Defining “Micro-aggresions”
“Micro-aggressions” are anything but “micro.” They are characterized as unapparent actions, which include dialogue, that demean commonly marginalized groups or minorities. They usually attack the race, religion, disability, sexual orientation and gender of another. Microaggressions come to be “unnapparent” because they are not as blatant as other forms of discrimination and are accepted in most societies, even ones that dont particularly identify with discriminatory values. As an ally and anti racist, it is important to first understand this term to help combat this issue.
Actions that qualify as micro-aggressions usually fall into the three categories: micro-assaults, micro-insults, and micro-invalidation. (https://library.cod.edu/antiracism)
Micro-assaults are the most obvious from of microaggression. The perpetrator is aware of their demeaning comments or actions and is not afraid to show their negative feelings towards a specific group. Microassaults are committed when one uses name calling and intentionally offensive dialect. Behavior to disclude a minority, such as avoiding them is another common example.
Micro-invalidation is when one invalidates a minority, by belittling their experiences or struggles. Phrases like “I don’t see color or race when I look at you,” attribute to this because they invalidate the racial and cultural identity of a person of color; which is not at all necessary for being a helpful ally. “All lives matter,” is also a phrase that falls into this catogory because it is insensitive to people living with racial inequity.
Finally, micro-insulting occurs when one indirectly insults a member of a commonly marginalized group. Stereotypes or assumptions about their ability based on characteristics such as race and gender are mentioned. Most of the time, such expressions include the words “you’re actually [worthy of my respect and praise] for being [minority].” The perpetrator might even consider their offensive comment a compliment, when really they are displaying condescension and prejudice.
Anyone is capable of committing micro-aggressions towards others, even if it's inadvertent. This does not take away from the fact that these hurtful actions come from discrimination and ignorance. More examples of micro aggressions are provided by Microassaults, Microinsults, and Microinvalidations by PBS Learning Media (https://ny.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/cb19-ss-types.microaggressions/microassult-microinsults-and-microinvalidation/). The term “microaggressions” still remains quite ambiguous, but its undertones are the same—prejudice. By getting a narrower definition, I hope you are able to better detect microaggressions and work to prevent them.
