# When people babble about "microaggressions", their real goal is censorship. **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [June 13, 2015, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-people-babble-about-microaggressions-their-real-goal-is-censorship/722455 "2015-06-13T19:56:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2015, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-people-babble-about-microaggressions-their-real-goal-is-censorship/722455/21 "2015-06-13T23:02:05Z")
> [@ITR\_champion](#): > > She **debunked** the **false** claims often used by feminists, . . . You misspelled “protested” and “controversial.” > [@ITR\_champion](#): > > All of these statements are true, Nah. All those beliefs are held to be true by certain political factions. Not the same thing. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2015, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-people-babble-about-microaggressions-their-real-goal-is-censorship/722455/22 "2015-06-13T23:03:26Z")
Is accusing someone of a microaggression, itself a microaggression? ---
**Author:** ![Robert163](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/4af34b/32.png) [@Robert163](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robert163)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2015, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-people-babble-about-microaggressions-their-real-goal-is-censorship/722455/23 "2015-06-13T23:17:25Z")
So to all the people criticizing reporting microaggressions, you have no problem with the following statements or actions? “You are a credit to your race.” “Wow! How did you become so good in math?” A White man or woman clutches his/her purse or checks wallet as a Black or Latino person approaches. A store owner following a customer of color around the store. Someone crosses to the other side of the street to avoid a person of color. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2015, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-people-babble-about-microaggressions-their-real-goal-is-censorship/722455/24 "2015-06-13T23:18:57Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > Is accusing someone of a microaggression, itself a microaggression? No. Micro-aggressions are made by the privileged class against he unprivileged. You can’t commit a micro-aggression against someone in the privileged class. Very convenient! ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2015, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-people-babble-about-microaggressions-their-real-goal-is-censorship/722455/25 "2015-06-13T23:22:03Z")
Man, there is nothing but nothing that rich white conservatives love more than acting like the Doom Is Upon Them. For all their talk about a culture of victimhood, they sure can Poor Me with the best of 'em. Yup. Them college kids are coming for you. Pitchforks and torches! Or, y’know, a social media site. ---
**Author:** ![JVDaly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/edb3f5/32.png) [@JVDaly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JVDaly)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2015, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-people-babble-about-microaggressions-their-real-goal-is-censorship/722455/26 "2015-06-13T23:23:12Z")
I’d be okay with this proposal if it were also stipulated that those who used it would be sent on a mandatory ‘Toughen the Fuck Up!’ course. Lots of whiny, foot-stamping little bitches on college campuses these days. ---
**Author:** ![Robert163](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/4af34b/32.png) [@Robert163](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robert163)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2015, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-people-babble-about-microaggressions-their-real-goal-is-censorship/722455/27 "2015-06-13T23:30:38Z")
So it would seem the defense to the charge “People make racist statements that aren’t automatically recognized by the speaker as being racist” the defense to that is to claim “This never happens, that type of racism does not exist!!!”. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2015, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-people-babble-about-microaggressions-their-real-goal-is-censorship/722455/28 "2015-06-13T23:31:22Z")
> [@JVDaly](#): > > I’d be okay with this proposal if it were also stipulated that those who used it would be sent on a mandatory ‘Toughen the Fuck Up!’ course. > > Lots of whiny, foot-stamping little bitches on college campuses these days. If I was on one of those campuses I’d be tempted to wear a “Get your shit together” shirt everyday. That last sentence sounds perfect if you imagine it in the voice of that beer swilling guy from Burn Notice. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2015, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-people-babble-about-microaggressions-their-real-goal-is-censorship/722455/29 "2015-06-13T23:32:04Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > Man, there is nothing but nothing that rich white conservatives love more than acting like the Doom Is Upon Them. For all their talk about a culture of victimhood, they sure can Poor Me with the best of 'em. > > Yup. Them college kids are coming for you. Pitchforks and torches! Or, y’know, a social media site. Is that a statement if favor of or in opposition to the proposed system to be set up on that campus? Because, otherwise, it looks like a classic case of _ad hominem_. Bill Maher lambasted the idea of micro-aggressions recently. Is he a rich white conservative? (Or is it 2 outta 3 ain’t bad!) ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2015, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-people-babble-about-microaggressions-their-real-goal-is-censorship/722455/30 "2015-06-13T23:33:51Z")
So, out of curiosity, when a white woman quarrels with a minority-race man, who wins the privilege tiebreaker? ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2015, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-people-babble-about-microaggressions-their-real-goal-is-censorship/722455/31 "2015-06-13T23:35:08Z")
The first rule of Woman Fight club…well, you figure it out. ---
**Author:** ![Robert163](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/4af34b/32.png) [@Robert163](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robert163)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2015, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-people-babble-about-microaggressions-their-real-goal-is-censorship/722455/32 "2015-06-13T23:36:33Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > So, out of curiosity, when a white woman quarrels with a minority-race man, who wins the privilege tiebreaker? Are you really interested in making society a less racist experience for minorities or do you just want to belittle attempts to do so by using misplaced and inauthentic examples for the sake of sarcasm? ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2015, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-people-babble-about-microaggressions-their-real-goal-is-censorship/722455/33 "2015-06-13T23:50:57Z")
Some attempts deserve nothing nothing more than belittlement. ---
**Author:** ![Robert163](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/4af34b/32.png) [@Robert163](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robert163)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2015, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-people-babble-about-microaggressions-their-real-goal-is-censorship/722455/34 "2015-06-13T23:55:16Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Some attempts deserve nothing nothing more than belittlement. So have no problem with: Telling a girl, wow, you sure are good at math!!! Or, clutching your purse when a black man gets on an elevator. ---
**Author:** ![Stratocaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stratocaster/32/16393_2.png) [@Stratocaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stratocaster)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2015, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-people-babble-about-microaggressions-their-real-goal-is-censorship/722455/35 "2015-06-14T00:17:21Z")
> [@Robert163](#): > > So have no problem with: > > Telling a girl, wow, you sure are good at math!!! > Or, clutching your purse when a black man gets on an elevator. Are you suggesting these things should be subject to some sort of official review and possible sanction? Or are you moving the goal posts via a straw man? Or something else? ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2015, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-people-babble-about-microaggressions-their-real-goal-is-censorship/722455/36 "2015-06-14T00:19:05Z")
Women are not a minority and I don’t carry a purse. 🙂 Here’s the thing. Those are not “micro-aggressions”. Those are old fashioned people being jerks or being racist. Nothing new heer, and nothing that needs to be reported to the “micro-aggresssion” police. The whole “micro-aggression” thing blurs the line between actual acts of racism and saying something like “America is a melting pot”, which is now suddenly a “micro-aggression”. It can devolve into whether or not one is supposed to capitalize the word “indigenous”. We’re not supposed to use the word “he” as the gender neutral pronoun anymore. There is real racism and real sexism out there, and the micro-aggresssion nonsense doesn’t help it. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2015, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-people-babble-about-microaggressions-their-real-goal-is-censorship/722455/37 "2015-06-14T00:20:37Z")
> [@Robert163](#): > > clutching your purse when a black man gets on an elevator. Is it wrong if a woman clutches her purse when a white man gets on an elevator? ---
**Author:** ![Robert163](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/4af34b/32.png) [@Robert163](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robert163)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2015, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-people-babble-about-microaggressions-their-real-goal-is-censorship/722455/38 "2015-06-14T00:26:46Z")
> [@Stratocaster](#): > > Are you suggesting these things should be subject to some sort of official review and possible sanction? Or are you moving the goal posts via a straw man? Or something else? I’m not sure what the solution is. But if you don’t even agree that outright racist statements/actions should be unacceptable, it is hard to think that you would be concerned about “lesser” offense that - you - don’t consider bad enough to be concerned about. That is, if you even acknowledge such events at all. > [@John\_Mace](#): > > Women are not a minority and I don’t carry a purse. 🙂 > > Here’s the thing. Those are not “micro-aggressions”. Those are old fashioned people being jerks or being racist. Nothing new heer, and nothing that needs to be reported to the “micro-aggresssion” police. > > The whole “micro-aggression” thing blurs the line between actual acts of racism and saying something like “America is a melting pot”, which is now suddenly a “micro-aggression”. It can devolve into whether or not one is supposed to capitalize the word “indigenous”. We’re not supposed to use the word “he” as the gender neutral pronoun anymore. There is real racism and real sexism out there, and the micro-aggresssion nonsense doesn’t help it. So basically you are just going to say Microagressions don’t exist? > [@Velocity](#): > > Is it wrong if a woman clutches her purse when a white man gets on an elevator? Yes ---
**Author:** ![Asympotically\_fat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e47c2d/32.png) [@Asympotically\_fat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asympotically_fat)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2015, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-people-babble-about-microaggressions-their-real-goal-is-censorship/722455/39 "2015-06-14T00:26:51Z")
> [@Robert163](#): > > So have no problem with: > > Telling a girl, wow, you sure are good at math!!! > Or, clutching your purse when a black man gets on an elevator. I certainly don’t have a problem with either of these. Saying you are “good at maths… for a girl” or clutching your purse because someone is black are more problematic, but still not worthy of any kind of sanction. ---
**Author:** ![Robert163](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/4af34b/32.png) [@Robert163](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robert163)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2015, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-people-babble-about-microaggressions-their-real-goal-is-censorship/722455/40 "2015-06-14T00:32:19Z")
> [@Asympotically\_fat](#): > > I certainly don’t have a problem with either of these. Saying you are “good at maths… for a girl” or clutching your purse because someone is black are more problematic, but still not worthy of any kind of sanction. So in other words, you admit it is a problem but you are more concerned that people not be punished for doing it than you are concerned with trying to stop it from happening? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-people-babble-about-microaggressions-their-real-goal-is-censorship/722455.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-people-babble-about-microaggressions-their-real-goal-is-censorship/722455.md?page=3)