor and title of this post are probably a microaggression itself towards Irish culture.
Minikel-Lacocque, J. (2013). Racism, College, and the Power of Words Racial Microaggressions Reconsidered. American Educational Research Journal,50(3), 432-465.
Sue, D. W., Capodilupo, C. M., Torino, G. C., Bucceri, J. M., Holder, A., Nadal, K. L., & Esquilin, M. (2007). Racial microaggressions in everyday life: implications for clinical practice. American Psychologist, 62(4), 271.
Hi Harrison, really loved the metaphor you used to describe micro-aggression and the irony of the metaphor itself being a micro-aggression....very clever!!
ReplyDeleteI agree that these micro-aggression's happen every day and i can also look back at my school days and pick out were i had used the exact same insults.
To the question of whether a micro-aggression exists if the person subject to it does not take offence.... I think that if the micro aggression is conveyed as a negative, then it does exist. if the same micro aggression is used often then it builds into something allot bigger and damaging.
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