ABSTRACT
Microaggressions are stereotype-based slights against members of marginalized groups. People who are the frequent targets of linguistic microaggressions recognize the messages and the harm caused by a constant stream of subtle mistreatment: small slights can accumulate into serious harms, especially when the same hidden messages are repeated over a long period of time and/or from a variety of sources. In certain circumstances, the harms of hate speech may also not be immediately apparent and may require repetition before they accumulate into noticeable violence. However, in Mari Matsuda’s discussion, it remains unclear precisely how the cultural pattern contributes to the harmfulness of hate speech. Matsuda expanded Richard Delgado’s argument to include other types of hate speech and to foreground the threat it poses to the autonomy of both targets and bystanders. The similarity between hate speech and microaggressions is the threat they pose to dignity.
