Summary

What is a microaggression? And why the need to come up with a new issue? Here’s what Merriam-Webster has to say: a comment or action that subtly and often unconsciously or unintentionally expresses a prejudiced attitude toward a member of a marginalized group (such as a racial minority). I would add the majority gender, women, are also included in the definition of microaggression targets.

Why was the term microaggression invented?

Links and References

Everyday Wisdom: “Life is Hard”

Activists Don’t Want Peace

Life Improving Dramatically; Protests Expanding

Contact

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Transcript

What is a microaggression? And why the need to come up with a new issue? Here’s what Merriam-Webster has to say: “A comment or action that subtly and often unconsciously or unintentionally expresses a prejudiced attitude toward a member of a marginalized group (such as a racial minority).” I would add the majority gender, women, are also included in the definition of microaggression targets.

Why was the term microaggression invented?

Notice the terms in the definition, including subtle, unconscious or unintentional. And in the term itself: micro. Have we come to the point in the US where we have solved so many of our society’s major and minor problems that we need to create and highlight micro problems in order to keep attention-getting issues like outrage and victimization in the news? Answer: Yes. I will expound and explain as I go along.

Okay, I can hear you beginning to sit up and want to take me on. “Will, do you really, really believe that we have solved all or even nearly all of the ills in our country?” No. No. Not at all. Not even close. But we have solved enough of the major issues that activists can no longer credibly point to egregious examples of either unfairness or discrimination, hence the need for a new category. And this is a perfect new category. Again, note words like subtle, unconscious and unintentional. It is very hard to prove or disprove claims like these. And that’s part of the point of inventing this issue; allegations of microaggressions are easy to make, and almost impossible to defend.

These next two paragraphs are taken from an earlier podcast and repeated for effect. Much of my worldview is based on my conviction that America is an exceptional country, having made unique, powerful and vital contributions to the world in its relatively short history. Is America perfect? Of course not. Ity is deeply flawed. Are all great men and women deeply flawed? Yes. Are they still great? Yes. America is deeply flawed, and on balance clearly exceptional. These repeated excerpts are not at all the whole case for my belief; these are just the portions that pertains to today’s podcast. The US has been on a unique and successful mission since 1776 starting with the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. America was founded on an astonishing principle; all men were created equal: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.” The most astonishing part is that this principled stand was indeed astonishing in 1776. The Declaration of Independence was an international game changer, written at a time that hereditary monarchs and dictators ruled most of the world, and concepts such as private property for all and rights given to people by a Creator were almost unthinkable. In the process,