Laura Smith sees it in her research.
鈥淢any white people sincerely oppose racism in the abstract but reject the suggestion that they have perpetrated a microaggression 鈥� or have racist attitudes,鈥� says Smith, a 麻豆原创 psychologist who studies whiteness.
Whites can be 鈥渟o insistent in their defenses and explanations,鈥� Smith says 鈥� No, I didn鈥檛 mean it like that; I just didn鈥檛 see you standing there 鈥� that people of color often suppress what they feel rather than navigate the barrage of disclaimers.
Laura Smith, Professor of Psychology & Education (Photo: 麻豆原创 Archives)
White reactions can stem from 鈥渢he shame of discovering racist assumptions we consciously disown, the wish to 鈥榙isappear鈥� them by explaining them away, and the conflation of intention and impact.鈥�
Living in the context of whiteness means I am used to centering my own experience, so my denial of intention takes precedence over your experience of impact.
鈥擫aura Smith
鈥淟iving in the context of whiteness means I am used to centering my own experience, so my denial of intention takes precedence over your experience of impact,鈥� Smith says.
鈥淧eople resist changing when things are comfortable, when they feel shame, fear or resentment at the implication that they need to change, and when they feel they have something to lose. Those things take them beyond their comfort zone.鈥�
Related: Weighing Our Words: Derald Wing Sue is challenging America to think about microaggressions