Title: How Does Oppression (Microaggressions) Affect Perpetrators? | Psychology Today
Headings: How Does Oppression (Microaggressions) Affect Perpetrators?
Derald Wing Sue Ph.D.
How Does Oppression (Microaggressions) Affect Perpetrators?
The cognitive, affective, behavioral, and spiritual costs of oppression.

Content: d) avoiding marginalized groups so they are not reminded about the racism, sexism and heterosexism that lies inside and outside of them; ( e) feeling impotent about changing social injustices in our society; ( f) realizing that White, male and heterosexual "supremacy" is a basic and integral part of U. S. society; and ( g) awareness that no one is free from inheriting the racial, gender and sexual orientation biases of this society. Winter's quote is directed toward well-intentioned Whites who are only marginally aware of their biases and their roles in the oppression of persons of color. The internal struggle she describes is manifested cognitively (awareness vs. denial, mystification, and pretense) and behaviorally (isolation and avoidance of marginalized groups). The internal struggle, however, brings about strong, intense and powerful emotional feelings as well: "When someone pushes racism into my awareness, I feel guilty (that I could be doing so much more); angry (I don't like to feel like I'm wrong); defensive (I already have two Black friends...I worry more about racism than most whites do - isn't that enough):