Offense Taken: Microaggressions in Society

In the society we know today, we often believe that it has evolved above racism and all have grown to look past race and see someone only as the person they are. However, in a society where racist messages have institutionalized themselves to the underlying morals of its inhabitants, there is no logic in believing in this archetype of society. Existing since the 1970s when coined by Chester M. Pierce, the term micoaggressions went through serious refining at the hands of Derald Wing Sue, Ph.D., professor of counseling psychology at Colombia University. He has solidified the definition of microaggressions as “…brief and commonplace daily verbal, behavioral, or environmental indignities, whether intentional or unintentional, that communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative racial slights and insults toward people of color” (Sue 271). Due to Sue’s work toward refining and reintroducing the term, “microaggressions” has spread to college campuses and intellectuals that have validated and have even applied it to life. With its popularity has come a fervent spirit to be able to perceive micoaggressions more accurately and successfully combat them, but even with a large following, several have come to speak negatively and critique the term for only reinforcing a victim mentality in minority groups. However, there is real credibility behind the term and should it definitely not be dismissed. Microaggressions are a pertinent aspect of racism that should be taken seriously because they not only damage the victim psyche by insinuating negative messages, but are also often ignored, often unintentionally, by those guilty of using them.

The new hype and opinion that has developed around microaggressions is truly due to the work of Derald W...

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