Episode 159: When Fiction Becomes a Microaggression (with Evelyn Douek)

In season two of Star Trek: The Next Generation, Dr. Pulaski insists on mispronouncing Data’s name, signifying that she doesn’t see him as a real person.

When someone disrespects you in a subtle way, with plausible deniability, it can do just as much damage as overt bigotry. So we're talking about microaggressions — what they are, and how science fiction explores them but also perpetuates them. And later in the episode, we talk to Stanford professor Evelyn Douek about what's next for content moderation on the internet.

Notes, citations, & etc.

Evelyn Douek is an Assistant Professor of Law at Stanford Law School.

She co-hosts the Moderated Content podcast with Alex Stamos

The poet laureate, Ada Limon wrote a poem in honor of the Europa Clipper last year

The term “microaggression” was coined by Chester M. Pierce

Pierce helped to create a new TV show called Sesame Street

Psychologist Derald Wing Sue wrote a series of papers about microaggressions in the 2000s

He came up with a taxonomy of microaggressions and wrote an influential book called Microaggressions in Everyday Life

A recent trend toward fantasy of manners showcases the power of microaggressions

One recent example: To Shape a Dragon’s Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose