Microaggression In The Classroom

This paper explores the 2004 Lions Gate film Crash and the microaggressions that occur to and between the characters in the movie. The film follows the interweaving lives of several characters living in Los Angeles as they deal with racism, discrimination, relationships, and loss. Throughout the film, the characters also begin to come to terms with their own biases and prejudices. The author of this paper includes the three major types of microaggressions displayed in the film: microassault, microinsult, and microinvalidation, describes how they occurred, and the effect these microaggressions had on the victims. Possible counseling implications for each microaggression for both the perpetrator and the victim are discussed. Throughout this paper, the author’s personal feelings and thoughts related to the microaggressions, and possible implications (oppression and discrimination) of the microaggressions both intentional and unintentional are explored.

This explanation of inequality places the blame on the victim, attributing status to a culture’s “lack of effort, loose family organization, and inappropriate values.” (40). Finally, Bonilla-Silva identifies the minimization of racism as the last framework in the colorblind ideology. This frame posits that minorities aren’t affected by racism anymore; racism is “better now than in the past.” (29). Bonilla-Silva asserts that whites use these frames both separately and collectively as a way of justifying turning their backs on the realities of racial inequality.

I have read and fully understand the article Racial Microaggressions in Everyday Life: the Implications for Clinical Practice. However, I must admit the article does not sit well with me and I have learned I have been a microaggressor since my early days; specifically, I have offered microinsults many times over without even realizing it. Through the years, I have thought of myself as one who consciously believes in equal rights for “all”; not just the American people, but people of all races across the entire globe. Granted, I have never

Microaggression is a form of negative communication in which the speaker is targeting a certain group of people. This could be the female gender, people of a different race, or lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgender (LGBTs). The speakers behave, talk, or act in manners belittling others. For example, when men whistle or laugh as a woman passes by, they are insinuating that the body of that woman is used to give them entertainment. Similarly, an indigenous American who tells a customer not to ‘Jew’ intends to communicate that the customer should not behave stingily as Jews do. Although this form of behavior is seen as a pure form of an act of hatred, psychologists believe that there is a connection between personality and microaggressions. It is a mental condition reflecting how the perpetrators view the world in four ways; dominance/inferiority,

Microaggressions manifest in many ways such as, “You’re lucky that you're black”, “Don’t you wish you were white”, and “What are you”. These comments can be very insulting to a person. “Don’t you wish you were white” can be very insulting to an African American or Hispanic person. In other words, this example illustrates that the colored person is viewed down upon since they are not white. An African American is viewed down because they were slaves and since they are not white, whites are seen as rich and powerful. Sometimes a simple insult like, “You’re smart,” can offend a person without you knowing it. When someone says, “You’re smart,” people can start questioning themselves about their abilities and intelligence, but there is a way to respond.

This paper serves as a personal reflection of the implication of racial microaggressions in daily life. Three journal articles and a book chapter are explored in an effort to obtain a greater understanding of the effects of racial microaggressions experienced by people of color and to bring light to how often racial microaggressions are committed by White Americans without notice or accompanied by attempts to explain away the offenses. The sources used provide examples of obvious acts of discrimination as well as subtle microaggressions which are often unconsciously or naively perpetrated and go on to offer recommendations for professional counselors in order to both provide a framework for helping clients of color to cope with encounters of microaggressions and highlight the need of awareness of possible racial microaggressions present during counselor-client interactions which may result in negative impacts on the therapeutic process. Racial microaggressions are broken down into subcategories of microassaults, microinsults, and microinvalidations, providing a deeper explanation of my own experiences with such discriminatory actions. This ultimately leads to a decision of continuation of training with a necessary focus on increasing mindfulness and field experiences in respect to the subject of racial microaggressive behaviors and attitudes.

Microaggressions are now, more than ever, noticeable in the media. In the film, Get Out, director Jordan Peele uses microaggressions to illustrate his message that racism requires action with the use of discomforting methods, in the hopes of educating white people on their not so subtle racism. Throughout the film he utilizes the Armitage family’s microaggressions toward black people to obtain the audience's attention. The specific audience he is targeting is white people, who are most commonly guilty of microaggressions. He overuses examples of microaggressions to cause his audience to feel awkward and uncomfortable, similar to how a black person may feel when faced with the same remarks. For example, when Rose Armitage invites her black boyfriend Chris to meet her family, he is bombarded with microaggressions upon his arrival. Her family appears to overcompensate and try to relate to him in any way possible. Rose’s father, Dean, is usually the one who is making Chris feel uncomfortable. He not only constantly refers to Chris as “My Man” throughout the movie, but also states “I [Dean] would have voted for Obama a third time if I [Dean] could”(Peele). To a white person, her Dean’s words would have gone unnoticed, but to a black person it is painfully obvious that he is trying to seem relatable to Chris. Other members of the family, such as Rose’s brother Jeremy, also make Chris uncomfortable. He begins a conversation with Chris about sports, which leads to him saying “ you [Chris] could be a beast”(Peele). It is evident that this makes Chris uncomfortable because he is being belittled for his genetic makeup. Other characters in the movie are also guilty of using microaggressions, such as Mr. Dray. While talking to Chris and Rose, he states that “I [Mr.Dray] know Tiger”(Peele). This is a version of the classic statement “I have black friends”, which has been a recurrent microaggressive phrase used by white people for decades. This statement is most often used when white people are trying to disprove that they are racist. Strangely, the most blatant microaggressive comment in the film came from an unnamed Asian man, who states “Black is in fashion”(Peele). Since the Asian man is a fellow minority, it is strange

They can tend to convey rudeness and insensitivity. Even the most well intentioned person can let out some sort of microaggression, being unaware that their conduct was harmful. Unfortunately a lot of microagression is conscious in the intention to oppress people not similar to them. Microassaults are intentional aggressive actions that involve race such as denying ones children to date someone of a different race. Lastly there is microinvalidation, where one excludes a persons thoughts or feelings, such as colorblindness, to the disregard of the characteristics of race. The process of microgression is order of five phases. Phase one, the incident, is where the participant experiences the situation. Phase two, the perception is when the participant has the belief whether the situation was racial or not. Phase three, the reaction, is where they respond to the situation. Then there is phase four where the participant interprets the meaning. Lastly is phase five, consequence, where behavior or thought processes happen over time as an outcome of the situation.

Microaggressions have been further generalized under a category of racism identified as aversive racism, where discriminating parties tend to find security by associating with those similar to them, thus marginalizing other parties. While working with his colleagues, Sue further categorized microaggressions into three different divisions: microassaults, microinsult, and microinvalidation. This further categorization has let those guilty of using microaggressions how they have the negative effect that they do.

In the article “Racial Microagressions in Everyday Life”, Derald Wing Sue and his colleagues highlight racial microagressions that occur in a therapeutic relationship. As defined in the article, microagressions are brief verbal, behavioral, or environmental actions that convey hostility, derogatory, or negativity towards a certain group of people. Microagressions can be subtle such as assuming an Asian American or Latin American is foreign born. It can also be obvious such as specifically going to an Asian person in a group of black and white students for help with a math or science problem. These actions can occur with or without intention of the person portraying the microagression.

Microaggressions are committed constantly, among numerous people without them realizing it. I must say I am completely guilty of also playing part in this act. These acts are done constantly and no one understands the affects it has on people. Miller and Garran (2008) states, “Racial microaggressions are similar to aversive racism. They are “subtle, stunning, often automatic,” verbal and nonverbal putdowns and social assaults that wound people of color unbeknownst to the perpetrator” (p.97). This is what produces pain and anger inside countless of people. Many individuals need professional help in order to surpass the neglect they have been summited to.

You may not know any bigots, you think “I don’t hate black people, so I’m not racist”, but you benefit from racism. There are certain privileges and opportunities you have that you do not even realize because you have not been deprived in certain ways. Racism, institutional and otherwise, does not always manifest itself in a way that makes it readily identifiable to onlookers, victims, or perpetrators; it is not always the outward aggression typically associated with being a hate crime. Racial microaggressions are a type of perceived racism. They are more subtle and ambiguous than the more hostile or overt expressions of racism, such as racial discrimination (CITE). Microaggressions are everyday verbal, visual, or environmental

For instance, the meaning of racial microaggression is brief and commonplace daily verbal, behavioral, or environmental indignities, whether intentional or unintentional that communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative racial slights and insults towards people of

American society, which for centuries has prided itself as being the land of the free and the place where dreams come to be true, has tyrannized its most susceptible groups and taken away their liberty to work for their aspirations. The Afro-Caribbean psychiatrist describes this as vertical violence, in which they oppressive oligarchs force oppression upon minorities via the institutions they control. This leads to the passive acceptance of macroaggressions as well as the continuous practice of microaggressions. One of the ways in which this occurs is when the elites of society feel entitled to erase the narratives of those whom they subdue. Said elites often go on to formulate harmful narrative that allow them to sustain their hegemony over

Appraisal of microaggressions refers to the process of evaluating an encounter to determine if it meets their personal criteria of racial discrimination. This occurred after students were presented with a potentially discriminatory event, and they engaged in a process of examining the potential microaggression. When appraising microaggressions, individuals draw on their personal definitions of discrimination and their family/personal beliefs about ethnic identity. Participant responses indicated that there were some instances that meet criteria of a microaggression as stipulated by Sue et al. (2007a), however, participants engaged in a process of analyzing their interactions