Students nationwide are protesting microaggressions

“Microaggressions” describes the use of words, phrases and behavior that a minority group finds offensive or insulting — subtle, often unintentional slights that come off as tone deaf when said or done by white, privileged people. One example includes Joe Biden’s calling Barack Obama an “African-American who is articulate and bright and clean” in 2008. The term is part of the conversation about making universities more welcoming to everyone. Some people say this is an example of political correctness run amok. And that’s a conversation worth having. A conversation in which each side listens to the other and tries to understand why what comes off as offensive to me may seem insignificant to you, and vice versa.