Page 70 - Microaggressions in Everyday Live Race, Gender, and Sexual Orientation

44 the psychological dilemmas and dynamics of microaggressions

a continuing force that impacts her life. For the Asian American passenger,
however, the incident represents one of many similar situations. The clash of
worldviews presents a psychological dilemma that relates to the accuracy
of perceptions, and begs the question “ Whose reality is the correct reality? ”
Furthermore, if a microaggression has occurred, how does one prove it when
the perpetrator is unaware of his/her hidden motives? Studies support the
conclusion that racial interactions are often tinged with racial overtones that
are outside the level of awareness of well - intentioned individuals (Banaji &
Greenwald, 1995; Bonilla - Silva, 2006; Dovidio, Gaertner, Kawakami, & Hodson,
2002). Four major psychological dilemmas seem to be in operation in this inci-
dent: clash of racial realities, invisibility of unintentional bias, perceived minimal
harm, and the catch - 22 of responding (Sue, Capodilupo, et al., 2007).

CLASH OF RACIAL REALITIES

Studies reveal that the racial reality of White Americans is very different from
that of people of color. It has been found, for example, that Black Americans
believe racism is a constant and continuing reality in their lives, while most
Whites seem to minimize it (Astor, 1997; Babbington, 2008; Harris Poll, 1994;
Pew Research Center, 2007). This perception is especially true today with the
historic election of our current president, Barack Obama. Recent polls point
out the stark perceptual differences between these groups.

• When asked how much discrimination still exists against Blacks, only
10% of Whites said “ a lot, ” while 57% of Blacks said “ a lot. ” Even more
disturbing was a question that asked how much the existing racial
tensions are created by Blacks. Over one - third of Whites attributed it
to Black Americans, while only 3% of Blacks found their group at fault
(Babbington, 2008).
• Sixty - seven percent of Blacks described encountering discrimination and
prejudice when applying for jobs, 50% reported incidents during shop-
ping or dining out, and many stated that it was a common occurrence to
hear derogatory racial comments (Pew Research Center, 2007).
• In general, over 50% of Whites believe that people of color have achieved
equality and that most are doing better than they really are, in contradic-
tion to standard - of - living data (Harris Poll, 1994). On specifi c measures
of employment, education, and housing opportunities, the gap between
Black and White perceptions are startling. Seventy - six percent of Whites

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