We have repeatedly covered the topic of microaggressions as part of our ongoing examination of the culture of higher education. We did not however, expect the subject to come up in our coverage of the 2020 Democratic primary.
We probably shouldn’t be surprised. As I have often said over the last few years, if you want to know what Democrats are going to do tomorrow, just look at what progressive activists on campus are doing today.
Concepts like microaggressions and other aspects of left-wing campus culture are steadily bleeding over into other areas of everyday life such as media and politics.
The Pete Buttigieg campaign has apparently even taken action to detect the usage of microaggressions.
Julia Manchester reports at The Hill:
Buttigieg campaign surveyed staffers of color about microaggressions in the workplaceFormer South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg’s campaign sent a questionnaire to staffers of color earlier this month inquiring about microaggressions in the workplace.The questionnaire, which was first reported by the New York Times on Tuesday, was sent out by the campaign’s national engagement coordinator Raven Hollins on Jan. 1.The survey’s first question asked the staffers whether they had experienced any of six microaggressions listed, which included being interrupted, as well as being “called the name of a different staff member of color,” according to the news outlet.Audio obtained by the Times includes several staff members speaking at a “Building Belonging” meeting the following day about what they said was the difficulty in recruiting a diverse staff. The Hill has not heard the audio cited by the Times.
Whether they realize it or not, this revelation makes the Buttigiied campaign look like amateur hour. Concerns about microaggressions may be a legitimate concern if you’re running for president of the College Democrats at UC Berkeley, but not when you’re applying for the most powerful job in the world.
Alex Griswold of the Washington Free Beacon has more on this:
Facing Racial Tensions, Buttigieg Camp Surveyed Staff About MicroaggressionsDemocratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg’s campaign sent a survey to minority staffers asking them to list any “microaggressions” they suffered on the job.The New York Times reported Tuesday that Buttigieg national engagement coordinator Raven Hollins circulated a survey to employees in January after numerous staffers of color reported “feeling disrespected” by colleagues. Hollins asked that only minority staffers fill out the survey. “The answers are anonymous and will be used to inform our white colleagues about privilege and microaggressions,” Hollins wrote.The list of microaggressions included “Been interrupted / talked over,” “Left off a relevant email chain,” “Someone else taking credit for your idea or insight (even accidentally),” and “Been called the name of a different staff member of color.”The Times reports that the survey came because minority staffers frequently felt “disrespected” by white co-workers.
Here’s the bad news. As political candidates get younger, we can expect more of this.
May God save America from any future administration that’s more concerned about issues of privilege than a potential attack on our power grid.
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