“More insidious than those moments of outright hostility, and maybe more powerful, are the constant, low-level reminders that you're different. Many of us feel different in some way, but it's really jarring when one of your differences is obvious at a glance -- other people can tell you're different simply by looking at you. Even when you feel like you belong, other people's reactions - even stares and offhand remarks - can make you feel that you don't belong startlingly often."
―Celeste Ng, "Everything I Never Told You"
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Day 4: Microaggressions & Stereotypes
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How racism is carried out in our society has changed since the civil rights movement, it has become more subtle in the aggressions against BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color). Aversive racism and implicit bias have made it more difficult to identify and address modern racism because it is easier for perpetrators to avoid confronting their own complicity in creating psychological dilemmas for BIPOC and their role in creating disparities in employment, healthcare, and education.
Stereotype
A standardized mental picture that is held in common about members of a group that represents an oversimplified opinion, attitude or unexamined judgment, without regard to individual differences
Interpersonal Racism
The expression of racism between individuals. It occurs when individuals interact, and their private beliefs affect their interactions. Examples: public expressions of racial prejudice, hate, bias, and bigotry between individuals.
Microaggression*
The everyday verbal, nonverbal, and environmental slights, snubs, or insults, whether intentional or unintentional, which communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative messages to target persons based solely upon their marginalized group membership.
*Microaggressions include micro-assaults, micro-insults and/or micro-invalidations. To learn more, CLICK HERE to view Glossary of Terms.
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Stereotypes are thought-saving devices, because when you accept a stereotype, you don't have to think for yourself at all. Your idea comes to you frozen, pre-packaged, ready to use – false or true, it doesn’t matter. All you have to do is thaw it out and slip it into your brain - nothing further is required.
Is subtle bias harmless?
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Click the video below to see Zerlina's piece on microaggressions. The microaggressions and aggressions that come with everyday activities when you aren’t white are countless, and one of them is shopping. For example, a woman named Trinity Bethune bought her first car and the dealership posted it on their Facebook and called her “Bon Quisha”. Journalist Mara Schiavocampo breaks down the microaggression and how people can be better allies.
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In interviews with their peers, student journalists found teenagers grappling with a variety of racial misconceptions, ranging from annoying attitudes to deeply hurtful views.
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Some people consider microaggressions to be a phantom symptom of political correctness and a further sign that society has become "soft," while others see them as a problematic way of normalizing bigotry. So how do microaggressions compare to other types of moral harms? Do they add up to structural oppression and if so how are we to assign individual culpability?
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Who's in your feed?
Follow Racial Justice activists, educators, organizations, and movements on social media. Consider connecting with any of the people/organizations you learn about in the daily resources. We'll provide some suggestions to widen the circle of who you follow.
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Explore - Combating Microaggressions
A note of advice for allies old and new: the work of allyship is difficult. You will make mistakes as you learn — and you will always be learning. For anyone accused of committing a microaggression or counseling someone who has been accused, here are a few notes on how to respond:
- Remember that intent does not supersede impact.
- Seek to understand the experiences of BIPOC peers, bosses, and employees without making them responsible for your edification.
- Believe your BIPOC colleagues when they choose to share their insights; don’t get defensive or play devil’s advocate.
- Get comfortable rethinking much of what you thought to be true about the world and your workplace and accept that you have likely been complicit in producing inequity.
Reflect
- When are some times you have witnessed microaggressions in the workplace, at school, in the community, etc.? How might you respond if you find yourself in that situation again?
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