Microaggression breakdown: 'You're so articulate'
'You're so articulate'
This remark suggests that the person making the statement (a person from the majority group aka, a white or white presenting person) assumed the person in question (a black or a person of color) would not be articulate and are surprised to find out they are.
This phrase has a complicated history and is a common microaggression African-Americans hear at work or school.
"We (a white-dominant society) expect black folks to be less competent," wrote A. Gordon in The Root. "And, speaking as a white person, when we register surprise at a black individual's articulateness, we also send the not-so-subtle message that that person is part of a group that we don't expect to see sitting at the table, taking on a leadership role."
What to say instead:
Nothing! If you want to compliment someone, complement the substance of their ideas not the way in which they speak!