Page 149 - Microaggressions in Everyday Live Race, Gender, and Sexual Orientation

The Relationship of Implicit Bias to Microaggressions 123

The latter encounters forced me to recognize my privileged position in our
society because of my status as a so - called Anglo. It was upsetting to know that

I, a member of White society, benefited from the hardships of others that were
caused by a racist system. I was also disturbed by the painful realization that I
was, in some ways, a racist. I had to come to grips with the fact that I had told
and laughed at racist jokes and, through such behavior, had supported White
racist attitudes. If I really wanted to become an effective, multicultural psycholo-
gist, extended and profound self - reckoning was in order. At times, I wanted to

flee from this unpleasant process by merely participating superficially with the

remaining task . . . while avoiding any substantive self - examination. (Kiselica,
1998, p. 10 – 11)
We had posed earlier the question as to why it is so difficult for people

to acknowledge their biases and preconceived notions about marginalized
groups in our society. Why do they react so angrily or emotionally when it is
suggested that they may have expressed a biased attitude or belief, or acted
in a discriminatory manner (microaggression)? Mark Kiselica ’ s (1998) quote
of his own racial/cultural awakening, his realization of his own racism, the
guilt experienced in benefiting from the hardship of others, and his desire to

flee from further exploration or self - examination are typical of many Whites
(Sue & Constantine, 2007). Herein lay clues as to why many Whites (1) pre-
tend not to see race (color); (2) resist the notion that they may hold racist,

sexist, or heterosexist attitudes; and/or (3) find it disconcerting to conclude that
they may be racist, sexist, or homophobic. A review of the scholarly literature
suggests four psychological fears or obstacles to honest self - examination: fear
of appearing racist, realizing one ’ s own racism, acknowledging White privi-
lege, and accepting the consequences of action or inaction (Sue & Constantine,
2007). Each is layered one upon another and represents defensive barriers
with deeper and deeper fears and meanings.

Layer One — Fear of Appearing Racist
One of the disconcerting microaggressions experienced by people of color
from well - intentioned Whites is color - blindness; the avoidance by Whites of
talking about race or even acknowledging that they notice a racial difference.
A multitude of studies, however, indicate that race is among the most automatic
and quickest ways to categorize people and that perceiving the race of the other
person is more the norm than the exception (Apfelbaum, Sommers, & Norton,
2008; Ito & Urland, 2003). Yet, why do people continue to claim they do not see
color or race in social situations? The use of “ strategic color - blindness ” is an

1/19/10 6:10:50 PM
c06.indd 123 1/19/10 6:10:50 PM
c06.indd 123