Microaggressions are small instances of aggression towards a person, where one either deliberately or unconsciously insults another. Although it might seem like a minor occurrence, it is important to note that it can act as both promoter of the major issues and a marker of the hostility level. The examples used in the video by Derald Wing Sue are not surprising even though they are taken from famous Hollywood movies. I have not been a victim of microaggression, but I have seen gender oppressing types around me.
The video describes two main manifestations of microaggression, which are deliberate and unconscious. These terms determine the ends of the spectrum of various types of microaggressions. In addition, they can take three main forms, which are microinvalidation, microinsult, and microassault. The former two lie closer to the unconscious end, whereas the latter is deliberate. Micro-insults are messages that convey stereotypes, rudeness, insensitivity, and thereby demean racial, gender, or sexual orientation-based heritage or identity. The neglect of micro-abuse is often difficult to grasp, often outside the conscious behavior of the speaker.
I was not surprised by any example he used because I have seen such instances of aggression being done towards other people. Lastly, microaggressions can be verbal, non-verbal, and environmental, which is why it is critical to pay attention to gestures and body language. Non-verbal microaggression is based on the fact that everyone needs to be accepted because being included in a certain group of people is one of the most important social needs. Avoidance and expulsion are types of social failure that cause several problems in and of themselves. Thus, it’s no surprise that inclusion, acceptance, and being seen are the key aspects of privilege.
In many situations of social interaction and communication, privilege means the right to decide who to take seriously, who to ignore, who to pay attention to, and who to avoid. Privileges give a sense of superiority and allow society to behave by this presumption. One should note that microaggression, which manifests itself through the environment, does no less harm than verbal or non-verbal one. These are numerous demeaning and threatening social, educational, political, or economic signals. They are communicated to marginalized groups individually, institutionally, or in society, and environmental micro-aggression is mostly visualized.
I do not recall being a victim of microaggression, but I have observed some forms in people around me. For example, one of my friends was catcalled by a stranger, which was highly disturbing and unpleasant. In the case of my cousin, he expresses some form of microaggression towards females due to his sexist views. Microaggression is everyday stress for members of marginalized groups. However, only this stress is added to the usual pressures that all people experience about health, loved ones, work, and money. Each act of micro-aggression looks like a small intervention that does not cause serious harm. Taken together, this suppresses the personality, deprives them of usefulness, humiliates, undermines strength, and drains. In addition, it can cause depression, impair mental and physical health, and ruin relationships between people.
In conclusion, one should be aware that microaggressions can take many shapes and sizes depending on the situation. They can be either deliberate or unconscious, which makes the issue more complex and difficult to tackle. In addition, they can also be microassaults, microinsults, and microinvalidations, which possess different degrees of deliberateness. Although I was not a victim of microaggression, I have observed the instances among people around me.