Micro means examining a smaller sociological picture, so we will examine forms of oppression that occur between individuals rather than between groups in society as we saw in the macro section above.

4.5.1 Microaggressions

Microaggressions are statements that indirectly reference racist stereotypes and assert the racial dominance of the aggressor. Harvard University psychiatrist Chester M. Pierce coined the term in 1970 to describe these insults and dismissals, which he regularly witnessed people who are white directing towards people who are Black (DeAngelis, 2009).

By the early 2000s, usage expanded to include the casual degradation of any socially Subaltern group, including LGBTQIA+ people, people living in poverty, and disabled individuals. Psychologist Derald Wing Sue defines microaggressions as “brief, everyday exchanges that send denigrating messages to certain individuals because of their group membership” (Sue, n.d.).

People making the comments may seem otherwise well-intentioned and unaware of the potential impact of their words (van Dam, 2021), but good intentions can be called into question by the defensive posture assumed when people are made aware of the harmful stereotype they have just referenced. A person with truly good intentions may be recognized by the humility they exhibit when their “blind spot” is pointed out.

4.5.1.1 Examples of Microaggressions

Microaggressions are the racist, sexist and gendered ideas we have learned and internalized. Through their research, psychologists Sue and Spanierman developed a list of categories describing microaggressions that can help us understand how they appear in our interactions. As you read the summary below, think of other examples that may apply to each category:

• Alien in one’s own land: When people who look or are named differently from the dominant (White) culture are assumed to be foreign nationals. For example, after interviewing a candidate, someone says, “I didn’t think he was American with a name like that.”
• Ascription of intelligence: Assigning intelligence to a person of color based on their race. For example, when a Black clerk does a calculation in her head to answer a question and the customer (from a different race) says, “I didn’t think you could do all that math in your head.”
• Assumption of criminality: Homosexual men have long been associated with pedophilia, particularly if they want to teach younger children in public schools, though there is no evidence linking homosexuality to pedophilia.
• Color blindness: Making statements that indicate that a White person does not want to or need to acknowledge race and/or background. For example, a White patient telling his doctor, “You and I have a lot in common; you are not like other Latin people.”
• Denial of individual bigotry: A statement made when bias is denied. For example, when introducing a new person, announcing “This is Travis, he’s gay,” as a way to let everyone know that you personally aren’t homophobic, whether Travis wanted that to be known or not.
• Pathologizing cultural values or communication styles: The notion that values and communication styles of the dominant culture are ideal. For example, the school counselor suggests something is wrong with a Korean student because she avoids making eye contact.
• Second-class citizen: Giving preferential treatment to individuals in privileged groups. For example, a receptionist failing to acknowledge or ignoring a trans woman until they approach the desk to ask a question.

The effect of microaggressions is real, and psychologists have compared them to “death by a thousand cuts” because these everyday slights indeed affect the victim’s mental health and create a toxic environment at school, work, and even within our personal circles. Another problem with microaggressions is that, if left unchecked, they can be normalized, and the types of offenses and actions can become more severe (Sue, 2020).

Microaggressions are a popular topic of social media content. In figure 4.15 TikTok user @clarabellecwb flips the script of microaggressions, imagining a society where those of White people descent are the cultural other. (figure 4.15)

Figure 4.14 Imagining White People as the Cultural “Other” [TikTok]. @clarabellecwb on TikTok.com Fair use license. One minute video. https://www.tiktok.com/@clarabellecwb/video/6975535457966853382?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7015687500178687493

4.5.2 Implicit Bias

Implicit biases are subconscious preferences that we acquire through socialization. Implicit gender bias indicates a subconscious preference for one gender over another, and can be systemic (macro) and individualist (micro). An individual may be motivated by implicit bias when they don’t notice that they are favoring masculine presenting job candidates over feminine presenting candidates. The collective implicit biases of a group of individuals tend to embed in the systems they create, so that a business that has always been dominated by people biased towards cisgender men tends to develop practices and policies that favor men over women, trans people and non-binary people. In such cases the unequal impacts of systemic or structural bias can endure long after the original biased people are gone (Bonilla-Silva 2017). In fact, unless systematically embedded policies and practices are intentionally dismantled, their impacts can continue even when the people responsible for the system don’t hold those biases.

It’s not just men who think women are inferior, or white people who might be biased towards BIPOC colleagues. Women internalize sexist gender biases. Major studies show that this implicit bias is so ingrained in our culture that other women think men are better at “the hard sciences” such as physics and chemistry, and many Black and Latino men have reported thinking their groups are not as good as White men at academic learning or making money (Samuel, 2019.) when it comes to internalizing systems of oppression the calls really can be coming from inside the house!

The good thing about understanding implicit biases is that when we learn to recognize biases we have learned, we can choose to learn something new. Critical thinking can be a powerful tool to help us see the world and relationships within it with fresh eyes and a more open heart.

4.5.3 Individualism and Collectivism

The dominant culture in the U.S. is individualistic. While the needs of the group and the needs of individuals need to be considered in any society, individualistic societies prioritize the perspective and needs of individuals whenever possible. Collective societies tend to prioritize the well-being of the group, often to the detriment of individuals within their society. While many activists tend to ideal individualism over collectivism, or vice versa, systems of oppression can exist in both paradigms. Victim shaming and mob rule are, respectively, manifestations of individualistic and collective oppression.

Victim shaming, or victim blaming, is one way oppression shows up in individualistic societies. If the individual is understood to have more power and agency than the social systems they operate within, then it can be tempting to hold the individuals responsible for the oppression they experience. When a victim of sexual violence is blamed because of what she is or is not wearing. The systemic misogyny embedded in a society will remain unaddressed. Similarly when society considers a perpetrator of sexual violence is reviled as a monster, instead of considering how this person learned to be so violent, the individualistic society can absolve itself of responsibility for any collective responsibility for sexual violence.

Mob rule (formally termed an ochlocracy, OED) is collectivist in nature, meaning that the immediate needs of the group completely outweigh the needs or even safety of the individuals in the group. It is the control of a political situation by those outside the conventional or lawful realm. Mob rule typically involves violence and intimidation, such as riots or the Mafia. Our Constitution was created with the idea of avoiding mob rule, as the quote by James Madison illustrates, “Had every Athenian citizen been a Socrates, every Athenian assembly would still have been a mob.” This quote encapsulates the idea that without the rule of law, even those who mean well and are highly educated can succumb to mob rule (The Atlantic, 2018).

4.5.4 Symbolic Violence

The concept of symbolic violence is instrumental in understanding how we internalize harmful gendered expectations. Symbolic violence is a concept coined by the French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu. According to Bourdieu, Symbolic violence is a type of violence that happens through tacit (understood or implied without being stated) consent of its victims, and often on the part of those who commit the violence, if both parties don’t realize that they actually behaving violently or suffering from it (Bourdieu 2019).

The term describes non-physical consequences manifested in the power differential between social groups, and how it is often subconsciously agreed upon by both parties. Symbolic violence manifests as an imposition of the dominant group’s norms on the subordinate group. Symbolic violence can be seen across different social domains, such as nationality, gender, sexual orientation, or ethnic identity.

4.5.5 Symbolic Annihilation

Symbolic annihilation is the erasure, underrepresentation or negative representation of groups of people or their expereinces in media and public spaces. Originally applied to representations of gender and sexuality (Gerbner and Gross, 1976), The phrase has since been expanded to reference the underrepresentation of any invisible group in public spaces. The media also plays a part in this annihilation. For example, gay, transgender, and disabled characters in mass media are often stereotyped and misrepresented, if they’re represented at all. Disability rights advocates have been especially effective at organizing against symbolic annihilation by advocating for representation with campaigns based on the ideal of “Nothing about us without us.”

The work of LGBTQ+ activists to challenge harmful representation practices was critical in turning public opinion during the HIV/AIDS crisis of the 1980s and 90s. In spite of this success, the struggle against cis-heteronormativity continues as evidenced by school board policies that restrict visual and media references to LGBTQ+ people currently being enacted in Oregon and around the country.