Microaggressions In Robert Merton's Role Theory

Microaggressions are verbal or behavioral indignities that communicate hostile, negative insults towards a marginalized group of people, and these indignities can be either intentional or unintentional (Sue 271). Microaggressions can either be demonstrated verbally through insults or non-verbally through behaviors and actions, and the person committing them often fails to notice that they are enforcing a stigma. Although these microaggressions seem to be harmless, minor comments or actions, they can lead to people feeling discriminated against because they demonstrate underlying hostility and prejudice towards people on the basis of identity, including race, gender, and sexuality.

Robert Merton’s Role Theory may explain microaggressions …show more content…
Walking down the street, people often judge others by the color of their skin and plan their actions with them accordingly. For example, when a white man and woman pass by a black man on the sidewalk, often times, the white woman will clutch her purse tightly while the white man will check to make sure that he still has his wallet (Sue). This couple most likely would not have done this if it had been a white man instead of a black man walking past them. This sends the message that people automatically associate black men with crime and unjust behavior, which is a microaggression because it is an action that demonstrates prejudice against a person of a particular race. The black man in this case is being discriminated against, even though he is unlikely to have noticed the actions that the white couple took. In many cases, however, black people must use “double consciousness” to maintain awareness of the prejudice occurring around them (Conley 28). W.E.B. Du Bois developed this concept, specifically for African-Americans, to describe the two behavioral scripts used, including one for moving through the world and the other for incorporating the opinions of prejudiced onlookers (Conley 28). Although black people are not always aware of the microaggressions that occur around them, they are aware of the social constructions of race and that a microaggression that targets …show more content…
The acceptance of sexualities that differ from heterosexuality has only recently begun to emerge, especially with the legalization of gay marriage in 2013; therefore, microaggressions concerning sexuality are very common. Kevin L. Nadal, PhD, stated, “When I was a little kid, I used to hear my brothers, cousins, and friends say things like ‘That’s so gay!’ on a pretty regular basis. I would usually laugh along, hoping with all my might that they didn’t know my secret” (Nadal). Many people who say this do not realize that it is highly offensive to the LGBT+ community as it implies that heterosexuality is the only sexual orientation that is normal. “Gay” is used with a negative connotation in this case as people use it to describe an abnormal or unnatural situation. In this quote, Nadal also indicates his desperation to hide his homosexuality because he understands that those around him view homosexuality as negative and abnormal (Nadal). According to “Microaggressions,” a woman posted that whenever she comes home from college, her mother, aunt, and grandmother all ask, “Did you meet any nice boys?” (Microaggressions). This offends her because she may not be heterosexual; therefore, excluding the gender in the question would have been more appropriate. She may be attracted to girls, but her family