And, frankly, Bacon fries them ALL!

On the serious side: I am contantly reminded of the Native American saying, and I paraphrase, "walk a mile in the shoes of those who oppose you or in the shoes of the oppressed".

I am not sure that most of the majority, i.e. straight, white males will ever fully understand what it is we are trying to say. I do not mean that as an offense, just an observation, just as I am sure the early white settlers of America had no idea of what it was like to be a Native and live off of the land without a mindset of ownership and invasion. Many make very valid and valiant attempts to understand and accept; others just don't get it.

There are exercises which we use in our human rights org. to illustrate what it is like to be part of a minority. These are done lightly, though, as people usually feel so much emotion when they go through such processes that they need a good solid "debriefing" and comfort afterwards.

As usual, I've come back to the conclusion that there are no black and white answers; lots, and lots of gray areas.

I do agree with KingB/Kris in that we need both the soapboxers and the ones who quietly go about accepting and getting along.

Thanks to everyone who has posted. As ever, in true Mudcat tradition, it's been lively, impassioned, and hopefully enlightening for us all.

Minds are like parachutes...they only function when open.

katlaughing