While college campuses across the U.S. have seen a increase in victimhood culture commonly referred to as “microaggressions,” one psychology professor is questioning the scientific proof behind them.
According to Emory University psychology Professor Scott Lilienfeld, the concept of microaggressions is sorely lacking scientific proof, and because of this, universities should not be rushing to include training on microaggressions in campus diversity seminars.
“The scientific status of the microaggression research program is far too preliminary to warrant its dissemination to real-world contexts,” writes Lilienfeld, in his article “Microaggressions: Strong Claims, Inadequate Evidence,” which was published in the psychology journal Perspectives on Psychological Science.
In an interview with The College Fix, Lilienfeld further criticized the concept of microaggressions, noting that their fundamental flaw is that micro aggressions are totally based on self-perception and that students use them to be offended by anything they disagree with.
“Because they are totally in the eye of the beholder — anything you say could be labeled as a microaggression,” said Lilienfeld. “In the current literature, if someone is offended by something, it is a microaggression. You simply cannot progress scientifically in this way or expect to resolve racial tensions on a college campus.”
Lilienfeld went on to say that the term “microaggression” itself is a terrible term, because it implies malice on a person and characterizes them as having an intent to harm.
“Though the study of microaggressions has revealed important biases, the term is a terrible one because it implies that the intention of the person is aggressive in nature and aggression implies the intent to harm,” he said.
While Lilienfeld is not alone in his views questioning the validity of the microaggression argument, universities across the country have embraced the concept and have begun using it to sometimes bizarre levels. For example, Ohio’s College of Wooster recently hosted a retreat for students of color to de-stress by enabling them to get away from white people for a weekend. Some of there seminars given that weekend included titles such as “Dealing with White Fragility.”
Microaggressions have also been co-opted to suppress conservatives views and promote anti-American ideals. In 2015, UC Chancellor Janet Napolitano distributed a list of perceived “microaggressions” that UC professors were encouraged to avoid using for fear of offending students. The list included phrases such as “America is the land of opportunity,” and “Everyone can succeed in this society, if they work hard enough.”
