Page 57 - Microaggressions in Everyday Live Race, Gender, and Sexual Orientation

Microaggressive Themes 31

and explicit. There is no guesswork involved in their intent, which is to harm,
humiliate, or degrade people of color, women, and GLBTs.
In many respects, microassaults or blatant racism are easier to deal with by
marginalized groups because their intent is clear and the psychological ener-
gies of people of color, for example, are not diluted by ambiguity. In fact, there
are indications that people of color are better prepared to deal with overt
microassaults (Salvatore & Shelton, 2007) than unintentional biased behavior
that reside outside the level of awareness of perpetrators — microinsults and
microinvalidations. It is these invisible and unintentional forms of micro-
aggressions that are the main subject of this book. Table 2.1 provides examples
of common microaggression themes with examples and their hidden demeaning
messages directed toward people of color, women, and LGBTs.
Please note that a more thorough coverage of group specific themes is pre-

sented in separate chapters for people of color (Chapter 7 ), women (Chapter 8 ),
and LGBTs (Chapter 9 ). Many microaggressions are common and universal
to the three groups, but there are differences in types, hidden messages, and
impact. For example, it appears that LGBTs may experience more overt forms
of microaggressions (microassaults) than the other two groups; that even
with the category of racial microaggressions, Asian Americans and Latinos
are more likely to experience “ alien in one ’ s own land ” messages more than
African Americans who are more likely to be seen as “ criminals ”; and women

may experience a unique microaggression such as “ sexual objectification ”
that is not present for racial minorities. Research and work in the area of simi-
larities and differences in microaggressive manifestation and impact is in an
infancy stage (Sue, Capodilupo, et al., 2007).

Microinsults
Microinsults are characterized by interpersonal or environmental communica-
tions that convey stereotypes, rudeness, and insensitivity and that demean a
person ’ s racial, gender, or sexual orientation, heritage, or identity. Microinsults
represent subtle snubs, frequently outside the conscious awareness of the per-
petrator, but they convey an oftentimes hidden insulting message to the recipient
of these three groups.

MICROAGGRESSIVE THEMES

In the original racial microaggression taxonomy proposed by Sue & colleagues

(2007) and later refined to include gender and sexual-orientation themes

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