Helen Murray | 2016

Claudia Rankine’s book Citizen: An American Lyric has been called many things. Some call it poetry, others call it a criticism; Rankine herself calls it a lesson, a lesson on what it means to be black. Many of the poems that make up Rankine’s book deal with microaggressions. The term was first coined by Chester Pierce in the 1970’s. Microaggressions are “everyday subtle and often automatic ‘put downs’ and insults directed toward Black Americans” (Sue 1). Being black no longer always means dealing with overt and sometimes violent oppression due to the color of your skin. Claudia Rankine sought to capture this in her book, describing several situations one might find themselves in if they were black, and sometimes more specifically a black woman. Situations such as friend calling you by the name of another black person she knows, thereby reducing you to that single identifying characteristic and therefore dehumanizing you. Situations such as hearing an educated woman admit that she did not think black people could get cancer which speaks to the whiteness of medicine as a field and the lack of thought and consideration for black bodies. These examples and more are featured in Rankine’s book, but more than that, she articulates the effect these day to day interactions have on her, on you, living in the shoes of a black person in the twenty first century.

The question at hand regarding Rankine’s work is whether or not her depiction of microaggressions and other forms of oppression that people of color face is an accurate one. She describes not only the interactions themselves, but also touches on some of the psychological effects they have on their victims. Her work somewhat acknowledges the complexity of the institution of racism today, and acknowledges that racism is much harder to define and combat than it once was despite being less violent and aggressive. However, white ignorance and the role it plays in today’s racism is an issue that may not be fully addressed in Rankine’s work, but that does not take away from the works accuracy as a lesson. Many passages ring true with what personal experiences, scholars, and psychologists have discussed in terms of microaggressions, today’s racism, and their effects. Although Claudia Rankine’s Citizen: An American Lyric may not fully acknowledge the complexity of interactions between the oppressed and the oppressor and support the institution of racism as a whole, this work accurately depicts the complex psychological effects of microaggressions on oppressed, which makes it a valuable lesson, particularly for members of the privileged group.

 Claudia Rankine’s book deals primarily with microaggressions and the effects they have on oppressed groups, specifically people of color. They can be defined as a new kind of racism for some, due to the fact that racism is defined as “any attitude, action, institutional structure, or social policy that subordinates persons or groups because of their color.” Microaggressions may be small, hence the term “micro” but that doesn’t make them any less hurtful. Racism does not always have to mean violence or overt oppression. Microaggressive racism can manifest in many ways including inferior housing, education, employment, and health services (Sue). It can manifest in small discomforts that marginalized people feel in a society that values whiteness, maleness, heterosexual and cisgendered identities, and able bodies above all else.

“Certain moments send adrenaline to the heart, dry out the tongue, and clog the lungs. Like thunder they drown you in sound, no, like lightning they strike you across the larynx. Cough. After it happened I was at a loss for words” (Rankine 7).

The immediate effects of microaggressive behavior and other manifestations of modern day racism can often be physical. One feels a discomfort or unease. It’s almost as if the body goes into fight or flight mode. The heartbeat quickens, the blood pressure rises, and the face can become flushed with anger. It becomes hard to focus on anything else. Microaggressions fulfill the criteria to be a stressor, and affect the body in a similar way (Sue). Rankine purposely makes it unclear whether or not the attack was physical or verbal by using such words as “strike” and referencing adrenaline and other bodily functions in order to illustrate that both can have physical effects. The verbal attack ends up having physical effects in addition to psychological and emotional effects. It is clear here that Rankine is depicting a situation in which the victim feels frozen and helpless to react or counter the microaggressive behavior. This is common, due to the reputation microaggressions have as an act of racism, and the not unfounded fear of the repercussions of calling out such an act. 

Microaggressions are proven stressors, similar to stress at a job or other big life changes such as moving house and the loss of a family member. Microaggressions, while seemingly small, affect the body in the same way stress does. Stressors need not be enormous crises or traumatic events in order to have negative effects on the body. The body goes through an alarm stage, in which it is wary of a potential physical attack. Then comes the resistance stage when the body attempts to fight whatever it sees as the threat. After that, there is a period of exhaustion. Microaggressive stressors can cause physiological reactions such as immune system changes, cognitive reactions, emotional reactions, or behavioral reactions (Sue). This matches perfectly with the effect stress has on the body.

“Eventually she stopped doing this, though she never acknowledged her slippage. And you never called her on it (why not?) and yet, you don’t forget” (Rankine 7).

This passage from Rankine’s work clearly illustrates the differing points of view regarding microaggressions as a racist behavior. Perpetrators want to brush them off as isolated events, while victims are preoccupied with dissecting their meaning for ages to come, trying to decide if it is worth it to bring it up again in conversation. No one wants to be accused of being too “politically correct.” This phrase can shut down healthy discourse that seeks to fix issues of racism in our society. Accusations of microaggressions, as discussed earlier, are seen as the perfect encapsulation of how political correctness has gotten out of hand (Taub). Those who are often perpetrators of microaggressive behavior are unlikely to see anything wrong. They are not conscious of the effect of their words.

Many people believe that we live in a post-racial society, and so racism has shifted to fly under our radar. In our present society “racism has become invisible, subtle, more indirect, operating below the level of conscious awareness, and continuing to oppress in unseen ways” (Sue 8). Racism can hide behind cultural values, institutional policy, and a variety of other things that shift the blame from individuals. This contributes to the assault that many oppressors feel when told they have just committed a racist act in the form of a microaggression. They do not believe that they could be racist, and they believe their actions were justified by something else. As someone who prides themselves in staying educated on various forms of oppression, even I slip up sometimes, but the important thing is to realize your mistake and take steps to prevent it from happening again. People may be well intentioned, but microaggressions exist just below conscious awareness for most people (Sue). This is a departure from traditional notions of racism. Many people believe it has to be violent, a racial slur, or another overt kind of behavior. In actuality, racism is now much more complex than that. 

The concept of a microaggression actively disrupts all preconceived notions of racism. A focus on intent has shifted to a focus on impact. Instead of being “out there” racism, in the form of microaggressions, is now “in between here.” Instead of being formal and abstract, microaggressions are more about people’s lived experiences. Racism is no longer a condition which afflicts everyone in our society in the same way; as it is now based on the claims of the individual. A simple way to describe it is that racism is no longer a noun, it is now a verb (Fleras). Racists no longer exist openly in mainstream society, but acts of racism are still common. This means it lies in the actions of individual people, and the patterns of power are perpetuated in these seemingly small interactions. Racism is ever changing and adaptive, which makes it harder and harder to define it as a noun. Rankine’s focus, however, is on the white person as an individual, when really a lack of acknowledgement only signifies a lack of understanding of the systems of power at work.

“You think maybe this is an experiment and you are being tested or retroactively insulted or you have done something that communicates this is an okay conversation to be having” (Rankine 10).

Blaming oneself or looking inward as opposed to looking outward is a common immediate response to microaggressions. The thought process one usually follows begins with the incident of event. Immediately after, one is left to consider whether or not the incident was racially motivated. Next comes the reaction or immediate response to the incident in the form of a thought process which is internal or spoken, an action, or an emotional response. There is also an interpretation of intentions – the why rather than the what. Some common interpretations are, “You do not belong,” “you are abnormal,” “you are intellectually inferior,” “you are not trustworthy,” and “you are all the same” (Sue). It is hard to understand why someone would want to send these messages. It is sometimes hard to remember that these messages are communicated below the level of consciousness. Perpetrators really truly do not believe that they are doing anything wrong, which then forces the victim to blame themselves. But why do we really think this way? It is easy to blame the individual, but what one should really seek to blame is the institution that shaped them.

“…being around black people is like watching a foreign film without translation” (Rankine 50).

As a person of color, one has to learn how to exist in white spaces as well as the space defined by your racial identity. White people, however, do not make any effort to understand the culture and habits of people of color. “Often for their very survival, blacks have been forced to become lay anthropologists, studying the strange culture, customs, and mindset of the ‘white tribe’ that has such a frightening power over them…” (Mills 17). This white ignorance is harmful to the wellbeing of people of color, and harmful to our society as a whole. White normativity stifles other cultures and opinions, especially when it contributes to the culture of calling things too “politically correct,” shutting down discourse and silencing opinions that do not agree with the status quo. 

A common argument about modern day racism and microaggressions is that marginalized people are just making a mountain out of a molehill, and that they want to continue being oppressed in order to gain some perceived benefit. The political correctness that ideas of modern day racism and microaggressions stem from is seen as stifling to free speech and expression (Nowrasteh). Those in power are threatened by the idea that others would have access to benefits that they do not. Now, racism is defined by its victims and not its perpetrators, which is a scary thought to many members of privileged groups. Perpetrators do not see microaggressions as worth the same concern that overt acts of racism are. These such incidents are written off as too “politically correct” which in turn makes them almost impossible to deal with or even have a rational discussion about. This keeps marginalized people from speaking out against acts of racism, including microaggressions, that they may see. The decision to speak out and face backlash or stay silent is one that involves a lot of time and keeps many victims of microaggressions from speaking out.

Arguably, analysis of microaggressions is a possible way to translate the foreign film to white people. When a person of color or other marginalized group experiences a microaggression, it could lead to helpful and constructive discourse which could in turn lead to changes that would make marginalized groups feel safer. Instead, whites feel attacked when their behavior and speech is policed, even in a minor way, because that is something that those in power have not had to deal with before. The backlash against identity politics that we are starting to see is a direct effect of the insecurity of whites and other groups who hold power (Taub). The narrative that is currently accepted is that being politically correct stifles discourse, but really it just steers it in a direction that many people are uncomfortable with. It is plain to see that the reason why white people do not want to try and understand the “foreign film” is because they are not in danger if they do not understand it.

“You take in things you don’t want all the time. The second you hear or see some ordinary moment, all its intended targets, all the meanings behind the retreating seconds, as far as you are able to see, come into focus. Hold up, did you just hear, did you just say, did you just see, did you just do that? Then the voice in your head silently tells you to take your foot off your throat because just getting along shouldn’t be an ambition” (Rankine 55).

Rankine clearly illustrates here the constant build up of microaggressions. This is what causes the negative physiological effects, because it isn’t the isolated comment that is the issue. It is the constant inundation of these microaggressive comments and messages that causes the problems. Microaggressions are also evidence of the bigger institution of racism that is still at work even in our supposed post racial society. They are something that people can point to and say, “There, that is why we are still talking about racism.” The micro matters because the macro still exists, “Micro-aggression racisms are part of a macro-level system of racialized hegemony whose invisibilities solidify hierarchical structures and consolidate white privilege” (Fleras 13). Let us unpack this statement, because it is key to understanding the importance of Rankine’s work. Microaggressions are not an isolated symptom of marginalized people being too sensitive, as many people may believe. They are a symptom of a bigger problem that is a society which is content to be racist, but at the same time denies it. This invisible power structure serves to reinforce both white privilege and power structures that exist. At the same time, however, microaggressions disrupt white privilege by challenging white normativity. But when the white normativity fights back and makes victims of microaggressions second guess their assessment of the situation, it can be stressful.

“At times, you begin to question your own sanity. Like, am I going insane?” (Sue 75)

There are ways that people can deal with microaggressions. It has been proven that feeling a connection to one’s ethnic group can lower anxiety that is caused by microaggressive situations and environments (Liao). Checking in with other members of one’s marginalized group can be important in gauging how to react in microaggressive situations. Without that support system to fall back on, marginalized people may suffer more than they might otherwise have to, feeling powerless, inauthentic, and disingenuous (Sue). All marginalized groups can use what experiences they have in order to prevent microaggressions from occurring between different marginalized groups, for example, between a black woman and a white woman. White people, while having more agency to control these interactions and prevent the institutional oppression of people of color, are also victims of their own system.

One thing Rankine didn’t address as well as she could have was the fact that microaggressions as a new form of racism have negative effects on perpetrators as well, although they may not be quite as bad as the effects had on victims. Everyone is a part of the “interpersonal and psychodynamic dance” and “neither party is merely a perpetrator and . . . . in meaningful ways both are victims” (Sue 53). I know that personally I have found myself on both sides of a microaggressive incident, and have played the part of a perpetrator and victim, but it goes even deeper than that. Many white people do not even realize discrimination still exists, due to the institutional white ignorance that blankets our society. When asking, “How much discrimination still exists?” 10% of whites said a lot while 57% of blacks said a lot. When asked whose fault it was over a third of whites claimed it was the fault of black americans (Sue). How can oppressors stop oppression if they are unaware of its existence? If they brush off microaggressive behavior as simply “being too politically correct?” Rankine simply glossed over the white ignorance that perpetuates such acts of racism.

Claudia Rankine’s Citizen: An American Lyric accurately depicts the complex psychological effects of microaggressions on both the oppressed and the oppressor, but may not fully acknowledge the complexity of such interactions and how they harm not only the victim but also the perpetrator and support the institution of racism as a whole. It is unfortunate that the nature of microaggressions causes them to impact us all in such a drastic way. If white ignorance didn’t keep those in power from seeing how racism is perpetuated through institutions and systemic white privilege, maybe discourse surrounding microaggressions would be more productive. As it is now, any attempt to call out and fix microaggressive incidents and behavior is met by groups in power calling it “politically correct” and refusing any further discussion. Racism is so deeply entrenched in our society that many would see nothing wrong the microaggressive acts that Claudia Rankine discusses in her work Citizen: An American Lyric. Hopefully her work and the accurate representation of what it means to be black in our society today will help some people see what has been clouded ever since slavery was abolished and racism was “fixed.” Hopefully, the work that Rankine and others are doing will translate into a culture that is more open to discourse surrounding microaggressions and everyday racism.