Posted by jane d on December 21, 2003, at 19:02:58
In reply to Re: a story of interest, posted by Karen_kay on December 19, 2003, at 13:14:54
> Wow! That is such a powerful story. Is it recent? (I surely hope not) I guess I tend to think that racism just doesn't exist anymore. I'll just pretend it doesn't...
> But, even with a new seat I'm sure that didn't help the man feel much better. I wish I could give him a hug :(
It probably did make him feel better. I was on the receiving end of something similar years ago - it was about class, not race, and a woman was trying to make me feel that I didn't belong there, and implicitly was appealing to other people to back her up. The way it was handled made it quite clear to me that, even tho she was not directly told off, everyone there was on my side, not hers. If she had been directly contradicted she would have defended herself by attacking me even more harshly. This way it was made clear to me that she was not speaking for anyone else, she was just a lone crank, and I could stay and enjoy myself. 20 years and I am still grateful for this. I hope I'd be smart enough to do the same thing for someone else if necessary.Jane
poster:jane d
thread:291629
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20031217/msgs/292196.html