{"id":10051,"date":"2012-03-21T02:52:55","date_gmt":"2012-03-20T17:52:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.debito.org\/?p=10051"},"modified":"2012-03-21T03:10:01","modified_gmt":"2012-03-20T18:10:01","slug":"psych-today-and-dailylife-com-on-microaggression-an-interesting-way-to-look-at-subtle-social-othering","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/?p=10051","title":{"rendered":"Psych Today and DailyLife.com on “Microaggression”, an interesting way to look at subtle social “othering”"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Hi Blog. \u00a0I’ve been studying in recent months the dynamic of “othering” and concomitant practices of racism at the nation-state level. \u00a0Lotsa food for thought for me there, of course.<\/p>\n

But this came across my computer screen a few days ago and I think it worth reposting. \u00a0Two articles, one journalistic, one from scientists at Psychology Today, on “Microaggression”, and how subtle practices of social “othering” in everyday interactions are difficult to deal with without getting (or sounding) paranoid. \u00a0It happens on a daily basis to minorities and people of differences in any culture, to be sure. \u00a0But in Japan, methinks, it gets dismissed as merely a Japanese cultural practice (“curiosity”, the product of the ubiquitous “shimaguni konjou<\/em>“, the way many Japanese reconfirm themselves as “different” and “unique” as defined in contrast to the NJ, etc.). \u00a0It’s not necessarily a willful act of racialization (and I would put it down to more of a “dominant group” issue rather than a “White” issue, so the analysis can cross societies), but is is definitely an aggressive act of “othering” (as in, assuming through the line of questioning, and against all evidence to the contrary that comes out in conversation, that someone is “different”) on the micro level. \u00a0And when it happens often enough, it become a macro phenomenon. \u00a0The advantage is, in English, there is a word for it. \u00a0Not in Japanese, which makes it tougher to deal with. \u00a0Again, lots of food for thought. \u00a0Have a read. \u00a0Arudou Debito<\/p>\n

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/<\/p>\n

ARE YOU A VICTIM OF MICROAGGRESSION?<\/strong>
\n March 16, 2012<\/strong>
\n Candice Chung, Writer, Daily Life.com, Courtesy Giantpanda<\/strong>
\nhttp:\/\/www.dailylife.com.au\/news-and-views\/dl-opinion\/are-you-a-victim-of-microaggression-20120315-1v68k.html
\n<\/a>
\nMaybe it\u2019s the dim lighting, or maybe it\u2019s the soft 80s rock \u2013 but there\u2019s something about catching a taxi alone at night that gives cab drivers the illusion they\u2019re on a speed date with you. At least that\u2019s one way of explaining the huge number of uncomfortably intimate conversations I\u2019ve had with taxi drivers over the years.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

There are the standard ice-breakers \u2013 whether I\u2019m single, what I do, where I\u2019d been, and it usually ticks along politely until I get one question wrong.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Driver: \u201cSo, where are you from?\u201d<\/em><\/strong>
\n Me: \u201cOh, I grew up here.\u201d<\/em><\/strong>
\n Driver: \u201cBut I mean, where are you from, originally? What are you Thai? Malaysian?\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And that, I\u2019ve come to recognise, is my cue to provide a solid explanation for being Asian. Of course, I could\u2019ve mentioned I was born in Hong Kong from the start, but what if they decide to compliment me on my English? It\u2019d be rude to take credit for what\u2019s practically the only thing I speak.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Interestingly, the question of ancestry hardly ever comes up in casual banters for my Anglo Saxon friends (although they too are descended from immigrants). We may laugh at the overwhelming percentage of Republican voters who still believe Barack Obama is Muslim, but even in a truly multicultural society like ours, are certain cultural and religious backgrounds perceived as more \u2018authentically Australian\u2019 than others?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The term \u2018microagression\u2019 was first coined by psychiatrist Chester M. Pierce in 1970 to describe the everyday things we say or do which causes someone to feel \u2018othered\u2019. Originally a racially-related phenomenon, its definition has since evolved to include any subtle verbal or non-verbal communication that conveys insensitivity towards a person\u2019s sex, social status, physical appearance or sexuality.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Microaggressive remarks can often come in the form of back-handed compliments. For example, \u201cShe\u2019s gorgeous for a big girl\u201d or \u201cI would never be able to tell you\u2019re GAY!\u201d Essentially, they are messages that appear innocent enough on the surface but contain \u2018demeaning meta-communications\u2019 to its recipients.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

According to Columbia University psychologist Derald Wing Sue, \u201cMost people… harbour unconscious biases and prejudices that leak out in many interpersonal situations.\u201d Just think of all the talk-back radio rants that begin with \u201cNow, I\u2019m not racist\/ sexist\/ homophobic, but …\u201d or any number of \u2018well-meaning\u2019 comments that finish with: [chuckle] \u201cNo offence\u201d. And since most \u2018microaggressors\u2019 are genuinely unaware of any wrongdoings, this makes it nearly impossible to confront the situation without evoking paranoia.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Ironically, Sue\u2019s research also found that most of us are actually better at handling overt acts of discrimination than subtle insults, because at least the former has \u201cno guesswork involved\u201d whereas victims of microaggression are \u201coften left to question what actually happened\u201d.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The challenge ultimately lies in making the invisible visible \u2013 however \u2018insignificant\u2019 it may be. And we can do this, writes Cultural Anthropologist Zara Zimbardo<\/a>, by \u201creturning the gaze\u201d: \u201cIn feminist discourse, it\u2019s when \u201cthe targeted \u2018other\u2019 look[s] back at the non-target \u201cnorm\u201d, putting them in the spotlight of scrutiny.\u201d Viral videos like S**t White Girls Say to Black Girls<\/a> or the Microaggression Project<\/a> \u2013 where contributors are encouraged to submit snippets of microaggressive insults \u2013 are great examples of putting the spotlight on the myriad \u2018invisible things\u2019 that make up a marginalised experience.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

In the end, this is an awkward subject because it often requires well-meaning people to reflect on their own bias and privilege. Sure, you may object to racism, but do you speak really, reaaally slowly when you order Thai home delivery? Perhaps no one sums up the value of self-awareness better than David Foster Wallace in his famous \u2018This is water’ speech:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cTwo young fish swimming along and they happen to meet an older fish swimming the other way, who nods at them and says “Morning, boys. How’s the water?” And the two young fish swim on for a bit, and then eventually one of them looks over at the other and goes “What the hell is water?”\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s surprising what goes unnoticed sometimes.<\/em><\/strong>
\nENDS
\n\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/<\/p>\n

Psychology Today <\/strong><\/p>\n

Microaggressions in Everyday Life<\/strong>
\n A new view on racism, sexism, and heterosexism.<\/strong>
\n by Derald Wing Sue, Ph.D., and David Rivera, M.S.<\/strong>
\n Is subtle bias harmless?<\/strong>
\n Published on October 5, 2010 (excerpt)<\/strong>
\nhttp:\/\/www.psychologytoday.com\/blog\/microaggressions-in-everyday-life\/201010\/racial-microaggressions-in-everyday-life<\/a><\/p>\n

Not too long ago, I (Asian American) boarded a small plane with an African American colleague in the early hours of the morning. As there were few passengers, the flight attendant told us to sit anywhere, so we choose seats near the front of the plane and across the aisle from one another.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

At the last minute, three White men entered the plane and took seats in front of us. Just before takeoff, the flight attendant, who is White, asked if we would mind moving to the back of the aircraft to better balance the plane’s weight. We grudgingly complied but felt singled out as passengers of color in being told to “move to the back of the bus.” When we expressed these feelings to the attendant, she indignantly denied the charge, became defensive, stated that her intent was to ensure the flight’s safety, and wanted to give us some privacy.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Since we had entered the plane first, I asked why she did not ask the White men to move instead of us. She became indignant, stated that we had misunderstood her intentions, claimed she did not see “color,” suggested that we were being “oversensitive,” and refused to talk about the matter any further.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Were we being overly sensitive, or was the flight attendant being racist? That is a question that people of color are constantly faced with in their day-to-day interactions with well-intentioned White folks who experience themselves as good, moral and decent human beings.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The Common Experience of Racial Microaggressions<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Such incidents have become a common-place experience for many people of color because they seem to occur constantly in our daily lives.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

When a White couple (man and women) passes a Black man on the sidewalk, the woman automatically clutches her purse more tightly, while the White man checks for his wallet in the back pocket. (Hidden Message: Blacks are prone to crime and up to no good.)<\/em><\/strong>
\n A third generation Asian American is complimented by a taxi cab driver for speaking such good English. (Hidden Message: Asian Americans are perceived as perpetual aliens in their own country and not “real Americans.”)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Police stop a Latino male driver for no apparent reason but to subtly check his driver’s license to determine immigration status. (Hidden message: Latinas\/os are illegal aliens.)<\/em><\/strong>
\n American Indian students at the University of Illinois see Native American symbols and mascots – exemplified by Chief Illiniwek dancing and whooping fiercely during football games. (Hidden Message: American Indians are savages, blood-thirsty and their culture and traditions are demeaned.)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

In our 8-year research at Teachers College, Columbia University, we have found that these racial microaggressions may on the surface, appear like a compliment or seem quite innocent and harmless, but nevertheless, they contain what we call demeaning meta-communications or hidden messages.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

What Are Racial Microaggressions?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The term racial microaggressions, was first coined by psychiatrist Chester Pierce, MD, in the 1970s. But the concept is also rooted in the work of Jack Dovidio, Ph.D. (Yale University) and Samuel Gaertner, Ph.D. (University of Delaware) in their formulation of aversive racism – many well-intentioned Whites consciously believe in and profess equality, but unconsciously act in a racist manner, particularly in ambiguous situations.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Racial microaggressions are the brief and everyday slights, insults, indignities and denigrating messages sent to people of color by well-intentioned White people who are unaware of the hidden messages being communicated. These messages may be sent verbally (“You speak good English.”), nonverbally (clutching one’s purse more tightly) or environmentally (symbols like the confederate flag or using American Indian mascots). Such communications are usually outside the level of conscious awareness of perpetrators. In the case of the flight attendant, I am sure that she believed she was acting with the best of intentions and probably felt aghast that someone would accuse her of such a horrendous act.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Our research and those of many social psychologists suggest that most people like the flight attendant, harbor unconscious biases and prejudices that leak out in many interpersonal situations and decision points. In other words, the attendant was acting with bias-she just didn’t know it. Getting perpetrators to realize that they are acting in a biased manner is a monumental task because (a) on a conscious level they see themselves as fair minded individuals who would never consciously discriminate, (b) they are genuinely not aware of their biases, and (c) their self image of being “a good moral human being” is assailed if they realize and acknowledge that they possess biased thoughts, attitudes and feelings that harm people of color.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

To better understand the type and range of these incidents, my research team and other researchers are exploring the manifestation, dynamics and impact of microaggressions. We have begun documenting how African Americans, Asian Americans, American Indians and Latina(o) Americans who receive these everyday psychological slings and arrows experience an erosion of their mental health, job performance, classroom learning, the quality of social experience, and ultimately their standard of living.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Classifying Microaggressions<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

In my book, Racial Microaggressions in Everyday Life: Race, Gender and Sexual Orientation (John Wiley & Sons, 2010), I summarize research conducted at Teachers College, Columbia University which led us to propose a classification of racial microaggressions. Three types of current racial transgressions were described:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2022 Microassaults: Conscious and intentional discriminatory actions: using racial epithets, displaying White supremacist symbols – swastikas, or preventing one’s son or daughter from dating outside of their race.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2022 Microinsults: Verbal, nonverbal, and environmental communications that subtly convey rudeness and insensitivity that demean a person’s racial heritage or identity. An example is an employee who asks a co-worker of color how he\/she got his\/her job, implying he\/she may have landed it through an affirmative action or quota system.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2022 Microinvalidations: Communications that subtly exclude negate or nullify the thoughts, feelings or experiential reality of a person of color. For instance, White people often ask Latinos where they were born, conveying the message that they are perpetual foreigners in their own land.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Our research suggests that microinsults and microinvalidiations are potentially more harmful because of their invisibility, which puts people of color in a psychological bind: While people of color may feel insulted, they are often uncertain why, and perpetrators are unaware that anything has happened and are not aware they have been offensive. For people of color, they are caught in a Catch-22. If they question the perpetrator, as in the case of the flight attendant, denials are likely to follow. Indeed, they may be labeled “oversensitive” or even “paranoid.” If they choose not to confront perpetrators, the turmoil stews and percolates in the psyche of the person taking a huge emotional toll. In other words, they are damned if they do and damned if they don’t.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Note that the denials by perpetrators are usually not conscious attempts to deceive; they honestly believe they have done no wrong. Microaggressions hold their power because they are invisible, and therefore they don’t allow Whites to see that their actions and attitudes may be discriminatory. Therein lays the dilemma. The person of color is left to question what actually happened. The result is confusion, anger and an overall draining of energy.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Ironically, some research and testimony from people of color indicate they are better able to handle overt, conscious and deliberate acts of racism than the unconscious, subtle and less obvious forms. That is because there is no guesswork involved in overt forms of racism.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Harmful Impact<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Many racial microaggressions are so subtle that neither target nor perpetrator may entirely understand what is happening. The invisibility of racial microaggressions may be more harmful to people of color than hate crimes or the overt and deliberate acts of White supremacists such as the Klan and Skinheads. Studies support the fact that people of color frequently experience microaggressions, that it is a continuing reality in their day-to-day interactions with friends, neighbors, co-workers, teachers, and employers in academic, social and public settings…<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Rest of the article at<\/em>
\nhttp:\/\/www.psychologytoday.com\/blog\/microaggressions-in-everyday-life\/201010\/racial-microaggressions-in-everyday-life<\/a>
\nENDS<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Two articles, one journalistic, one from scientists at Psychology Today, on “Microaggression”, and how subtle practices of social “othering” in everyday interactions are difficult to deal with without getting (or sounding) paranoid. It happens on a daily basis to minorities and people of differences in any culture, to be sure. But in Japan, methinks, it gets dismissed as merely a Japanese cultural practice (“curiosity”, the product of the ubiquitous “shimaguni konjou”, the way many Japanese reconfirm themselves as “different” and “unique” as defined in contrast to the NJ, etc.). It’s not necessarily a willful act of racialization (and I would put it down to more of a “dominant group” issue rather than a “White” issue, so the analysis can cross societies), but is is definitely an aggressive act of “othering” (as in, assuming through the line of questioning, and against all evidence to the contrary that comes out in conversation, that someone is “different”) on the micro level. And when it happens often enough, it become a macro phenomenon. The advantage is, in English, there is a word for it. Not in Japanese, which makes it tougher to deal with.<\/p>\n

Psychology Today: The term racial microaggressions, was first coined by psychiatrist Chester Pierce, MD, in the 1970s. But the concept is also rooted in the work of Jack Dovidio, Ph.D. (Yale University) and Samuel Gaertner, Ph.D. (University of Delaware) in their formulation of aversive racism – many well-intentioned Whites consciously believe in and profess equality, but unconsciously act in a racist manner, particularly in ambiguous situations.<\/p>\n

Racial microaggressions are the brief and everyday slights, insults, indignities and denigrating messages sent to people of color by well-intentioned White people who are unaware of the hidden messages being communicated. These messages may be sent verbally (“You speak good English.”), nonverbally (clutching one’s purse more tightly) or environmentally (symbols like the confederate flag or using American Indian mascots). Such communications are usually outside the level of conscious awareness of perpetrators. In the case of the flight attendant, I am sure that she believed she was acting with the best of intentions and probably felt aghast that someone would accuse her of such a horrendous act.<\/p>\n

Our research and those of many social psychologists suggest that most people like the flight attendant, harbor unconscious biases and prejudices that leak out in many interpersonal situations and decision points. In other words, the attendant was acting with bias-she just didn’t know it. Getting perpetrators to realize that they are acting in a biased manner is a monumental task because (a) on a conscious level they see themselves as fair minded individuals who would never consciously discriminate, (b) they are genuinely not aware of their biases, and (c) their self image of being “a good moral human being” is assailed if they realize and acknowledge that they possess biased thoughts, attitudes and feelings that harm people of color.<\/p>\n

To better understand the type and range of these incidents, my research team and other researchers are exploring the manifestation, dynamics and impact of microaggressions. We have begun documenting how African Americans, Asian Americans, American Indians and Latina(o) Americans who receive these everyday psychological slings and arrows experience an erosion of their mental health, job performance, classroom learning, the quality of social experience, and ultimately their standard of living…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[54,22,31],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10051","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-pinprick-protests","category-cultural-issue","category-tangents"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10051","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=10051"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10051\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=10051"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=10051"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=10051"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}