Sometimes the biggest hurts don't come from the biggest attacks. Unconscious racial behavior is not a new concept: racial prejudice has affected people for centuries. Instances of subtle racist interactions can be described as racial microaggressions. These are “everyday verbal, nonverbal, and environmental slights, rebuffs, or insults, whether intentional or unintentional, that communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative messages to individuals targeted solely on the basis of their membership in a marginalized group” (Derald Wing Sue, Ph.D. ).. People who regularly utter these insults often have no basis in their aggression and base their attacks exclusively on the victim's race rather than their personal character. The targets of these attacks are usually African Americans, but other ethnic groups face similar levels of bigotry, with equally harmful stereotypical projections, and in contrast to the blatant racism that incites violence in almost all cases , racial microaggressions lead to more psychological damage. Microaggressions can be caused by a person's prior biases based on racial stereotypes, whether negative or positive. So, what are the consequences of racial microaggressions? Racial microaggressions cause mental trauma and psychological distress that can cause mental blockages. Since these attacks are commonplace, they can often lead to health problems for victims. Say no to plagiarism. Get a custom essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayRacial microaggressions are prevalent during student interactions on campuses across the country with their peers and professors. You would think that someone with a lot of authority and experience, like a professor, would be more careful and wiser when it comes to racial assumptions, but that is not always the case. In research by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, several professors and scholars documented student accounts of their own professors using race as the basis for their jokes. A student reported an incident in which she could not understand the concepts being taught and asked the teacher to slow down. In response, the teacher made a nasty joke to the entire class, saying, "Hey everyone, I guess I have to slow down for the Chinese girl." '. In this case, the professor felt that the class would be comfortable with using stereotypes to jokingly respond to a student's request. Many cases of such incidents are caused by highly qualified authorities such as professors, meaning one cannot be certain whether the people they interact with are biased. Students also experience direct microaggressions from their peers, for example students of Arab descent who are discriminated against because they do not fit the stereotypical skin color of their race. With these examples and stories of how often students receive subtle racist comments, it's clear that there aren't many safe spaces for students to avoid discrimination, given that even trained professionals can letting these comments slip unconsciously. Due to the frequency of these interactions, students will often experience mental blocks that affect their health and academic success. School can already be stressful enough for many students whowork hard, and adding racial aggression to the mix can have an even stronger effect on the student. In a survey by researchers at Columbia University, it was found that racism is linked to mental health issues such as anger and depression, and can cause unhealthy behaviors like overeating. There is clearly a correlation between experiencing racial microaggressions and having health problems. Being a victim of any type of racism is traumatic enough, but microaggressions are particularly harmful because they usually come from peers who are unaware of the impact of their actions. That being said, these instances of microaggressions have a lingering effect on a person, because they are so subtle and frequent throughout the school day that they continually harm the student's mental state. Such discrimination can cause “fear, resentment, anxiety, helplessness, isolation, stress and exhaustion.” These symptoms can leave the sufferer unmotivated to accomplish anything, leading to an inevitable cycle of loneliness and a feeling of helplessness to improve their situation. Students and faculty may exercise and perceive racial microaggressions in different ways. When it comes to professors, not all of their microaggressions are vocal; their actions will often show bias towards certain races. For example, one African American student felt that he was not being appealed to when he raised his hand and refrained from trying again. This situation shows how professors perform microaggressions in different ways than students. They may demean students of color by denying them the opportunity to participate in class discussions and the opportunity to learn by asking about things they are unsure about. Not only does this hinder the student academically, but it also creates an unsafe learning environment that punishes growth and curiosity. Professors may also be unaware that they are being racist toward students. In one case, a student mentioned that he had recently visited South Asia and the professor asked him if he had ridden an elephant simply because the student was from that region. While this remark isn't entirely insulting, it shows that some teachers aren't sure when they're crossing certain lines. This isn't exactly a comment a professor should make in front of a class, no matter how gentle it may be, a student will always feel some discomfort when faced with these kinds of remarks. On the other hand, students who engage in microaggressions often make their peers feel out of place, such as white students who doubt their African American peers when they make intellectual remarks during discussions. in class. This is a much more assertive approach to microaggressions. While professors make more general statements about a person's race, students often isolate victims by displaying rude behavior and comments toward that person. As in this example, the African American student was judged by the white students because of his display of intelligence. However, if the student showed otherwise, he or she may not have received any attention from White students because this would be considered “typical” behavior for a student of color. So the main theme here is that students tend to be more specific about their racial attitudes than professors, perhaps because they interact more frequently with their peers. There are several ways both the abuser and the victim can address the problem of..