Microaggression
An Asian American got asked “where are you actually from” after they stated new york. How is this a microaggression?
Implies they couldnt possibly be from NY
Implies because they look “different” they came from a different country recently
Implies they are not american because they are asian
We all know covid spread in Wuhan China through an animal trading market, why might people think Asian Americans that are not of chinese descent , caused the virus?
Ignorancy:
they believe all asians look the same or because china is in asia, all asians are responsible
It normalizes model minority stereotypes
It presents harmful stereotypes in a positive light so it feels more acceptable and normalized to hear in everyday convo
Now that it’s used more in comedy, people will overlook the reality of these kids feeling the pressure to become doctor because of model minority myth
its march 2020 and you say, this is such an unfortunate time for all of us. and i say “ yeah its because of the chinese”. What exactly am i doing?
scape goating
unable to deal with facing a global life threatening problem emotionally so i find a group to blame it on since i cant handle it myself.
A darker skinned Asian gets told by their aunties “youre so dark!” “Dont stay in the sun too long” so often, they dont notice hearing it anymore. How does this make matters worse instead of less serious?
Enforces colorism and racism rooted within other asian countries as generations passes on the same microaggression
Enforces unrealistic beauty standards while subtly shaming the individual for the color of their skin
They grow up to have the same mindset and become the same aunties, never breaking the cycle
masks microaggressions as a form of affection or care “Just looking out for you”
Your little sibling claims “covid 19 was when everyone started hating asians”. You correct them by saying….
well actually 🤓 asian americans have been marginalized and had faced racism long before covid such as the chinese exclusion act, japanese internment camps, and people like me being beaten just because we wanted to know more about our culture.
Why does microaggression get dismissed so easily, how?
Animosity
can be dismissed as harmless
can be masked as a positive comment or point of curiosity in your culture
It’s not physically violent, (although it can escalate)
An individual claims racist comments is not asian hate crime because theyre only words. how can these “words” escalate to asian violence?
when society overlooks and normalizes racist comments towards asians, microaggressions become aggressions, which becomes anti asian violence.
What is the difference between online microaggression and in person microaggressions?
online contains more verbal hate speech and subtle online clues such as the number of shares, likes, or saves a opinion/post has.
In person contains all verbal hate speech, an absence of an actions and physical interactions that makes one uncomfortable or distasteful
What is created as a result of anti asian violence?
fear & insecurity within someones identity
strengthens assimilation and colonial mindset