Microaggression - Finley

Microaggressions, by definition, are "small acts of non-physical aggression" against those who are of different races, cultures, genders and sexual orientations. For years micro-aggressions have been perceived as just that, micro. Microaggressions were considered small, insignificant and not intentionally malicious things that pass from person to person in most peoples opinions leaving no mark. For me, personally, I find this thought process surrounding microaggression to be completely unacceptable for we see the scars of microaggressions all around us. We live in a society where intelligence has been linked to our skin color, where some sexual orientations have been turned into insults, where jokes about girls being nothing more than sex objects have become common place and this is why I refuse to believe that these words leave no marks. Micro-aggressions surround us from the moment we are born until the day we die and, although I believe that it is impossible to completely eradicate micro aggression, I believe that the first major step is to be aware of yourself and to question what you are thinking. Certain views about the world and the people within it, whether right or wrong, have been handed to us by our guardians, our friends, our communities etc. and it is important to look at these views critically rather than blindly following them. Why did you hold your bag a little tighter when you walked by a black man on the street? Why did you assume that girl was a "slut"? I believe that the only way to change the prevalence of micro-aggression in our society is to actively be checking oneself as well as those around you. The most difficult problem about micro-aggression is the fact that it is often not meant to be harmful but it has simply been said out of sheer ignorance. Spreading awareness about the issue is the only way to change the culture of micro-aggression in our society and I believe it is important for us as GO Getters to hold both ourselves and each other accountable for the things we say.