“Microaggressions” and “Triggers”

     Ace is on fire:

     We used to call "microaggressions" our personal peeves, but the Social Justice Warriors want to make it sound important (and give it the false sheen of academic rigor), so they called it "microaggressions." Note this word also shifts the party responsible -- it used to be understood that if you had a pet peeve, it was your pet peeve.

     Now comes the word "microaggression" to make it sound like the guy who activated your pet peeve did so voluntarily and, well, aggressively -- instead of it just being you getting annoyed, because you're sensitive.

     For a long time, I've heard Asians, in particular, talking about the particular "microaggression" of asking "Where are you from?" When they say "Fort Lee, New Jersey," the other person says, "No really, but where are you from?"

     Several things here. One, I can see how this would be annoying.

     Two, I don't think many people actually ask the question this way. I think the question is here being deliberately made to sound more stupid than it was actually posed. Like, I'd ask, "I mean, where does your family originate from?"

     But I wouldn't ask that, because now I know it's the Worst Thing Ever to try to find out if the person you're speaking to is of Korean or Chinese, or Korean or Japanese, extraction, because like You Should Just Know Or Something.

     This put me in mind of the scene in Clint Eastwood’s movie Gran Torino where Eastwood’s character introduces his young Hmong protégé to one of his friends, an Irish barber. If you’ve seen it, you know what I’m talking about; if you haven’t, for the love of God, get a copy and see it! It’s one of the best movies of the last few years.

     I’m also reminded of a scene in Frank Herbert’s neglected novel The Santaroga Barrier:

     “I’m going to tell you something, sir,” Burdeaux said. “Maybe you can understand if I tell you about something happened to me here. It’s a thing that would have hurt me pretty bad one time, but here...We were at a Jaspers party, sir. It was right after Willa, my girl, announced her engagement to Cal Nis. And George, Cal’s daddy, came over and put his arm across my shoulder. “Well there, Win, you old nigger bastard,” he said, “we better have us a good drink and a talk together because our kids are going to make us related.” That was it, Mr. Dasein. He didn’t mean a thing calling me nigger. It was just like...like the way we call a pale blond fellow here Whitey. It was like saying my skin’s black for identification, the way you might come into a room and ask for Al Marden and I’d say “He’s that red-headed fellow over there playing cards.” As he was saying it, I knew that’s all he meant. It Just came over me. It was being accepted for what I am. It was the friendliest thing George could do, and that’s why he did it.”

     Dasein scowled trying to follow the train of Burdeaux’s meaning. Friendly to call him nigger?

     “I don’t think you understand it,” Burdeaux said. “Maybe you’d have to be black to understand. But...well, perhaps this’ll make you see it. A few minutes later, George said to me, “Hey, Win, I wonder what kind of grandchildren we’re going to have—light, dark, or in-between?” It was just a kind of wonderment to him, that he might have black grandchildren. He didn’t care, really. He was curious. He found it interesting. You know, when I told Annie about that afterward, I cried. I was so happy I cried.”

     A place – a community – where you don’t have to pre-censor every word you think to utter, because your neighbors are men of good will and know you to be one too. Wouldn’t you love to live in a society like that?

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     The Social Justice Warriors are utterly opposed to freedom of speech and thought. In case you’re wondering, you can’t have the second without the first. For reasons beyond the scope of this tirade, our thinking is tied indissolubly to our speaking.

     Time was, showing a friendly interest in a new acquaintance’s heritage was considered mildly complimentary. Now that it’s been deemed a “microaggression,” a form of “othering,” there appears to be a general license to take offense at any such inquiry. Granted that there are still many persons who don’t take offense, to avoid unpleasant public confrontations one must pre-classify all one’s acquaintances as “man of good will” or “touchy bastard looking for a reason to take offense” before daring to speak.

     That reality is a large part of why I limit my public exposure so sharply. When another person takes umbrage at my innocent remark, I rear up on my hind legs and bellow a war cry. The sequel is often quite unpleasant.

     This, too, is part of the SJWs’ agenda: the atomization of American society into discrete, mutually suspicious or hostile groups. Persons who believe themselves surrounded by enemies will naturally look for protectors...and the State is ever ready to step into that role.

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     Before I close, a few words about “triggers.” This concept is exculpatory: an argument for excusing violence or other forms of disruption on the part of some Leftist mascot-group. The principal ones are, of course, Negroes, women, and homosexuals.

     The “trigger” concept is tightly tied to “microaggression,” in that it is almost entirely verbal. The “wrong” word is now deemed adequate justification for an abusive or violent response. It’s not that long ago that the notion would have been laughed out of court: “Incitement to riot is not a justification for riot.” But things have changed rather dramatically, and not for the better.

     Present trends continuing, this combination of SJW tactics will drive a redistribution of the American population. There will soon be regions where only one category of persons is accepted: Caucasian, Negro, Mongolian, Amerind, conservative, liberal, what-have-you. Subtle but effective techniques will be applied to exclude those “not of our kind.” Those regions will be enduringly on guard against their “different” neighbors. Such a Balkanization will spell the end of the United States as a functioning national society.

     This effect is already observable in Britain, France, and several smaller European countries. It’s not making them more peaceful or more politically coherent.