As we work to develop into anti-racist, it’s essential to know what microaggressions are and easy methods to address them. On this episode of Off the Charts, we talk with Dr. Benji Mathews, an internal medicine physician at HealthPartners. He discusses microaggressions and the way they affect people, what it means to be a bystander versus an upstander, and the four-D approach to responding to microaggressions. Hearken to the episode or read the transcript.
Understanding microaggressions
In line with Dr. Mathews, “Simply put, microaggressions [are] a sort of an insult that is really rooted in a backdrop of a stereotype. It’s directed at someone or at a bunch due to a selected membership in that group.” A microaggression generally is a subtle comment or behavior, like “I don’t see color” or complimenting an individual of color on how good their English is.
Dr. Mathews compares microaggressions to papercuts. They’re smaller interactions than outright racism, but they still cause pain and discomfort. And the more papercuts you get, the more harmful they develop into.
The “four-D” model of responding to microaggressions
Microaggressions are uncomfortable and hurtful. It may be difficult to know what to do if you happen to or someone around you experiences a microaggression. Dr. Mathews talks concerning the four-D techniques to answer microaggressions:
- Direct – Be direct by saying something like “that comment crossed the road.”
- Distract – Changing the topic is one solution to distract the people you’re talking with and move away from the microaggression.
- Delegate – If someone with more authority or influence is within the conversation, delegate the response to that person.
- Display discomfort – Showing your discomfort might be considered one of the best ways to reply. Use your body language or comments to point out that you simply’re uncomfortable.
Bystanders v. upstanders
If someone near you experiences a microaggression, there are two sorts of people you may be: a bystander or an upstander. Bystanders are passive spectators. They’re within the situation by probability. Folks on this category don’t speak out against the microaggression. They might consider that another person will speak up, they might not need to get entangled or they might not know what to do.
An upstander is an energetic participant. These folks take motion once they hear or see a microaggression. Despite the fact that speaking out could also be uncomfortable, they step into the discomfort to deal with the microaggression. Being an upstander is taking an anti-racist stance.
Hearken to the episode to learn more about how Dr. Mathews approaches microaggressions and the way you may develop into an upstander.