What is microaggression?

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Recently i read that some liberal profesor opposing to honor the late american Supreme Justice Anton Scala i read this on of our Polish (because i'm Polish) Conservative journal "Polonia Christiana" in section dedicated for foreign politics.

I wonder what is hell is with America

And what this demo liberal microaggression bubbling means at all

Does commendation someone who is not liked by liberal mainstream media is act of backwardness and aggression

https://answers.yahoo.com/question/inde ... 315AArfJ9o

"Microaggression" is an idea recently invented by the radical Left to try to gain political advantage -- and as a raw political strategy it really is brilliant. It allows you to claim that anyone who disagrees with you is a threat and so should be banned, censored, silenced, or condemned.

I'll illustrate how it works: I'm an atheist, and I don't like that you mentioned "hell" and a Christian newspaper in your message. Your message makes me uncomfortable. It is "hate speech" directed at me and is a threat to my beliefs, so I demand that WrongPlanet ban you from this message board for harassing me.

(See how easy it is? Everyone can play!)

Here is a group of American Leftists who have been victims of microaggression:

Last edited by Darmok on 24 Feb 2016, 10:14 am, edited 1 time in total.

I don't know, just another SJW construct that needs to be kicked out of the US.

It's actually somewhat worse than that: I read some time ago from an actual list of examples of "microaggressions", and the one that stuck in my mind was "being black, and walking into a classroom where only white people are currently present". Allegedly, the low level of melanin present in the room prior to this person entering counts as a hostile action.

I never heard the term myself until a few days ago when I read the term for the first time in a thread here in the PPR section of WP.

Think of microaggressions as adding up over time, like death by a thousand cuts. It's not about each individual microaggression so much: it's about the whole package and having to experience it over and over again.

Microagression Theory Wikipedia article

Another theory that started with with some merit but has been hijacked by the anti free speech movement.

From the sound of it that is probably the case.

What I find funny is that white people consider people of color discussing their experiences with microaggression to be "anti-free speech." It's like the white people would just rather that people of color to shut up and go away; otherwise, their 1st amendment rights are being violated. It's ironic because if anything by demanding silence from people of color, telling them not to speak of their experiences when doing so is uncomfortable to white people, it's the white people who are being anti-free speech.

The reality is the perception of micro-aggression can be a symptom of mental illness. It is natrual for someone with anxiety to assume people are out to get you.

Yes they can also be devalued, but micro aggression isn't a particularly helpful term in addressing that. It is not helping address the stigma of mental illness.

However all the research on the treatment of anxiety and trauma doesn't advocate wrapping people up in cotton wool. On the contrary basic understanding of conditioning will tell that this will reinforce what you don't wan to feel or do.

Last edited by 0_equals_true on 24 Feb 2016, 1:48 pm, edited 1 time in total.

It it isn't that.

In the past couple of year terms like "safe space", "trigger warning" and "micro aggression" absolutely have been used to try an limit free speech. Especially in university campuses.

The technique is if someone is discussing something they don't feel comfortable with they use such concepts to justify draconian policies which to violate not only free speech but sometimes also other fundamental rights like freedom of movement too.

The irony is more open discussion woudl be more effective at dealing with discrimination, especially as people get to know each other better. Most of the fear of each other comes from the unknown.

Also activist have misreprisented the advice of mental health professional, to weaponise these terms.

Last edited by 0_equals_true on 24 Feb 2016, 2:02 pm, edited 1 time in total.

I don't even think there is such a thing as a microagression. It's made up liberal hocus pocus, and it's a new term. Sigh...I was involved in the *cough* liberal arts, when I was in my late teens and early 20s. Never heard of the term back then. I think it's a relatively new phenomenon.

It is a symptom of mental illness, but it is also sometimes a reality. But such is life. People categorize others and deal with them accordingly. It's a short hand of communication. I agree that the more barriers that are broken down the better.

Microaggression exists. As does microcompassion. I have a bandage from a biopsy on my face and when I went out for groceries people were either super kind and nice or they looked away and went off.

Microaggression can be powerful.

Interesting male/female pattern here.

I think it's a very real thing, and an interesting and useful term.

I'd like to see an experiment where cynics of the idea were deliberately met with microaggression, but I doubt (ironically) you'd get it past an ethics board.

As with all concepts used to analyse and understand, it has its limits. I also worry that over/misuse of it can lead to a paranoid helplessness.

androbot01,

Very good point. Yes, there is that automatic tendency to categorize, and that's probably not going away anytime soon. What activists want, however, is for people to become aware of that fact and admit to it, instead of trying to dissemble this tendency by saying stuff like, "I don't see race. I only see people." This makes them come across as obtuse or dishonest to the people of color confronting them, and the person in question is basically in denial. The first step to solving or at least mitigating a problem is to admit that you have it. If more people were self-aware like this, the impacts of microaggressions would be lessened, and activists would be a lot less frustrated.

I have to say that I am guilty of microing people in this way. It is easier sometimes to pigeonhole people based on superficial evidence. I remind myself not to do this and have often been pleasantly surprised at what people unexpectedly offer.