The list of things which I can’t get my head around grows with each passing week. The latest addition to the roll call, which already included TikTok, NFTs and Nadine Dorries, is microaggressions. The term apparently refers to any “statement, action, or incident regarded as an instance of indirect, subtle, or unintentional discrimination against members of a marginalised group”. Examples of microaggressions include complimenting a person of colour on how good their English is, asking them where they are from or asking if you can touch their hair.
I have experienced all three and can confirm it can feel a little embarrassing and uncomfortable. However, according to Nova Reid, an anti-racism campaigner whose comments made headlines this week, it is much worse than that. Microaggressions, she has claimed, are more than “overt acts of hate” since people repeatedly exposed to them can develop post-traumatic stress disorder.
