Divisions of Adolescent and Transition Medicine.
Departments of Pediatrics.
Pediatrics. 2021 Dec 1;148(6). doi: 10.1542/peds.2021-052758.
Racism and sexism that manifest as microaggressions are commonly experienced by members of minoritized groups. These actions and comments erode their subjects' vitality and sense of belonging. Individuals from minoritized groups are often left in a quandary, weighing the potential benefits and risks of addressing the comments. Placing the burden to interrupt bias on our marginalized colleagues is unjust. In part, it is inappropriate to expect them to dismantle a system that they did not create. It is essential for individuals with privilege who observe microaggressions to address the speaker and support their colleagues. In this Ethics Rounds, we present 2 cases in which individuals from minoritized groups experience racism and sexism that manifest as microaggressions. The first case involves a Black female physician making recommendations in a business meeting being characterized by a male colleague as emotional. The commentators analyze how both gender and race constrain the range of acceptable emotions one may exhibit and the harm that this causes. The second case involves a Black intern being identified by a parent as a custodian. Commentators describe how such microaggressions can harm trainees' performance and sense of belonging. In both cases, observers did nothing or only spoke to the subject in private. Commentators provide specific guidance regarding actions that bystanders can take to become upstanders and how they can decenter themselves and their discomfort and leverage their privilege to interrupt microaggressions. By becoming upstanders, individuals can remove the disproportionate responsibility for addressing microaggressions from marginalized colleagues.
少数群体成员经常经历表现为微侵犯的种族主义和性别歧视。这些行为和言论削弱了他们的主体活力和归属感。少数群体成员经常陷入困境，权衡解决这些言论的潜在利弊。将打断偏见的负担放在我们边缘化的同事身上是不公平的。部分原因是，期望他们拆除一个他们没有创建的系统是不合适的。对于观察到微侵犯的特权人士来说，重要的是要与发言者接触并支持他们的同事。在本次伦理轮次中，我们提出了两个少数群体成员经历种族主义和性别歧视表现为微侵犯的案例。第一个案例涉及一位黑人女医生在一次商务会议中提出建议，被一位男同事形容为情绪化。评论员分析了性别和种族如何限制一个人可能表现出的可接受情绪的范围，以及这会造成什么伤害。第二个案例涉及一名黑人实习生被一位家长误认为是看门人。评论员描述了这种微侵犯如何损害学员的表现和归属感。在这两种情况下，观察者都没有采取任何行动，或者只是私下与当事人交谈。评论员提供了旁观者可以采取的具体行动指导，以成为挺身而出的人，以及他们如何将自己和自己的不适置于次要位置，并利用自己的特权来打断微侵犯。通过成为挺身而出的人，个人可以从边缘化的同事那里卸下解决微侵犯的不成比例的责任。
