microaggressions

microaggressions are the everyday verbal, nonverbal, and environmental slights, snubs, or insults, whether intentional or unintentional, which communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative messages to target persons based solely upon their marginalized group membership (Dr. Derald Wing Sue, Psychology Today blog, November 17, 2010). The written word can carry microagressions but their subtle and varied nature means writers who aren't familiar with the myriad ways they can be expressed need to educate themselves over time. Mistakes will be made. Keep trying to get it right because you want readers to read you without wincing or being put off. Note that microaggressions may be also classified as microassaults, microinsults, and microinvalidations.