Be Alert to Micro-Aggressions
Micro-aggressions appear as brief and commonplace verbal, behavioral, and environmental indignities, whether intentional or not, that communicate a hostile, derogatory, or negative slight or insult toward a targeted group. They may involve assumptions of inferiority, stereotyping, invisibility, objectification, target of jokes, denial of the reality of other's experience, and denial of bias. They may manifest as verbal statements and questions or gestural or facial expressions such as a quizzical look at a biracial person, interpreted as trying to 'decipher' them, or a look of disgust at a gender non-conforming couple in public. Micro-aggressions are also systemic and institutionalized such as when the majority of readings on a syllabus are from cisgender white men or when one is forced to use an industrial 'service' elevator because one uses a motorized wheelchair.
Micro-aggressions consist of micro-insults, micro-assaults, and micro-invalidations. Micro-assults, perhaps the most insidious because they are so often unconscious, convey insensitivity and demean a person's heritage or identity. 'You throw well for a girl' is a prime example. Or asking, 'So, like, how do you have sex anyway?' of a lesbian couple. Micro-assaults are usually conscious, containing an explicit degradation characterized primarily by a violent verbal or non-verbal attack meant to hurt. Examples include getting onto a subway car and sitting as far from a black man as possible or cat-calling a woman, being ignored and shouting at her that she's so ugly no one would want to date her. Micro-invalidations are also often unconscious and consist of verbal comments or behaviors that exclude, negate or nullify the thoughts, feelings, or experiential realities of the victim. Saying 'You shouldn't be annoyed. I meant that you must be smart because you're Asian' or, to a person of color, 'You act so white,' negates their felt daily realities.
Recognizing and responding to micro-aggressions is not about 'political correctness' but about cultivating inclusivity and equity and correcting interactions and practices that promote injustice. Micro-aggression is powerful and insidious and as hurtful as overt aggression. Faculty, students and staff should speak up when they witness micro-aggression. Acknowledging what happened is an important first step. Name the act, and state that it's unacceptable. In the classroom, consider using the moment to explain what happened and why it was unacceptable. More information about the nature of micro-aggression and empowering students to recognize and respond may be found here.