Are you white? Are you sitting in a room with other white people? You better check that white privilege and be careful, because you might be microaggressing someone at this very moment.
That’s right: a report from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign titled “Racial Microaggressions” has determined that “just walking into or sitting in” a class full of white people can be considered a microaggression against minorities.
Even students who explicitly state that they’ve never actually been told anything racist are considered victims.
“People do not necessarily say I do not belong, but I feel as if I do not when I am in a classroom and I am the one non-White person,” said one anonymous student.
There are many reports of “feelings” in this 24-page document. And while, as National Review observed, there are also legitimate instances of racism, things like “When I raise my hand, I am often not called upon” have no business in being in this report.
“Students of color reported feeling uncomfortable and unwelcomed just walking into or sitting in the classroom, especially if they were the only person of color, or one of a few,” the authors concluded.
When outlining the concept of “microaggressions,” they cite this definition: “commonplace verbal or behavioral indignities, whether intentional or unintentional, which communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative racial slights and insults.”
They also talk about “microinsults,” “microinvalidations,” and “microassaults.”
An example of “microinvalidation”: “Color-blind remarks, such as ‘When I look at you, I don’t see color’ are demeaning refusals to acknowledge a person’s race.”
(h/t National Review)
