Comments on: “Micro”aggression, Larger Problem https://contemporaryracism.org/3568/microaggression-larger-problem/ An academic blog about whiteness, implicit bias, and systemic racism Sun, 17 Jun 2018 16:19:58 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 By: Mia Shmariahu https://contemporaryracism.org/3568/microaggression-larger-problem/comment-page-1/#comment-943 Tue, 01 May 2018 01:24:04 +0000 http://contemporaryracism.org/?p=3568#comment-943 Something that I have been working on in response to microaggressions is my ability to call other people out for what they say. I often have trouble identifying them in the moment, so I have a difficult time speaking up for others. One of the things I have learned, however, is to stick with a gut feeling.
For example, one of my professors this semester asked the students of color in the classroom what a White individual should say instead of saying “I’m sorry,” in response to a racist remark or action. I was completely taken aback. Using everything that I have learned in this class, I understood that this was not okay. But I didn’t speak up because I doubted my first feelings. After that encounter, I had time to think about the remark that my professor made and talk with my friends about it. After hearing their reactions, I understood that what happened was not okay.
Since then, I have been actively attempting to speak up when I have that instinct that something is off – because, I figure, speaking up even when it isn’t as bad as I think it is, is better than not speaking up at all.

]]> By: Morgan Weiss https://contemporaryracism.org/3568/microaggression-larger-problem/comment-page-1/#comment-900 Mon, 09 Apr 2018 18:58:03 +0000 http://contemporaryracism.org/?p=3568#comment-900 When we learned about microaggressions, I definitely had an “oh, crap” moment because I did not realize even the littlest comments I made were racist and affecting individuals. The examples you give are definitely the ones I am most familiar with. Ironically, in my one Political Science course we have one black student. Every time my professor talks about Africa (in any context) he looks directly at her, whether he knows he is doing it or not. By him staring at her, it causes the rest of us to stare. Now, I can only imagine how awkward and on the spot she must feel. Therefore, she may not even have any African roots but we assume she does as well as we assume her to give us feedback about Africa simply because of her color.

Microaggressions are minimally acknowledged by white people I think because they do not understand their harm, especially because no microaggressions are every committed towards white individuals. No comments that are made toward whites are specifically because of race, which really puts things into perspective for me. I think having the knowledge of these occurrences makes us responsible for addressing microaggressions when they surface. We may not always receive nice responses back, but it is important to draw attention to such comments that could directly hurt minorities.

Since these class periods, I am much more knowledgeable about my comments and my friends who may say things that I know are not okay. However, I struggle with my black friend makes a joke about her race. I do not know how respond or how to react? She knows about this class and urge for change, but she does place me in an awkward position because I do not want to laugh, and I do not want others to think it is okay to participate in her jokes about blacks.

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