Читать книгу Microaggressions in Everyday Life - Derald Wing Sue - Страница 18

When critics argue that everything has become a microaggression, they are not acknowledging the larger sociohistorical context of oppression (Kraus & Park, 2017; Wong‐Padoongpatt & Rider, 2018). Instead, these critics imply that targets are like snowflakes, with weak character, who crumble in the face of the most trivial slights. Some contend that targets use “microaggression complaints” as a form of social control in a culture of victimhood (Campbell & Manning, 2018).

By recentering themselves, such critics ask, “Where do we draw the line?” and “Why am I made to feel like I am walking on eggshells?” They express concern about not being able to say what is on their minds and feel discouraged from even interacting with people from marginalized groups. What they do not ask is “What would it mean if the things I say and do actually have been hurtful to others?” What they do not consider is how interpersonal interactions that insult and invalidate someone's identity are linked to broader social forces—long‐standing hierarchies of dominance and oppression—that have powerful (and negative) effects on targets' well‐being.