Culture: Yes, Your Microaggressions Are Actually Macro…
I just wanna start off this blog by saying I was extremely triggered and inspired to dive into this after rewatching the film Parasite, recently. Like many people, I was reminded that this film totally encapsulates the sharpness of the hierarchies within society. After feeling so moved by everything—from the images, to the colors, themes, character arcs, symbolism—I felt blown away by how bizarre and yet perfectly relatable the film felt presently.
And then, just like that, I was reminded that my own experiences reflect remnants of the same capitalist, classist, patriarchal struggles of our own reality.
As a young Black woman that has entered the real world, I find myself feeling extremely sensitive and completely desensitized all at once. A paradox that I—and so many of my friends—live with every day.
I feel that myself and my friends are eerily faced with very uncomfortable situations, as young professionals and members of society—the reality that life is actually hard sometimes, right? LOL.
But what I find particularly interesting is timing—because we are living in the age of the “Era.”
The Era of embracing discomfort. The Era of awareness. The Era of shifting the narrative in real-time. We are living in a time where we are allowed to name our experiences, claim them proudly, and broadcast them at the push of a “share post” button. Where we can both perform and break character all at once.
What I’d like to break character on is the power of the modern-day microaggression. Because while progress has been made, the shift in approach that is necessary for true systemic change still lags behind.
The Falsehood of Equality
To get straight into it, we have progressed so much in this country that we have now grown into a falsehood of true equality. A place where, constitutionally, we have overcome major linguistics that, for decades, have dismissed, invalidated, and erased the humanity of people of color in this country.
And yet, here we are, still fighting.
Now we are left in a place where we fight harder through the arts, where we suffer loudly in social politics, all in the name of keeping the peace. We create, we express, we demand visibility—yet the system we are up against is still standing strong.
And what’s weird—what’s really unsettling—is that the closer we get to so-called social equality, no matter what race, gender identity, or age you are, the harder it is to be inauthentic about the ripple effects these deeply ingrained issues still have on our day-to-day lives.
And yet, at the same time, we have more permission now than ever to call them out.
The Weight of Double Consciousness
What is enlightening today is that the double consciousness—this hyperawareness of self versus how we are perceived—holds strong at the same time we cry for help.
Specifically, within the film and media industries, we are seeing growth, we are seeing a push for diverse storytelling, for more colorful opinions, more complex narratives.
And yet—the process of making space for these realities comes with a huge responsibility to withstand the same struggles that feed into them. It’s as if the doors are opening wider, but the walls around them are still pressing in.
This is why the old response—the expectation to stay submissive, stay quiet, endure—is becoming increasingly unbearable.
That was something that 2020 forced into the light. A massive glitch in the system. A reckoning that screamed out into the world, demanding we no longer just quietly shift our reactions for the sake of progress.
We live in a performative sphere, where our collective voices hold power—where we can shift perspectives, shake industries, and move millions of people within a 90-minute screening.
Yet, somehow, that power doesn’t seem to reach the inside—the intimate, micro-spheres of our everyday lives.
Why?
Because the same white patriarchal structures that have been running the show are still deeply rooted in our systems. They have just rebranded.
We can feel inspired by Parasite, by Get Out. We can rally behind movements like BLM and #MeToo. But do we actually feel safe enough to let these values hold space in our most day-to-day behaviors?
The answer is no.
Every day, we make choices that consciously (or unconsciously) perpetuate the same outdated behaviors that are otherwise shamed on macro-platforms.
Real-Life Microaggressions, Real-Life Impact
I’ve had so many experiences at my jobs within entertainment/film — moments that seem small but carry a very real weight in forming our realities. My disclaimer is that these have all taught me to be stronger and move forward with a different acceptance to where I’m not hurt. Nevertheless, I think it is important to give life to these scenarios once again in case anyone reading has experienced the same and is navigating our industries feeling like they don’t belong.
Casual Disrespect, Blatant Racism
I was sitting in a room with a very influential person at my company at the time, alongside my fellow intern (white, f). The conversation followed pretty standard introductory [vibes]. The typical:
"Where are you from? What interests you in film? How’d you end up here?"
There were three of us in his office. And yet, for the entire conversation—he wouldn’t make eye contact with me. His body was physically turned away from me, directing everything toward my white co-worker. Pretty awkward 45 minutes.
A white male professional at my place of work barked after me in the hallway:
“Aye yo! Jada, what’s good, shawty?”
This was my first day on the job. No clue how this white man even knew my name already.I was scolded for letting a Black use the office bathroom, in an almost empty facility, on the least busy day of the week. I was told he was a “detriment” to our company because he could spread COVID.
***Important to note this was at the end of 2022, where policy was lifting. My coworkers and I were allowed to do this as long as guest check in and protocol was followed. It was fine the other times, those guests were just white.***
(Jonathan Waddell, thank you for being the most perfect example of Microagressive Manager that I’ve ever had!)I’ll spare you on examples here but – consistent comments on my appearance. Not compliments. Comments about me, to remind me that I do not naturally belong in these white spaces.
The Emotional Toll
We are endlessly shining light on these realities, and yet—they never seem to hit in real life.
Most of the advice I receive on handling these endless digs? Silence. Accept it. Ignore it. Move on.
But that silence comes at a cost.
At one point, the weight of these experiences made me lose my appetite entirely. I wasn’t eating regularly. The stress delayed my menstrual cycle by three weeks. I stopped feeling like myself. My confidence plummeted. And it bled into every interaction I had. I was miserable.
Why Should I Stay Silent?
If at the root of what I stand for in film, media, and art is authenticity—then why should I be forced to shrink myself in my real life?
Yet the fear is real. The risk is real. The fear of being outspoken comes with the threat of losing status, image, job, voice.
But I’m here to say—we have to challenge this.
We have to start throwing these conversations into the open. Challenging the “little things” is making a difference. Because every time we stay silent, we are perpetuating the same behaviors of the white supremacist capitalist patriarchy.
At the end of the day—microaggressions aren’t micro at all.
They are macro as hell.
