Have you heard of microaggression before? Maybe it's something you have experienced yourself or even told to others without actually knowing it. To understand the issue better, let's figure out what microaggression is and how to deal with it.
The term "microaggression" first appeared in 1970 at Harvard University. Professor Chester M. Pierce described it as assaults and put-downs from white to black people, consciously or unconsciously. As time went by, the term evolved. Today, microaggression describes remarks, comments, and words addressed towards discriminated groups. The author doesn't mean any harm and usually says it as a joke; however, the receiver feels insulted and offended.
Some of the examples of microaggression:
When telling the comments mentioned above, the authors don't consider it an insult or a deliberate negative comment. They are impressed and think they made a compliment, but usually, it's perceived much more negatively. Analyzing the examples above, a female colleague feels discredited as only men can be good with math and numbers; a Vietnamese student is offended by perceiving him a non-native speaker based on his look; a dark-skinned customer is insulted by the vendor who automatically thinks he's going to steal.
Now the question is, how not to become the author producing microaggression remarks? And, on the other side, how to deal with microaggression addressed to you or others if you notice some?
Did you recognize yourself as an author in the situations shared above? It's possible it happened without you even thinking of it, and the reason was our bias hidden deep in the unconscious. Bias can form at a young age, influenced by the culture, family, friends. It's hard to change the personal program, but it's possible – if you're conscious enough. So, where should you start?
If you’re the one to whom microaggression is addressed, firstly remember that not everyone says it consciously. Usually it’s gender or cultural bias that talk on behalf of the person, but it still makes sense to reply to microaggression and educate the author. When you hear unpleasant comment towards yourself:
As you can see, microaggression is quite a problematic term for both author and receiver. The author usually doesn't mean it, and the receiver doesn't always have time and energy to explain why it's insulting. However, the more we know about the term, the more we can be attentive and conscious of our own biases in different conversations. It's a hard way of improving ourselves, but we'll definitely get there!
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