#microinvalidation

[kairoscareau]

Unmasking Subtle Racism

Subtle racism, also known as covert/implicit racism, refers to discriminatory attitudes, behaviours or actions that are less obvious and not easily identifiable compared to traditional forms of racism. Because subtle racism can be indirect, unintentional expressions of prejudice or unsconsiously expressed, they are often more challenging to recognise. Subtle racism can manifest in various ways, such as comments, actions or behaviours that subtly marginalise or demean individuals based on their race or ethnicity. Whether people might not be fully aware of their biases or actions or may even deny their racism when called out, subtle racism helps perpetuate discrimination and inequalities. 

Some examples of racially-based subtle racism are: 

Verbal: "Are you his nanny?" assuming that a person of colour is not a white child's parent; 

Action: a teacher not calling on students of colour; a server automatically serving white people first over people of colour; 

Racial profiling: stop-and-frisk policy meant to reduce crime but mostly targets people of colour.

Subtle racism is hard to detect at first glance unlike overt racism which is blatant and easily recognisable. Although subtle racism operates in a more covert manner, its effects may cause harm whether it was unintentional or not. Let's shed light into subtle racism, its impact on relationships and well-being, the challenge of recognition and how we can avoid being a subtle racist. 

Kinds of Subtle Racism: 

Colorblindness or Microinvalidations - ignores the unique experiences of different racial groups. For instance, the "All Lives Matter" as a response to "Black Lives Matter" may mean well, but can be considered racist as "Black Lives Matter" do not mean only Black lives matter or that Black lives matter more. The BLM movement only asserts that Black lives matter too, to address historical and current events, and some institutions' tendency to not treat Black lives as mattering equally with White lives. 

Stereotyping - assumes that someone's abilities, preferences, or behaviour are based on their race. For instance, assuming that an Asian woman is a mail-order bride, or a Mexican woman is a cleaning lady. 

Tokenism - including a person of colour solely to demonstrate diversity. For instance, hiring a person of colour to comply with diversity even though the role is essentially insignificant. 

Microaggressions - are small, everyday acts that communicate derogatory messages towards racial minorities, including: 

backhanded compliments (e.g. "You're beautiful for a dark-skinned girl.") 

cultural appropriation - loving a part of a culture (like Hip Hop) but fail to speak out for or recognise its people's struggles, or dominant groups erasing origins of certain cultures and taking credit for something they did not create (e.g. Elvis regarded as a pioneer of rock and roll but failing to credit Sister Rosetta Tharpe as an earlier rock and roll artist who influenced Elvis and referred to as Godmother of rock and roll). 

questioning someone's nationality or abilities. Saying, "You must be good at math" to someone with Asian descent or "I don't even see you as [insert race]". 

Effects on Relationships and Wellbeing: 

Subtle racism can erode relationships and negatively impact mental health. Constant exposure to microaggressions can lead to feelings of invalidation, frustration and stress. Over time, these experiences can strain personal and professional connections, contribute to a sense of isolation and introduce an atmosphere of negativity and even hostility in personal relationships, the workplace and community groups.   

How Do We Preserve Wellbeing and Avoid Being Subtle Racists: 

Self-education - recognise and acknowledge your own biases and actively seek to educate yourself and others about different cultures and experiences. 

Active listening - strive to create an environment where people feel comfortable sharing their experiences, and listen without being defensive or dismissive. 

Empathy - simply try putting yourself in others' shoes and strive to understand the impact of your words and actions. 

Language matters - choose your words carefully, avoiding assumptions or stereotypes. 

Speak up - if you witness subtle racism, address it respectfully to help raise awareness. 

Subtle racism is a pervasive issue that demands our attention. By shedding light on its existence, acknowledging its impact, and taking proactive steps to prevent it, we can create a more inclusive and equitable society. 

Remember that change begins with each individual's commitment to unlearn biases and treat all individuals with respect, regardless of their background.

[samw3000]

Pots and Kettles

You and yourHollowHyper-defensiveEmotionally brittle selfA curmudgeon in cashmereBeing just as spleneticOn the way homeI imagined you dyingScreaming and aloneI wished for you to self-exterminate---Ugh! Damn it! I will feel like the villain laterFor all my intrusive and deliberate thoughtsTry as I might, I'm still too sensitiveToo thin-skinned for this jobIf only I were too sexyI'd let perceived…

[trippinsorrows]

a lot of folks on here are all "support women," until it's black women, and it shows. whether you realize it or not.

the microaggressions, microinvalidations, and microassaults be strong.

[lanabriggs]

Recognizing and Diffusing Workplace Microaggressions

In office corridors and virtual meetings across corporate America, a subtle form of psychological erosion occurs daily — the microaggression. These brief, often unintentional slights communicate hostile or negative messages to marginalized groups, accumulating over time like paper cuts to the soul. Unlike overt discrimination, their power lies in their ambiguity, leaving recipients questioning whether they imagined the offense while perpetrators remain oblivious to the harm caused.

Michael Shvartsman, an advocate for inclusive workplaces, explains: “Microaggressions are like carbon monoxide — odorless, invisible, but deeply toxic over time. The most progressive organizations now recognize that creating truly equitable environments requires addressing these subtle behaviors as seriously as we do overt harassment.”

The Anatomy of Everyday Offenses.

Microaggressions manifest in three primary forms: microassaults (conscious discriminatory actions), microinsults (rude or insensitive comments), and microinvalidations (statements that dismiss or negate another’s experience). A manager might repeatedly mispronounce an employee’s ethnic name despite corrections (microinsult). A colleague could claim not to see race while dismissing discussions about racial equity (microinvalidation). These behaviors often stem from unconscious biases rather than malicious intent, making them particularly insidious.

What makes microaggressions particularly damaging is their cumulative effect. A single incident might seem trivial, but repeated exposure creates psychological tolls — increased stress, decreased productivity, and eventual disengagement. Recipients often face an impossible choice: ignore the behavior and suffer silently, or speak up and risk being labeled oversensitive.

The Ripple Effects of Subtle Slights.

The organizational costs of unchecked microaggressions extend far beyond individual discomfort. Teams experiencing these behaviors demonstrate lower collaboration, reduced information sharing, and higher turnover. Innovation suffers when employees from marginalized backgrounds hesitate to contribute ideas, anticipating dismissal or appropriation. Company reputations take hits when talented diverse candidates share negative experiences within their professional networks.

Michael Shvartsman observes: “Microaggressions create invisible barriers to inclusion that no diversity initiative can overcome. They signal — sometimes unintentionally — who truly belongs and who remains an outsider in an organization’s culture.”

From Bystander to Upstander.

Addressing microaggressions effectively requires moving beyond individual responsibility to collective accountability. Colleagues who witness these interactions play pivotal roles in creating cultural change. The most effective responses share common characteristics — they assume good intent while addressing problematic impact, they educate rather than shame, and they focus on behavioral change rather than personality judgments.

Simple interjections like “Help me understand what you meant by that comment?” or “I think we might want to reconsider how that could be received” create opportunities for course correction without escalating tensions. These interventions work best when delivered calmly and privately, allowing the recipient to save face while absorbing the feedback.

Building Microaggression-Aware Cultures.

Progressive organizations implement multi-layered approaches to address subtle discrimination:

Education Through Scenario Training — Interactive workshops using real workplace examples help teams recognize microaggressions in context

Feedback Channels — Anonymous reporting systems and ombudspersons allow comfortable disclosure of concerns

Leadership Modeling — Executives who openly discuss their own learning journeys normalize behavioral growth

Cultural Indicators — Employee surveys tracking psychological safety and belonging uncover hidden patterns

The most effective programs frame this work as skill-building rather than fault-finding, reducing defensive reactions while promoting genuine understanding.

The Growth Mindset Approach.

Responding productively when called out for microaggressions represents a critical professional skill in diverse workplaces. The healthiest responses involve listening without defensiveness, seeking clarification about the impact, and committing to specific behavioral changes. This approach transforms awkward moments into relationship-strengthening opportunities.

“The goal isn’t perfection — it’s progress,” notes Michael Shvartsman. “We all carry unconscious biases. What matters is whether we remain open to recognizing them and committed to doing better.”

Measuring What Matters.

Organizations serious about addressing microaggressions track leading indicators rather than waiting for turnover statistics or engagement surveys to sound alarms. They monitor participation rates in voluntary training, analyze themes in exit interviews, and assess whether underrepresented employees feel safe providing upward feedback.

Perhaps most importantly, they examine whether employees from marginalized groups are progressing equally through promotion pipelines — the ultimate test of whether inclusion efforts are succeeding beyond surface-level gestures.

As Michael Shvartsman concludes: “Creating workplaces free from microaggressions isn’t about political correctness — it’s about basic respect and organizational effectiveness. When people feel truly valued for their whole selves, they bring discretionary energy and creativity that no amount of coercion can elicit.”

For companies committed to meaningful inclusion, the work begins with recognizing that small slights create big consequences. By bringing these subtle behaviors into the light with compassion and clarity, organizations can build cultures where all talent thrives — not despite their differences, but because of the unique perspectives they contribute. In today’s competitive talent landscape, this commitment may represent the ultimate differentiator between companies that simply hire diversely and those that truly harness the power of diversity.

[femonomics-blog]

What Exactly is A Microaggression And How to Deal with It?

What Exactly is A Microaggression And How to Deal with It?

Microaggression Let’s say there are two friends — one Caucasian, the other African-American—who are going for a late-night walk around town. This was something they often did, so it wasn’t anything out of the ordinary. Just as they are about to make their way back home, they hear a police siren, and next thing you know, the cop pulls up beside them and asked them some questions. However, the…

[darkmarxsoul]

“There’s a difference between something “being racist” and something “inconveniencing racial minorities” though.”

slightly off the subject of your, frankly, skewed argument (most things are not intended to be racist, but *disproportionately* affect POC in a way that creates harm. i genuinely don’t know what to tell you if you haven’t seen a VAST increase of this phenomenon in the treatment of shows that are about a black person’s experience, not to mention the importance of the narrative in creating empathy to ease the prolificness of ignorance. intent exists, but the outcome is the same)… specifically minimizing and ‘debunking’ the racism that multiple black people in the post are trying to explain is its own form of microaggression. the irony is that it probably wasn’t your intent, but the action itself has the same effect.

this is only one professional study on the physical emotional effects of microaggressions, specifically including downplaying and ‘debunking’ racism, but i think it’s a great starter read because it outlines specific types of microaggression, namely microinvalidation. there are many many more, just googling brings up long lists of studies. all studies i have found describe the effects as akin to being physically and mentally in a long-term traumatic event. what looks like an "inconvenience", as you say, doesn't act like one internally. the disproportionate increase for either black peoples' stories being ignored, or for others denying the prevalence and experience of it as racism, is what makes it what it is, racism. intent has no bearing on the outcome.

(www.) ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5342632/

"most things are not intended to be racist, but *disproportionately* affect POC in a way that creates harm."

I literally said this IN MY POST on the topic. I'm 100% willing to engage in respectful discussion but not when people mosey up and ignore stuff I wrote. This is what I said:

"Racism is an expression of bias or bigotry against racial minorities, and can manifest either in actions that reflect negative personal beliefs held by individuals, or can be the result of a systemic bias even if no individuals involved perceive that bias.

…

A job like firefighting having arbitrary physical standards for hiring that winds up excluding most women that would otherwise be hired with actual reasonable physical standards is a sexist system even if no firefighters doing the hiring are actually biased against women."

So, I know this.

If the stuff described in the original post actually happened to things written by non-white people more than it happens to things written by white people, then it would be racist. But the thing is, for this particular topic, the vapid fandomization of literary works does not "disproportionately affect POC in a way that creates harm". It happens entirely equally along racial lines, that is why I said intent matters. Intent doesn't matter when establishing a racist outcome to an action, but it does matter when there is no racist outcome to an action to be seen.

"i genuinely don’t know what to tell you if you haven’t seen a VAST increase of this phenomenon in the treatment of shows that are about a black person’s experience"

I've seen a vast increase of this phenomenon in the treatment of ALL shows EVERYWHERE, not just about black people. As social media becomes more and more focused on metrics and mass-consumption rather than on substance and in-depth consumption, this is inevitable.

Like again, it helps to remain on topic. It's patently obvious that shows about the black experience have been disproportionately ignored by the majority white populace of the Western world. Of course, and that is due to a racist undervaluing of black culture. But we're not talking about white attitudes towards black media overall, we're talking about fandom attitudes towards black media (in particular, white LGBT attitudes). That particular demographic doesn't give a shit what race a movie is about, they will devolve into shipping and relationship fanfics for literally everything. And if they do it for EVERYTHING, INCLUDING black media, it isn't racist dude, it just happens to include black stories along with everything else. Again, not every sleight or offense or harm against a black person is anti-black. Sometimes it's just neutrally bad.

"specifically minimizing and ‘debunking’ the racism that multiple black people in the post are trying to explain is its own form of microaggression"

Firstly if it actually was racist, I hardly think that would be a "micro"aggression, that would just be flat out erasure.

But secondly, not everything that minorities think is racism is racism. Racism is a social and psychological thing that happens in the world and must be detected intellectually; not every minority is going to have the nuance and depth of perspective to accurately determine what is and isn't racism every time, even if that doesn't change how it makes them feel. You can in fact be wrong and misguided about the actions of other people towards you or stuff related to you. Sometimes people who are (justifiably) very sensitive towards sleights from white people towards their culture are going to shoot too high and overcompensate in their response because they feel outraged. This is one of those times. That is my opinion and I'm not going to be convinced by you pointing out that some black people disagree with me, you're going to have to convince me by actually making sense.

You can't just say whatever you want and try to browbeat me into telling you you're right because if I don't I'm racist.

"the disproportionate increase for either black peoples' stories being ignored"

There is no disproportionate increase in black people's stories being ignored among fandom via flanderizing activity like shipping anymore than there is for stories written by white people. I have no doubt that the overall reception towards black media by white people is woefully low, but that's not what we're talking about. The people who are sucking all the life and culture out of Encanto by writing fanfic about gay ships are doing exactly that for everything else they consume too, because they're shallow, not racist.

That doesn't change the fact that black people are right to be pissed off that people are doing that to their media, but it's also their responsibility to respond to this with proportional accusations to avoid looking hysterical.

"intent has no bearing on the outcome."

The reason I said that intent matters in this case is because there is no disproportionate amount of "fanficization" going on for black stories, but even so, if sets of individuals did so because they specifically didn't value black stories, that would make it racist anyway. The truth is that neither the intent nor the outcome are racist in this particular phenomenon we're discussing.

[whentherewerebicycles]

when i talk with my mentees or students in my program about grad school, they are often like “i really love research and i want to get a PhD, but my professor / advisor / grad TA told me not to bother because there are no jobs.” and my reaction is always like... okay, yes, it IS important to know going in that there will likely not be an academic job at the end (and that this will have virtually nothing to do with your individual worth or value as a scholar and everything to do with luck, the vagaries of the job market that year, and a million other factors that are almost wholly outside your control). we DO have an ethical responsibility to help students understand and really think through the realities of grad school, including but not limited to: the terrible job market, the low stipends, the university’s exploitation of grad labor, the need to balance research obligations with several side hustles, the possibility that it may limit your ability to have a family (or to support family who are dependent on your wages), the often desperately inadequate mentoring/support structures (esp for BIPOC, women, queer and trans people, etc.), the ‘weed-out’ culture of many academic disciplines, and just in general the ways that academia can crush a person’s spirit.

but good lord! if you can get in & if you can go into the experience with your eyes open, with a good support network around you & at least a nascent critical consciousness around academic values/structures, then DO IT. there is no other profession, no other environment that i can think of, that gives you this kind of flexibility and freedom to pursue your own learning. you get to spend six to nine years of your life deeply immersed in researching, reading, writing, reflecting, and teaching. there are real tradeoffs -- mostly financial but also spiritual/emotional -- but my god, to have time, space, institutional resources, and a little bit of real intellectual freedom? it is a rare and incredibly precious thing. and if the idea of experiencing that truly lights you up inside, then by all means, you should go for it.

i try to communicate this to my students with just as much seriousness and passion as i communicate to them the realities of graduate school and academic institutions. i think it is especially important to do this with my little group of women mentees (all of whom are BIPOC, many of them queer-identified, all working in fields that are still underresourced or marginalized within our discipline). because after two years of working closely with this group of students, i see more and more of the ‘microinvalidations’ they receive from professors and advisors (usually white; usually but not always male), who often tend to gently advise these women out of the profession by encouraging them to aim lower (‘i don’t know if writing an honors thesis is right for your schedule this year’ or ‘i’m not sure you’re prepared to take X course, why don’t you take this [less competitive/rigorous] course instead’ or ‘why don’t you start with a masters degree and then see about the PhD later’), or by sharing only the worst parts of grad school in an attempt to dissuade them from applying, or just through benign neglect (such as giving only blandly positive feedback on their writing, instead of giving them the thoughtful, critical, rigorous engagement they need to continue growing as scholars).

idk man! academia sucks a lot of the time and i think we DO need to be upfront about some of the ways in which it sucks. but i believe fervently that we do NOT need to do that in a “here is a list of terrible, depressing, soul-crushing Facts, now run as fast as you can in the opposite direction and never look back.” there’s got to be a way to advise undergrads that focuses on introducing the realities of grad school while building their capacity to cope with and actively respond to those realities. how can we build that capacity? some thoughts based on my own experiences thus far:

teaching our advisees how to build strong support networks (and helping them understand how/why those networks are so crucial to perseverance in grad school)

fostering a critical consciousness towards academic institutions & norms (so that they can recognize and resist some of the invalidations they are likely to encounter in grad school)

introducing them to the work of grad students and scholars who are either pursuing 'nontraditional’ work within the academy OR have transitioned into fulfilling post-Ph.D. careers outside of the academy (so that they see the diverse range of career trajectories)

actively facilitating connections with current Ph.D. students who are working in their area of interest

taking them to professionalization panels and conferences, then setting aside lots of time afterwards to debrief and to discuss what they found exciting about the experience, what they found confusing, what they are worried about, what they were critical of, and so on.

demystifying and explaining the different implicit structures, expectations, norms, etc., of Ph.D. programs -- talking seriously with them about the different phases of a graduate program (coursework, qualifying exams, service work, publishing, dissertation writing, etc.), helping them understand what is challenging and what is rewarding about each phase

helping them create structures of accountability, like scheduling regular check-ins with advisors, setting deadlines for themselves, setting measurable goals and developing plans for reaching them, making decisions about self-pacing, etc. -- just practicing all the “study skills” type stuff that grad students are often expected to just intuit or come into the program knowing how to do. also having them regularly talk & write through their own practices of researching, writing, revising, etc. (teaching metacognitive reflection skills to help them learn to describe how they work, and how they can work more effectively).

helping them understand what effective, engaged mentoring looks like, both through modeling it as best i can AND through explicitly discussing what a professor's responsibilities are/should be to their advisees. essentially i want them to leave our advising relationship with the following things: 1) an understanding of what engaged mentorship can look/feel like; 2) a clear sense of the kind of advising/feedback they personally find most useful or generative; 3) a clear sense of what advisees are 'allowed’ to ask of their professors; and 4) lots and lots of practice asking different professors for the feedback they need (bc experience helps dispel fear/anxiety around communicating with professors).

[amemoirofmemories]

If this is how it feels as an educator, I know it’s 100s times worse for our youth who have to live through high school and the constant microaggressions, microinsults, and microinvalidations, etc that come from these institutions, the other students, teachers, counselors, deans, and other staff in the building.

[sammharris]

Microagression

From a simplistic viewpoint, racism lies on a wide spectrum, and can range from hate crimes to micro-aggressions. The latter can be so subtle that it may be difficult for either the perpetrator or victim of microaggressions to take in what has happened in that moment. Diving deeper into the microaggressions, we have microassaults, microinsults and microinvalidations. Essentially, these all consist of actions (commonly comments) that are meant to subtly negate, exclude, or nullify the thoughts, feelings or life experience of people of color. These kinds of remarks and gestures can be painful because they are meant to target people who belong to specific demographics that are discriminated against or subject to stereotypes. These demographics consist predominantly of African Americans, but include people of color, and women.

[luxraylauren]

@microinvalidations WHYD IT POST TWICE ??

[trooth]

@microinvalidations ty for telling me i thought it was a name she made up.

[detective-jay]

answer this question Microinvalidations encompass ‘‘actions that exclude, negate

answer this question Microinvalidations encompass ‘‘actions that exclude, negate

answer this question Microinvalidations encompass ‘‘actions that exclude, negate, or nullify the psychological thoughts, feelings, or experiences of people of color’’ (Sue et al., 2008, p. 331); micro-insults involve ‘‘actions… that convey insensitivity, are rude, or directly demean a person’s racial identity or heritage’’ (p. 331); and micro-assaults include expressions similar to old-fashioned…

[fredgeorge123]

answer this question Microinvalidations encompass ‘‘actions that exclude, negate

answer this question Microinvalidations encompass ‘‘actions that exclude, negate

answer this question Microinvalidations encompass ‘‘actions that exclude, negate, or nullify the psychological thoughts, feelings, or experiences of people of color’’ (Sue et al., 2008, p. 331); micro-insults involve ‘‘actions… that convey insensitivity, are rude, or directly demean a person’s racial identity or heritage’’ (p. 331); and micro-assaults include expressions similar to old-fashioned…

[desirablebabyy]

As we become more conscious of practices that exacerbate microaggressions, stereotypes and prejudice what can we do to end them? Have you ever personally experienced or overheard a microaggression, microinvalidation, micro-insult, or micro-assault at work? How did you handle it? How do you wish you would have handled it now? How would you work to change that behavior in the future?

As we become more conscious of practices that exacerbate microaggressions, stereotypes and prejudice what can we do to end them? Have you ever personally experienced or overheard a microaggression, microinvalidation, micro-insult, or micro-assault at work? How did you handle it? How do you wish you would have handled it now? How would you work to change that behavior in the future?

answer this question Microinvalidations encompass ‘‘actions that exclude, negate, or nullify the psychological thoughts, feelings, or experiences of people of color’’ (Sue et al., 2008, p. 331); micro-insults involve ‘‘actions… that convey insensitivity, are rude, or directly demean a person’s racial identity or heritage’’ (p. 331); and micro-assaults include expressions similar to old-fashioned…

[acemywriter]

question 12

answer this question Microinvalidations encompass ‘‘actions that exclude, negate, or nullify the psychological thoughts, feelings, or experiences of people of color’’ (Sue et al., 2008, p. 331); micro-insults involve ‘‘actions… that convey insensitivity, are rude, or directly demean a person’s racial identity or heritage’’ (p. 331); and micro-assaults include expressions similar to old-fashioned…

[starbats]

im not getting involved in this particular discourse really at all so like dont message me abt this but gl//umsh//oe is being at the very least extremely thoughtless with their wording and at the most, using their identity to deflect legitimate criticism

it’s not unusual for identities to change, but expecting everyone who comes to your blog (or even follows you!) to know exactly your personal stance on how you identify when it’s not stated anywhere permanent is kind of ridiculous and Somewhat indicative of like. idk. an extremely inflated ego? ‘of course they will look through my blog and find the one post where i state as such’ is like . . . cmon man

nobody actually pays that much attention to a stranger online out of hand

the ‘microinvalidation’ pronoun stuff is also, utter garbage. if you’ve stated in an easy-to-view location on your blog that you don’t care

you don’t get to selectively read into people’s ‘intent’ based on when and what they use to address you. if you prefer they/them then state as much in a place where they are clearly visible, and judge freely when strangers use other pronouns. otherwise like, maybe shut up abt it a little (from one nb person to another)