Micro-Aggression

Today I read a post on another blog about “micro-aggression,” when you say something that is subtly cruel or insulting. The examples given were racist, although some of them seemed more ignorant or even just curious than actually racist (e.g., asking someone if she spoke "Asian"). Maybe it’s all in the tone of voice; I’m sure all of us, at least of the female persuasion, have had someone say something to us that sounds innocuous in print but was clearly the height of bitchiness in context. My favorite is the backhanded compliment, when someone gives you a small compliment that somehow implies you are wildly deficient. Why are women so good at this sort of communication? I remember reading an article about how women insult each other in various cultures, and it was all depressingly similar. Men compete with each other by fighting, but we women are usually less physically violent yet often very emotionally violent to each other. Any way that we differ from the norm is fair game for attack, which explains why racial minorities are experiencing micro-aggression. So are those of us who are poorer, less attractive, or more socially awkward than the beta females, which I say because the alpha females are more secure in their position and usually not as nasty. You like to think this behavior ends with adolescence, but some people never outgrow it. Apparently now it has its own phrase: “micro-aggression.” I’m not sure why the older but just as descriptive “bitchiness” doesn’t suffice…

Famous Hat