Bulletin Boards at Michigan State Warn of ‘Harmful Language’ of Microaggressions
“everyday encounters of subtle discrimination that people of various marginalized groups experience throughout their lives”
College students today have no idea how much better they have it than previous generations.
Campus Reform reports:
MSU warns against ‘harmful language’ with microaggression boards
At Michigan State University, at least two new microaggression boards discovered in two different student dormitories instruct students on how to take action against “harmful language.”
The boards, placed by MSU Residence Education and Housing Services (REHS), further define three microaggression categories: “microinsult,” “microinvalidation,” and “microassault.” Each can apparently be remedied by the “B.A.R. Method.”
This method, posted on a flier on the bulletin boards spotted by Campus Reform, says to “breathe when you get into stressful situations,” “acknowledge what the other person is saying,” and finally “respond to the other person.” The method will apparently help with conflict resolution in what MSU describes as “hostile situations.”
MSU defines “microassault” as “explicit bias and intended harm at someone,” whereas “microinvalidation” is “implicit bias and unintended harm to someone.” “Microinsult” only differs in it being “unintended subtle harm.”
Overall, the boards define microaggressions as “everyday encounters of subtle discrimination that people of various marginalized groups experience throughout their lives.”
Similar boards, titled “A culture is not a costume,” were placed around MSU dorms during Halloween 2018. These focused on cultural appropriation, featuring a flowchart designed to help one identify if their costume was racist. A depiction of a man in a taco costume with a sombrero was labeled “racist,” whereas one without a sombrero was labeled “not racist.”
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