Page 103 - Microaggressions in Everyday Live Race, Gender, and Sexual Orientation

The Microaggression Process Model 77

conditioned to fear Black men. Behind this reasoning lies an implicit assumption
or belief that not only are people of color victims, but that Whites are also
victimized. In other words, no one at birth was born with the conscious intention
of becoming racist, sexist, or homophobic. These attributes were not chosen
through free choice but instead culturally conditioned upon Whites.
Second, it appears that some people of color make an attempt to distin-
guish between whom and what is the “ true enemy. ” In the fi lm The Color of
Fear (Stir - Fry Productions, 1994), a group of White men and men of color
engage in an intense and difficult dialogue on race. At one point, one of the

Black participants refers to White people as “ the enemy. ” He is immediately
corrected by Victor, another Black man, who states “ White people are not the
enemy. White supremacy is! ” The observation below by a White woman may
typify an equivalent recognition that motivates “ rescuing the offender. ”
In this sense we Whites are the victims of racism. Our victimization is different
from that of minorities, but it is real. We have been programmed into the oppressor
roles we play, without our informed consent in the process. Our unawareness
is part of the programming: None of us could tolerate the oppressor position, if
we lived with a day - to - day emotional awareness of the pain inflicted on other

humans through the instrument of our behavior. (Winter, 1977, p. 25)
Phase Four — Interpretation and Meaning

Interpretation refers to what meaning is construed to a microaggressive

incident; its significance, intention of the aggressor, and any social patterns
related to it. In the Sue, Capodilupo, and Holder (2008) study, several mean-
ings emerged that are consistent with the microaggressive themes identifi ed
earlier. The themes or meanings are not exhaustive, but should give readers

an idea of their dynamics and significance to the targets.
You Do Not Belong
This message conveys that targets are undesirables who do not belong in a
particular environment, neighborhood, school, worksite, store, or society in
general. Black motorists who drive through a primarily White neighborhood

may be stopped by police because “ they do not belong. ” A Black customer
in a convenient store states “ They just don ’ t want to deal with me, or don ’ t want
me in there, I don ’ t belong in there or whatever, just want me out of there as fast

as possible. ” Another described walking into an office building and being

directed toward the entrance for messengers, instead of the general entrance

for people using the building. He shared, “ I took it as I was Black, he saw me,

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