Reply #14: I haven't read the other thread, but your point is well taken.

[OneGrassRoot]

PERCEPTION and PERSPECTIVE are everything.

"We're not running for the presidency, and we don't have to pretend to like everyone, nor do we have to try to convert anyone to our cause. Our day to day "job" is to defend our own dignity and protect our sanity, which in part is accomplished by not bottling up our rage at when we encounter racists."

Excellent.

I consider myself empathic (not a good thing, btw...not an easy thing), but I don't presume to KNOW how another feels, especially someone of a different race, nationality, etc. It is, however, something I'm acutely aware of: I always keep in mind that another's perception of things can be vastly different from my own and I try to consider how they might feel about something that I find benign.

It's called respect.

Thank you. K&R