I’m Exhausted! Racial Microaggressions and the Burden of ‘Articulateness’

communications, microaggressions, unintended bias

Given the unconscious nature of many racial micro-aggressions, conversations about them easily devolve into cycles of accusation and recrimination. To foster better understanding of microaggressions, this interactive exercise emphasizes listening, hearing and empathizing. By stressing and analyzing different segments of a frequently used sentence, individuals and groups consider both sides of oral messaging – the intent of the sender as well as the interpretation of the receiver. Both unintended and intended consequences are analyzed, opening up deeper discussions about the origins of our reactions to other people and their remarks.

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