New Encyclopedia Decodes Microaggressions So You Won’t Be Canceled Unknowingly
Image via Micropedia
While most of us have taken more care to rid our lexicon of offensive words and phrases, there might be slipups—known as microaggressions—that don’t aim to do harm but still cause distress to members of minority groups.
In order to educate the public on what microaggressions are and how to avoid using them, a new encyclopedia named Micropedia has popped up to highlight everyday words or phrases used to target marginalized groups that aren’t as obvious or straightforward as the more outrageous slurs.
According to Fast Company, the site was created by Stephanie Yung, head of design at creative agency Zulu Alpha Kilo. Being a person of color, she and others on her team have had experienced countless microaggressions, but didn’t know where they could non-judgmentally point out problematic words and phrases or keep track of them.
“You might find an academic article about the impact of microaggressions, or a media story about a particular offensive comment. But we wanted to create a place where people could come to learn about the range and breadth of microaggressions,” she explained.
The site sorts various microaggressions by categories such as race, gender, and disability. It explains why each comment is harmful, and includes real-world examples and news articles to further educate the public on why they should avoid the phrase. Yung realized that these comments typically aren’t forms of overt racism, and are usually said by those who are ignorant instead of hateful.
“And even those in marginalized groups themselves may not realize they’re saying something offensive to someone from another marginalized group. I know that looking back after an interaction, I’ve wanted to see whether something I said inadvertently crossed a line,” she added.
The creator believes that the new platform can be of help to three different groups of individuals.
The first group encompasses those who have been on the receiving end of a seemingly subtle comment and require validation that the phrase was indeed offensive. Secondly, the platform will be of use to those who want to ensure they’re not accidentally using offensive words and phrases. And finally, it could also be used by academic institutions and companies to train their staff to better respect diversity in the workplace.
“This tool is for people who are eager to learn and change their behavior. It’s not going to change the mind of someone who is overtly racist or is deliberately trying to cause harm with their words or actions,” Yung said.
To develop the platform, Zulu Alpha Kilo worked with different organizations such as the Black Business and Professional Association and the Diversity Institute to identify the most common forms of microagressions.
It then comes up with reasons as to why the comment is harmful, and provides tips to users on how to better phrase themselves in the future.
“Microaggressions can be hard to talk about; so often people don’t even know they are doing it,” said Yung. “We wanted to create a nonjudgmental platform, where people can learn about things they have said or done that have caused harm, and correct their behavior.”
[via Fast Company, cover image via Micropedia]
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