I would think a white “cis dude” is very much a minority at Oberlin. I’m still failing to see how the micro aggression warranted the macro aggression of calling him “bit@@”. To me, that is the sort of thing we need to see less of on campus.
After I read the article, I did a search on whether the term “cis” is offensive. Some of the articles were silly, about “I’m normal, don’t label me”. But some history that it is sometimes used against gay men to shout them down or as a slur. I don’t know much about this, but I imagine this blogger said it as a slur…
A kid that works with me is shocked every time I know the answer to a trivia question: really? You got that? I’m 3 levels above him, I have 2 more degrees than him and 20 years more life experience. But to him I am obviously just a dumb blonde.
That micro aggression is avenged every time our paycheck arrives.
In certain contexts “Latino Heritage Month” might be a microaggression. There are studies that demonstrate drawing even positive attention to difference before a test causes that targeted group to do poorly. For example, if before a math test the instructor draws attention to equal math ability between women and men, women’s scores will tend down. If the history professor draws attention to the need for the inclusion of Latino history in the curriculum, Latino/a students will feel the omission more significantly, feel obligated to represent their ethnicity, feel like outsiders in the classroom.
White people, men, Christians may want simple answers about inclusion and exclusion. Clearly some want to deny the meaning of a lifetime of aggression (macro and micro), but what microaggression means is that a woman, for example, is never allowed to just be. She not only has to worry about macro attacks (rape, glass ceiling), but also may have her clothes, IQ, or knowledge questioned, criticized, mocked at any moment.
You are ignoring that white men are also micro-agressed all the time. Their manliness, height, voice, athleticism, financial success, strength are questioned, criticized, mocked all the time. Any mom of a son knows this.
I think “micro-aggression” is an unfortunate term for what we are talking about here. The person who deliberately steps on your toes is aggressive; the person who does it accidentally isn’t. But it hurts your toe either way, so there is a problem.
In my opinion, this is a situation in which ignorance, often linked with insensitivity, leads to an action which inadvertently, but often justifiably, offends somebody. Let’s take the example of praising a black person for being “articulate.” I’m not surprised that black people are offended by a compliment of this kind, because it suggests that black people are typically not articulate–and it would be unusual for anybody to praise a white person for being articulate. But is the person who says this being “aggressive?” Not really.
But it’s not enough, I guess, to simply ask people to think before they speak, to be more sensitive, and to be nicer in general. We have to have a label, so we can argue more about it.
Bay: Mostly by other white men, who are more concerned with micro-agressing gay men and women through the feminization of masculinity, probably to protect the patriarchy where their cultural power resides.
I am always shocked by the “gender police” who make sure no one strays into the middle. I don’t ignore microaggression of anyone, but there are discursive and cultural systems that make certain populations more vulnerable to micro aggression, most tellingly the backup of macro aggression.
It demonstrates “obtrusive energy” and “forceful action with intent to dominate”: who are “you” to judge my articulateness? What position of privilege allows “you” to assess me?
Wouldn’t that be true of any sort of compliment or criticism of any person? Is “I like your shirt” aggressive? What if I approach a black kid who just performed at a spoken word event and say, “I really liked your poem.” Is that aggressive? Is it only aggressive if I’m white?
Aggression is just the wrong term for this, in my opinion.
There is a lot of this “who are you to judge me or validate me or approve of me” rhetoric. Then there are a lot of patronizing judgments against white males - for example for being so forward as to use the word ‘futbol’.
If the Dean of my college comments on my shirt, it is definitely a micro aggression as he should be assessing our shared work and goals. If my neighbor says it, it would be more dependent on context, the neighbor, the shirt, etc.
Your example of a “black kid” is telling. Children are to be assessed, judged, supported. This is a cultural norm (it takes a village); poems are out there to be judged. I would say that this example isn’t aggressive.
I agree sensitivity and niceness are important and probably would do most of the job, most of the time. Still there is another layer of thought required in a multicultural society.
I was reading an article in which an elderly woman was referred to as a “spinster.” It occurred to me that this wasn’t a nice term–especially since there is no equivalently negative term for an unmarried elderly man. If we all tried to be nicer, we wouldn’t use terms like that, or like “retard,” or “gypped,” or many others. Being offended can become ridiculous, of course, but that doesn’t mean that nothing is offensive, or that being asked to behave with sensitivity and good manners is an unreasonable request.
Not a fan of victimhood, but agreed that that is a posture adopted by both the extreme left and right these days. I mean, a huge faction of the current GOP is fueled by outrage. Try to find out what percentage of conservatives feel slighted and oppressed these days (by the “elites”/government/liberal media/whatever). If I recall right, it was a stupidly high number. Pretty soon, everybody will be a victim of everybody else.
I describe people as “articulate” all the time, especially my D. My mom was an English major, so I grew up used to hearing praises about peoples’ abilities to communicate properly.
I don’t think I agree with this, but I don’t have any studies to prove it. Note that in the OP situation it was a female Latina who called the white guy a “cis-dude” and “biotch.”
Deliberately cutting in line is microaggression. Thinking you are getting into the end of the line, while failing to realize that there are more people further back already in line is a micro-offense, but it is not aggression of any kind.
What I think is problematic about labeling everything as a microaggression is that it implies an aggressive motive, which I believe is not present in many of these cases.
Sensitivity and niceness entails allowing people to use any spelling of any reasonable word from any language that they want.
Sensitivity and niceness also entails recognizing that your ethnicity/culture is not all goodness and light, and that one particular group (white males) is not the only source of real aggression in the world.
But since now you know that a black person will likely be offended by such a compliment, you will stop yourself if you find you’re about to say this to a black person, right? That’s just good manners.
Am I allowed to be offended by the whole concept of micro aggression? It seems that as society, as a whole, has gotten safer, more affluent, better educated, we go out of our way for things to complain about. The world today is way better that the world of 50 years ago. Sure we have plenty of big problems to solve, but none will ever get fixed if we concentrate on this nonsense. This middle aged white guy will never have a conversation with someone from a region of the world affected by (pick your issue) if I have to worry that simply asking the question “Where are your from?” can be considered offensive.
The issue in the article could have been hypothetically solved by the both students if a conversion had taken place, without the drama on both sides -
1 - “hey, are you trying to detract from the presentation? and BTW, why futbol, seems a little demeaning”
2 - “absolutely not, just wanted folks to know were are still playing and my dad is from Costa Rica, so its a term I’ve used my whole life”
1 - “ok, cool”
2- “I’ll send out a clarification so I don’t pull anyone from the presentation that really wants to go”
1 - “thanks”
How hard is this? Instead everything has to blow out of proportion.