These microaggressions, whether intentional or not, are usually short, subtle, frequent, and often automatic in everyday verbal, behavioural, or environmental settings. They, however, communicate negative, hostile, or derogatory observations and insults towards individuals. People often do not realise that they are participating in such communication, and this exchange is so extensive and automatic in everyday conversations and interactions that it is often rejected and overlooked as innocent and harmless.
Although microaggressions can be perceived as minor and sometimes innocent offences, they can have a serious psychological impact on the mental health of the recipient, leading to anger and depression and even impairing work productivity and problem-solving abilities.
Examples of microaggressions can be:
- “I’m so OCD about my files” or “I can’t read today. I’m so dyslexic”.
- “You don’t look gay”.
- “I don't see colour”, “I was raised to treat everyone the same”, “I work in a diverse environment”, “There is only one race, the Human Race”.
- Someone checking their wallet or holding their purse while a Black person approaches or passes by, or a shopkeeper following a black customer around the store.
These phrases can be perceived as ableist language and they trivialise disabilities; they assume that gay people have a specific characteristic that make them different from the “ordinary”; they deny a person of colour’s racial or ethnic experience, or even as a racial or cultural being; and they presume a person’s criminal status by assuming a black person as dangerous, criminal, or deviant.
There are specific approaches that an individual can use to modify their behaviour, such as listening to the receiver of the microaggression and empathise to their feelings, trying not to dismiss a person’s feelings or be defensive, taking steps to be more understanding and educated, and trying to alter microaggressive behaviours.
It can be difficult to change learnt biases. Nevertheless, those who use microaggressions can educate themselves on the consequences of their harmful language and change their behaviours.