Micro-aggression: If you stand in a room of 50 incoming first year college students and ask them for the definition of this word, you will most likely hear silence. But this silence needs to be broken and these words need to be addressed. Micro-aggressions are words that many of us don't realize are offensive, but over time, the build up of these words can truly tear down the confidence of others. This discussion can make some of us uncomfortable because we fear of telling others what they can and cannot say. But that is not the point of this. The goal is to make others more aware of the words we're using and how they can affect those who are around us.

The word that jumps out to me as being most offensive is the word "basic." This word is meant to signify the building block of a subject to which you can further mold and build. The dictionary defines the word as "fundamental." But since when did the word "basic" become a term to reference what Urban Dictionary calls, "Someone devoid of defining characteristics that might make a person interesting, extraordinary, or just simply worth devoting time or attention to"? When many of us hear the word "basic," our minds automatically jump to what many people call "the basic white girl." Type these words into Google Images and up comes a girl with an iPhone and dressed in leggings, a North Face jacket, Ugg boots, and holding a Starbucks coffee in her left hand.

So who really cares? Well, women all over the world should be the ones who care. By equating Starbucks and Ugg boots to the word "basic," you are inherently devaluing the things that I enjoy. Therefore, I am outwardly offended by the use of this word in such context. You're also boxing women into a stereotype and stating that we automatically need to enjoy these things in order to be just as much of a girl. There is an extreme amount negativity that flows towards women and the things they enjoy. But when you look back at our original definition, there should be no negativity.

With the word "basic" can come many other words that also offend others, such as using the term "ratchet" to describe a person or thing from a lower income neighborhood with actions that follow in such fashion. When in reality, a ratchet is a tool that is used to tighten or to loosen a bolt attached to a socket. Take a step back here, look at the comparison of the word and its two definitions; they have nothing in common. Therefore, it does not make any sense to be calling people or things ratchet.

Micro-aggressions do not just apply to women, they can also be relevant for men when people use terms such as "f**kboy." This word has been made up to describe men who do things to purely benefit themselves along with not treating those around them with respect. So image your best friend has done something to make you upset and because of this you being able to refer to them as a f**kboy. While this person might genuinely be a nice guy and the disagreement may have stemmed from lack of communication, this would be considered mislabeling them and ultimately be offensive towards the male.

Imagine how it would feel to constantly be called these words. It may not hurt your feelings the first time, but after hearing it for the 20th time, it can really being to deteriorate your feelings of self-worth. Although you may personally not find these terms to be offensive, how would it make you feel to know that every time you call your best friend "basic" you're knocking down her confidence? I personally would never want to do that to anyone I care about, and therefore I have pledged to think about what I say before I say it. So if you agree with anything that has been stated, I urge you to carry on this conversation with your friends and share with them how much language really does matter.