Elevator Operator

When someone intentionally pushes your buttons, and takes you there (even though it's not a place you want to get to).

When white people pretend to be well-intentioned (possibly while giving backhanded compliments), yet repeatedly over-step boundaries or do microaggressions intentionally until you snap. Then, they act all innocent and wonder what happened, because it was a relatively small thing they eventually did that caused you to go there.

It is a compound of multiple transgressions. Someone could do the same thing many times, or multiple different things, consecutively. An example would be centering themselves, then gaslighting, then white-splaining and victim-blaming, whatabouting, and any other microaggressions or transgressions done until the Black person in the scenario has had more than enough and loses their temper.

White Woman 1: "(Black Woman 1) completely went off on me after I touched her hair. I just don't understand it. I don't know why she's so angry. She has a new hairstyle every week! I was giving her a compliment; It's not like I was trying to hurt her or anything. (White Woman 2) and I touch each other's hair all the time."
Black Woman 2: (Black Woman 1) politely asked you to stop doing that at least 10 times. I was there. You pulled an elevator operator on her.

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elevator operator

racial term for black people

"hey kurt, i almost got in a fight today..."
'oh yea? was it with one of them elevator operators?'
"yeeeeeeaa"

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