Microaggressions Sound Minor, But They’re No Laughing Matter
It’s become almost a hobby for some — to make light of racism and other forms of bias, unless they manifest in the most extreme ways possible.
Anything short of an out-and-out hate crime gets dismissed as mere words, which, unlike the proverbial sticks and stones, can’t hurt anyone unless that person “lets them.”
On this account, if you allow comments or jokes to bother you — or get knocked off stride by what we now know as “microaggressions” — it’s because you’ve chosen to adopt victimhood, either out of weakness or a manipulative desire for sympathy.
Anything short of an out-and-out hate crime gets dismissed as mere words, which, unlike the proverbial sticks and stones, can’t hurt anyone unless that person “lets them.”
According to many, these minor acts of invalidation — at least, by comparison to vicious and deliberate acts of hatred — should be brushed off.
They’ll say things like:
“You need to get a thicker skin to survive in the world.”
Or, “People can be jerks, but you can’t let them get to you.”
Or, worse, “Making a big deal over trivial comments or jokes makes it harder to get people to take real racism seriously when it happens — you’re undermining your cause! It’s like the boy who cried wolf!”
These are all things people have said to me, as someone who writes about racism, and far more than just once or twice.
Spoiler alert: People who say these things are assholes.
And they aren’t very good with the Google machine either.
First, what are “microaggressions?”
It’s increasingly common to hear the term “microaggressions,” whether among those who work on issues of race, gender, and sexuality or on the lips of comedians and others seeking to mock the concept.
To the former, microaggressions are a serious concern, with tangible and hurtful…
