A beginner’s guide to microaggressions
What 50 Cent did was inexcusable, but it’s also something we all do from time to time and we need to work on
Last week, rapper 50 Cent posted a video of him criticizing an airport worker based on his personality and mannerisms. It turns out, that worker happened to have disabilities that influenced that kind of behavior. You probably know how the rest of the story goes.
50 Cent realizes his mistake, takes down the video as soon as possible in the hopes of minimizing the backlash, only for him to still be the target of hate and criticism.
But why does this matter? Celebrities, artists, athletes, and so on post dumb stuff all the time. This has nothing to do with us. WRONG! It has everything to do with us. It’s called a microaggression. A microaggression is when you say something either good intentioned or jokingly that is in some way insulting, typecasting, or critical of someone. Here are a few examples.
Example 1
Man: What class are you working on?
Female: A program for Computer Science.
Man: Oh, I didn’t know you were interested in CS. It must be tough for you.
Female: Actually I got an A on my last assignment.
Man: (Shocked) Wow…good job!
Example 2
Asian Male: (Posts picture of his soccer photo online)
Non-Asian Female: (Posts comment) Wow you’re really cute and athletic for an Asian.
Asian Male: (reads comment) Thanks?
Example 3
When deciding who guards who before the basketball game starts, he tells his teammates to guard a heavier player on the opposing team he refers to as “Charles Barkley”.
Since his teammate is skinnier than that player, he instructs him to used his speed to exploit the mismatch. He says all of this loud enough for the heavier player to hear him.
Example 4
A teaching assistant constantly works with a student in office hours and he seems to be lagging behind. He constantly asks about parts of lectures he misses or is late to due to his lack of reliable transportation options. He uses his difficulties this quarter to explain why he needs the extra help but in class the TA notices him sometimes talking to his friends, although only briefly and not very disruptive. So the TA feels he is just making excuses and criticizes his work ethic, but in reality he is really struggling.
Microaggressions are not limited to these acts. They usually begin with a thought based on our stereotypes and predispositions about people. The reason I bring this up is because we can use this viral occurrence as an opportunity to increase our awareness on our actions. Nobody is perfect. I say stupid things like this sometimes but I have worked on it.
If you catch yourself doing this, apologize immediately and make a mental note of it. And always put yourself in someone else’s perspective. Think about if they would really appreciate what you are trying to say. Intentions don’t always equate to your actions. So think before you speak!