by Greg Lukianoff
December 12, 2007
What qualifies as racism on campus today? It includes “microaggressions” (in other words, slights) that are troubling precisely because they are “difficult to report,” as if people should be “reported” for giving offense. Boston College student, Irene Jeon says that she often hears fellow students exclaiming that the ethnic food she and her friends eat in their rooms “smells so bad.” Jeon feels threatened by these remarks partly because people can’t be punished for making them: “(Y)ou can’t call the police and say, ‘they’re complaining about my food,’” she acknowledges. “‘That’s why it’s so dangerous—there’s no legal recourse.’”