The dictionary defines microaggression as an expression or incident that is considered an example of indirect or unintentional discrimination against members of a marginalized group. Professor Derald Sue attempts to define microaggression as verbal, behavioral, or environmental humiliation, whether deliberate or otherwise, depicting hostility, demeaning or disrespectful racial comments, and insults toward people of color. Microaggressions have long been an integral part of the literature in institutions of learning, but have come to the forefront through the popular Microaggressions Tumblr, which seeks to highlight the microaggressions that people, especially people of color, face on a daily basis. Photographer Kiyun, for example, asked classmates to write down an example of such a microaggression they encounter on a daily basis. Most of his classmates responded in response, and for one student the question had always been what language they spoke in Japan. This wasn't a surprise to me because this is one of the questions I get asked "thousands" of times at work. I always get asked, do you have an accent, what language do you speak in Uganda, French? Even though Uganda was colonized by the British. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay That's interesting to note, Derald. Sue (2010) uses the term microaggression to illustrate how the distinction is evidently presented in everyday conversations to harm or trivialize people based on color, race/ethnicity, gender, religion, sexuality, among others. For example, Wing Sue uses her accident on a plane to drive instances of microaggression that people of color struggle with on a daily basis. Sue says that on that fateful day he and his African-American friend, aboard a small plane with a few other passengers, the unthinkable happened. Being among the few on the plane, they chose the front seats as per the flight attendant's orders. He goes on to say that shortly before takeoff, they were surprised to be called by the attendant who he describes as white, to make way for the three white men who had arrived late. This was codified in the attendant's own words, “to balance” the Although they felt singled out because of their color, they still respected the request made by the attendant. However, after expressing their dissatisfaction, the flight attendant fiercely objected to their claims, immediately became paranoid and claimed that it was for all intents and purposes intended to preserve the safety of the flight and their privacy. But how is this possible? you may ask. Well, this may just be the tip of the iceberg, compared to what Black people go through on a daily basis in the United States. Indeed, Sue's story illustrates the extent to which racism is still embodied not only in politics and economics but also in the minds, hearts, and souls of most white people in America. I think most white Americans today are victims of what DiAngelo described as “racial innocence,” which she describes as “a form of weaponized denial/disclaimer that positions people of color, particularly Black men, as haversacks of race and custodians of racial knowledge. Personally, in Seattle, WA, I witnessed a nearly similar incident where an elderly black male was asked to evacuate his seat at the expense of a white woman who appeared smartly dressed and when he tried to resist, he was ejected forcefully off the bus. When asked why it had to be the “black guy,” the white driver immediately said.
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