Ditto, MaryPage.
I ride such a roller coaster of happiness and depression of whether society is progressing emotionally about udestanding each other and accepting differences. Obviously Obama's election night was a high, but the nasty statements of negative racial overtones are sad. Some members of society seem incapable of being rational and thinking things through before they speak. Of course, we are hearing about every statement since the 24/7 news programs have to fill their airtime.
It sometimes feels like people have to have someone else to be angry at, the "other" as some esteemed sociologist once said. Any target who pops up gets nastiness lobbed at them, sometimes violently attacked. Race, religion, nationality, clan, tribe, gender, those people across the river or over the mountain - all can generate a feeling of "other".
As MaryPage said, it can be very depressing. But then i look at our family, we have Blacks,Whites, Hispanics, gays, feminists and all are accepted, even by those who a generation ago would have been appalled! Even 15 yrs ago some would have been likely to make anti-gay remarks, now they are likely to calmly suggest to someone else who does so that their remarks are not appropriate. Even among the younger generation occasionally someone will make an anti-East Asian comment and another will call them on it. I feel so proud when that happens.
