Sometimes we don’t know how we should respond to such incidents because they are more subtle and not overtly racist. But sometimes people engage in covert racism, which can involve statements, and behaviors that are more subtle or aversive, where the person engaging in the behavior is not aware that the behavior is racist or discriminatory and would feel offended if you labeled it as such. These more subtle forms of racism are called microaggressions, and the dangerous thing about microaggressions is while they may be small intentional or unintentional offenses, they can accumulate and become burdensome over time for those who experience them. One of the most insidious features of microaggressions is that sometimes it is hard to confront because it is so subtle. Because they tend to involve small incidences or indirect insults, it is easy for the perpetrators to dismiss or negate your perception that the behavior or comment was racist. After a while, you may begin to question whether you are being overly sensitive or imagining things yourself! However, for those who are the targets of such microaggressions, it is important to acknowledge any discomfort you may experience as a result of the perpetrator’s comments and/or acts, cognitively and physiologically. Whether or not we are aware of it, our bodies respond to circumstances (including racism) in our surroundings. We often think of stress as some vague thing that happens to us; but stress is actually defined as “our response to conditions or stimuli in the environment.” These conditions or stimuli can be referred to as stressors, and Harvard University’s Center on the Developing Child identifies three different types of responses to stressors that they refer to as positive, tolerable and toxic. A positive stress response includes behavior that is normal, and is also an essential part of healthy development. Tolerable stress responses activate the body’s alert systems to a greater degree than the positive stress response, often due to more severe, longer-lasting events such as institutional racism. The last, and most harmful, is the toxic stress response that often occurs when one experiences strong, frequent, and/or prolonged adversity. This may include emotional/physical abuse, economic hardship, exposure to violence, and exposure to racism – whether the acts are overt or subtle. Toxic stress has been linked to severe illnesses such as depression, autoimmune disorders such as lupus and Crohn’s disease, and other disorders that compromise our physical and psychological well-being.
Posted on: Tue, 24 Jun 2014 04:25:07 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015