In the microaggression article, the concept of racism is introduced as a new form of modern and hidden racism as opposed to the total racism of the past. This concept really struck me. Growing up in the Bay Area, a very diverse and welcoming part of the country, I'd be quick to say that race was never an issue. I would never say I knew anyone who was racist or homophobic because those views were extremely looked down upon. From an early age we were taught that everyone is equal and that it is important not to judge others based on their external appearance. However, a few days before I read the article, a girl from my high school tweeted a swastika without context. Of course I'm always upset when I see a swastika, especially when I don't see the reason, and it doesn't make me feel good. Normally I would ignore it and it would leave my mind, but then I read the article about the microaggression a few days later and one of the examples given of a microaggression is “displaying a swastika” (Sue et al., 273). When I saw that tweet my reaction wasn't to associate it with racism because in my mind racism has always been more explicit, like someone saying, “I hate black people.” But now, through this course and readings like the article on microaggression, I'm starting to realize that racism is much more than blatant bigotry. I think I'll start to see microaggressions more in my daily life and not take things so much at face value. This is a good thing because I know it will only increase my awareness and help me understand the world more. But at the same time I know that I will probably see the world as a slightly worse place than I saw it before. I don't think I will be able to ignore and forget things as easily as I once did... in the middle of the paper... in the introduction and readings. It's really interesting for me to think about these different types of emotions, where they come from and what they might mean. I think being able to identify how you feel is key to better understanding yourself and the world. I've always had this vague idea that it's easy to be white, but until this course I hadn't really thought about all the privileges I'd been afforded. I never thought about how being white is seen as the norm while everything else is seen as the other. Thinking about it sometimes makes me feel guilty because it's easy for me and because I don't have to deal with certain things. Sometimes I even feel guilty because I have the automatic reaction of thinking that I'm lucky to be privileged. I also feel guilty when I think about all the jokes I've made about race or the stereotypes I've helped perpetuate.