Jade Rivero - Blog Post #4

Micro-aggression is the theory that unintended oppression and racism is occurring within our society. The big question is, whether or not this this theory is true. In my personal opinion, I strongly believe that micro-aggression exists, and there are several examples that support my beliefs. Firstly, there are several instances of micro-aggressiveness that occur in our everyday life. Actions such as clutching your belongings more tightly when encountering a black person, or taking longer to serve a black person in a restaurant because it is assumed that they are less likely to tip. The problem with this is that people are unaware that these little actions are in fact a form of racism, unintentional or not. Secondly, according to statistics 97.7% of U. S. presidents, 90% of public school superintendents, 80-85% of the U. S. Senate, and 80% of the House of Representatives are white males. If Caucasian men only make up 33% of the population, why is it that they hold majority of the most influential positions within our society? How will America as a whole improve and grow if wealth, power and influence is controlled by the white man? Diversity within our communities and positions of power is desperately needed, extremely important, and probably the only solution for micro-aggression. Although there is no cure-all for racism because of how long oppression and exploitation of minorities existed throughout history, and the lingering results of that; there is surely a way to improve the amount of diversity and to minimize the amount of micro-aggression within our society but actions must be taken with little steps at a time.