Читать книгу Counseling the Culturally Diverse - Laura Smith L. - Страница 107

Microinsults are unintentional behaviors or verbal comments that convey rudeness or insensitivity or demean a person's racial heritage/identity, gender identity, religion, ability, or sexual orientation identity. Despite being outside the level of conscious awareness, these subtle snubs are characterized by an insulting hidden message. For example, when a person frantically rushes to help a person with a disability on to public transportation, the underlying message is that disabled people are in constant need of help and dependent on others. When an African American man walks into the elevator occupied by a single White female rider, she becomes fearful. Her entire body tenses up, she moves to the other end of the car, and clutches her purse tightly. In other words, her entire demeanor conveys fear that she will be assaulted or robbed.